Too often, the recruiting process is an limited endeavor. The manager or Human Resources personnel post a job and in come the resumes. A recruit is walked around the office and suddenly someone is occupying a previously empty desk. While this process results in a hire, it doesn't always result in the best hire for the company. Next time you need to fill a position, consider these reasons to involve your employees during recruitment.
Networking
One of the best ways to find quality recruits is word-of-mouth and networking. Who better to identify a great potential candidate than people who network within that profession? Your employees already know the best and the brightest in their field because they go to conferences with them. They know who "plays well with others" and who is a valued employee at their own workplace. They can connect prime candidates to your job posting without a single advertisement. Your employees' networks are a valuable asset that you should absolutely use during the hiring process.
Camaraderie
You can work for a great company, but be miserable if you don't enjoy the people around you. Employees want to create a fun and enjoyable working environment. When you're hiring a new employee, involving current employees allows those employees to not only find a qualified candidate, but one they actually like being around. This increases the group's camaraderie and overall employee satisfaction. Camaraderie is a huge motivating factor for employees and searching from recruits hand-picked by your current employees allows you to find not only the best candidate, but one that will fit into your current team.
Employee Engagement
Employee engagement stretches far outside the realm of what the company does for the employee. It encompasses the workplace, the mission, and the importance an employee feels within the organization. Engaged employees work harder, more efficiently, and produce better work than their counterparts. By involving current employees in the hiring process, your team will feel as though their recommendations and suggestions for candidates are taken seriously by the company because they are an expert at what they do. Involving employees in the recruiting process shows you value employees and increases employee engagement.
Get Better Candidates Faster
When you're filling an empty position, time is of the essence. You want to alleviate the excess work required of other employees while the position is vacant, but you also want to find the right person to fill and excel at the job. Involving your current employees in the hiring process is the easiest and fastest way to find quality candidates. Not only can current employees use their network connections to talk to prime recruits but they can also evangelize the company to get them more excited about becoming part of that team. Current employees can find you the best candidates fast.
Recruiting is difficult enough and failing to use your employees as a resource is putting you at a disadvantage. Employee-found recruits are better suited to the group, integrate into the company better, and are more likely to stay onboard. Next time you need to fill a position, talk to your employees to find a quality candidate.
