Create a Strong Hiring Foundation With a Healthy Hiring Tree

Are you diligently working to establish a sturdy groundwork for your hiring? Are you eagerly anticipating the day when your efforts will yield the desired results?

At ApplicantPro, one of our seasoned hiring experts and Utah SHRM State Director, Steven Smith, has written a book called "The Hiring Tree" that outlines the best way to feed your organizational hiring. He compares the hiring process to an apple tree and what it takes to get the best fruit (your applicants) out of that tree by caring for it properly.

Let's start from the ground up!

Create Healthy Roots for Effective Hiring

Just as a fruitful tree relies on healthy roots, successful hiring hinges on a solid foundation. Without a healthy, solid foundation, the rest of the tree won't produce the results you're hoping for. In the hiring world, the roots represent the Executive team (the taproot), the managers (fibrous roots), and the employees (feeder roots).

It is a team effort and everyone must be on the same page to establish the foundation of the tree to plant it firmly in the ground. The mission, core values, and rules of the organization must be supported by all, which means they all need to know and be willing to live by those principles at work.

The Trunk Brings You Applicants

The trunk is the part of the tree that delivers nutrients to the branches. This part is VITAL! In the hiring world, the trunk of the tree is THE RIGHT HIRING PLATFORM! Having the right hiring platform that is user-friendly will bring you the applicants you need to feed your hiring and make your company successful.

There are 4 must-haves to ensure you are making the most of your hiring platform:

1. MOBILE FRIENDLY! Did you know that 83% of applicants are using their mobile devices when looking and applying for jobs? If your hiring platform is not mobile-friendly, you're missing out on a lot of potential!

2. REDIRECT VS. EASY APPLY: What does this mean? And what is the difference between the two? Well, I'll tell you...let's start with REDIRECT:

-Redirect is when an applicant finds your job ad on a job board and clicks to apply...instead of allowing the applicant to apply right there, it redirects them to your company website where they can then apply for the job.

-Easy Apply is when an applicant finds your job ad on a job board and instead of redirecting them to your company website, they are allowed to apply right there on Indeed, Zip Recruiter, etc.

Why does this matter? Well, you will usually lose 76% of applicants in the redirect. Applicants don't want to take the time to be jumping all over the internet to apply for your job. They'll just move on to the next one that has that easy apply button...and you'll learn more about why they like that in #3...

3. RESUME/PROFILE PARSING: This concept goes along with what we just discussed.

Job seekers can go on to Job Boards and create an account/profile. This will allow them to fill out general information about themselves and their work experience. They can also upload a copy of their resume. This way, when they apply for a job through the job board (remember Easy Apply from above?), it will automatically fill out the majority of the application from the information the applicant entered and it will attach their resume. This saves the job seeker enormous amounts of time and will make it more likely they will apply for your positions.

4. SHORT APPLICATION: We also refer to this as a 2-stage application.

When you use a short application, you will only be asking for very basic information upfront. Once they fill out the first stage, they will then automatically be invited to fill out the second stage, which will ask for more detailed information.

This will keep the applicant engaged with your job ad.

Now another key part of the trunk is your JOB AD! If you don't have an engaging job ad, it won't matter if you have the right hiring platform because people won't be applying for your jobs! Here are a few key points for creating your job ads:

• DON'T use the job description as your job ad...that's just boring and it won't entice people to apply!
• DON'T use jargon or acronyms...we are finding that the younger generations don't know these!
• Limit your bullet points! Search engines will de-rank your ad if it detects too many bullet points.
• List the SCHEDULE, PAY, and BENEFITS in your job ad!

Now as we move up the tree we come to the LEADER BRANCH...

This is a root that grows out of the tree, becomes the trunk, and turns into the main branch of your tree. This is the branch that all other branches grow out of.

The leader branch is your Employee Referral program! They are the ones who help your company to grow with the best possible referrals/new hires...but remember...your employees AREN'T recruiters...they are your job SHARERS! They are the ones that will share your job ads on their social media, email them to their friends, or share via word of mouth.

It is HR and the Hiring Manage 's job to do the actual recruiting. They are the ones that should create the job ad and then share the link with the employees. Then the employees share the link out there into the world and the rest is up to HR and the Hiring Managers.

One key to a successful Employee Referral program is to reward right away! Your employees aren't recruiters...don't expect them to bring top-notch candidates every time. You've asked them to share your jobs and that's what they've done. Reward them for that and you will see an immediate increase in referrals...we've seen employee engagement increase by 56% when we pay for referrals, not actual hires. We've seen applications per employee increase by 329% when we pay out immediately. This concept will change your employee referral program for the better!

Without a strong leader branch (employee referral program) your tree will fail! Make sure it is healthy and strong!

Do You Have a Strong Hiring Tree?

By adopting these fundamental strategies, you can cultivate a resilient hiring tree. Start with a strong foundation and nurture each aspect to generate top-tier applicants, fueling your company's growth and triumph. If you need any help with these concepts, click the button below to schedule a conversation with us. We're here to support your hiring success.

Happy hiring!

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