How to improve your talent acquisition process

A team of reliable, skilled employees is key to the success of your business. To make sure you have a solid team, you need to not only support current staff members but also invest in an effective talent acquisition process.

Because employee turnover is inevitable in every business, you need a system in place to efficiently hire new people to replace those who leave. Talent acquisition is also important to expand your workforce when your company is growing.

What is talent acquisition?

A talent acquisition process is composed of the systems you follow to find and hire skilled workers for your company. In addition to sharing information about job openings, you need to gather details about interested applicants.

Talent acquisition includes everything from recruitment to interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training. When you have an effective system in place, it increases employee satisfaction — which in turn decreases the need to fill open positions in the future.

7 tips for improving the talent acquisition process

You need an established talent acquisition process so that you’re ready to hire when the need arises. In addition to filling current needs, a good talent acquisition process also safeguards your company against future workforce challenges.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for creating the ideal talent acquisition process. Instead, consider these general steps, then customize your system according to your company’s unique needs.

1. Analyze organizational needs. Start by identifying the reasons why you’re recruiting and hiring new employees. What are the specific needs within the organization you’re trying to address? This analysis should focus on open positions, as well as gaps in staffing or skills where you need additional support.
2. Request approval for new hires. Most organizations have an approval process in place before the hiring process begins. Always consult with upper management, human resources, and anyone else who is an active participant in the process when hiring new employees.
3. Post the job. An online job posting puts your company in front of hundreds or thousands of potential candidates. Share the details of the open position on job board websites, then distribute the links through social media and other digital platforms.
4. Collect resumes. Now that you’ve a published job opening, the resumes will start to pile up. Filter your options to come up with an ideal pool of final candidates.
5. Interview candidates. The interviewing process gives you face-to-face interactions with candidates on your shortlist. Ask questions about their experience and work history to find the candidates who will be a good fit for your team.
6. Make the offer. Once you’ve narrowed down the applicants, it’s time to make your final decision and provide that person with a formal job offer. This offer includes details about the job title, responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and more.
7. Onboard new hires. It takes time to get your new hires up to speed in the company. A structured onboarding process is an effective way to speed up the transition process so the person can quickly become a productive member of the team.

How to use Jotform for talent acquisition

Jotform’s no-code tools are ideal for creating a customized talent acquisition system. Start with form templates to collect candidate information. This data automatically populates the associated table, where you can track and manage candidates and new hires easily. Examples of these templates include this recruitment tracker and the employee onboarding template.

This cloud-based system makes the process transparent for all stakeholders. Additionally, you can use approval templates to automate any part of the workflow that requires approval, such as a new hire approval or job requisition approval. These built-in approvals help minimize delays and speed up the process.

Consider these popular form templates when customizing your talent acquisition process:

• Job application forms
• Applicant assessment form
• New hire checklist
• Interview schedule form
• New hire request
• New hire onboarding
• Online interview questionnaire 
• Reference check authorization
• Employee reference request

Using these tools is an effective way to improve your recruitment process and make sure you find and hire the best candidates. Once you have a customized talent acquisition process in place, it’s easy to connect with new talent when you need to hire. As a result, your business will gain an edge in your industry by having a qualified, fully staffed team to serve your customers.