Hiring is one of the most critical on-going processes a company goes through. Employees are your company’s most important asset, and when you invest in bringing the best possible talent onto your team, you help contribute to your company’s success. But how do you make sure you hire the best people?

Think big-picture

When your team has an opening, it’s natural to begin the process of filling the role to meet the needs it previously fulfilled. But before you do this, take a moment to step back and re-evaluate the needs of your company. If you still need that exact position, great; you already likely have the job description set and a good idea of what type of candidate you are looking for. Other times, however, you may realize that the role or team has evolved, and your recruiting needs have changed. Since it’s such a time and money-intensive process to hire new employees, this important issue must be considered before going any further.

Put it on Paper

Once you’ve determined what you need, get it down on paper. Be specific about the job responsibilities, working relationships and what qualifications are necessary. When you see everything clearly laid out, you can begin developing a thorough and attractive job posting and additional internal documents that will keep you and others involved in the hiring process focused on the type of candidate you are seeking.

Get the Word Out

With a complete job posting, you’re ready to start accepting resumes, but where do you post your job ad? One of the best ways to facilitate this stage of the hiring process is by using a recruitment agency that specializes in finding the best candidates for your open jobs. The agency can put your job posting in the best spots to garner attention from potential candidates, whether it’s online recruitment websites or social media sites, and also will likely be able to pull from their existing pool of candidates.

Review Thoughtfully

When you receive resumes, take careful consideration during the review process. A resume with typos or other grammatical errors may point to a sloppy candidate. Also beware of unexplained gaps in job history timelines or vague statements about participation in important work or activities. On the flip side, don’t be too quick to dismiss a candidate. If something needs clarification, a quick phone screen could answer a lot of questions. For example, a resume showing a short tenure with a previous employer could be the result of a layoff out of the applicant’s control.

Conduct Thorough Interviews

Bringing candidates in for interviews is the best way to evaluate who will be the best fit for your open positions. Only so much of a person’s qualities and experience can be made clear on a sheet of paper, so getting candidates in your office and actually talking through their qualifications is critical to getting the right people on your team.

Ask open-ended questions, and keep an open mind. Take notes, but don’t be so distracted with your pen and paper that you don’t give each candidate your full attention. You don’t want to miss critical pieces of information. If anything is unclear during the interview, ask follow-up questions to clarify.

Vet your favorite candidates with a number of people on your executive team to make sure you make the right choices and aren’t blinded by one or two small qualities you like about someone while missing other red flags — or overlooking a more qualified candidate.

Close the Deal

After you find the right candidate, it’s important you are able to close the deal. Highly-qualified candidates are often in high demand so make sure you’re ready to offer an attractive pay and benefits package. Be prepared to negotiate at this stage, and if you are unable to increase your salary offer, find other ways to sweeten the deal, through perks and other unique offerings.

By taking time to carefully evaluate and think through each part of the hiring process, you will be able to build a highly-qualified team of professionals that will lead your company to success in the near- and long-term.