Organisations worldwide have developed their recruitment processes to attract and identify the right candidate for their company. A typical HR recruitment process usually requires a hiring manager to create a hiring strategy and finding the best talents for the organisation. Companies would argue that such a model works well, but the question is – does it work for your business?

Industries and workplaces around the globe are constantly evolving, which brings about the need to engage in a new recruitment process that effectively upgrades your hires. With several technological improvements, alongside constantly changing employee expectations, an overhaul in hiring processes is the need of the hour.

This introduces to us the concept of ‘collaborative hiring,’ which in essence, is a collaborative recruitment process that utilises a team-based approach to hiring suitable candidates. This route makes use of a de-centralised approach; wherein a single hiring manager does not have to bear the brunt of making all the hiring decisions for the company. Instead, colleagues from other parts of the business are brought in to contribute towards the inputs for the recruit.

What is the collaborative hiring process like?

In a typical interview, the candidate meets two to three interviewers who analyse whether they are the right match for the company, and likewise, the candidate identifies whether the company is the right fit for them based on the impression offered by these interviewers. When it comes to collaborative recruitment, candidates are introduced to a multi-stage interview process.

In the initial stages, the candidate meets just the recruiter and hiring manager, who identify whether the candidate is qualified enough to move to the next stage. Numerous candidates are shortlisted and are introduced to the team members they are likely to work with. These team members also evaluate the candidate and help determine whether the new hire would be a good fit for the company and whether they are motivated enough to take on the role.

Many companies also consider extended job trials or probationary periods to identify whether the candidate could easily fit into the work culture of the organisation and whether their skills can be utilised effectively.

Benefits of collaborative hiring

In a typical interview, the candidate meets two to three interviewers who analyse whether they are the right match for the company, and likewise, the candidate identifies whether the company is the right fit for them based on the impression offered by these interviewers. When it comes to collaborative recruitment, candidates are introduced to a multi-stage interview process.

In the initial stages, the candidate meets just the recruiter and hiring manager, who identify whether the candidate is qualified enough to move to the next stage. Numerous candidates are shortlisted and are introduced to the team members they are likely to work with. These team members also evaluate the candidate and help determine whether the new hire would be a good fit for the company and whether they are motivated enough to take on the role.

Many companies also consider extended job trials or probationary periods to identify whether the candidate could easily fit into the work culture of the organisation and whether their skills can be utilised effectively.

Benefits of collaborative hiring

Most organisations would hestitate to appoint the responsibilities associated with recruitment to employees, especially considering how much an unfit hire could cost the company in the long run. These companies often settle with the linear hiring process and don’t venture out to try new recruitment strategies, even if it could help them overhaul their business.

Here are some of the most obvious benefits of collaborative hiring that have been witnessed by companies worldwide:

• Diversification of impressions

A hiring process provides more insights when there are a range of perspectives to it, rather than a single focused approach. While developing a collaborative hiring process may seem quite daunting, such a method can lead to better hiring results. With more opinions, you can evaluate the potential of the candidate from different perspectives, which would not be possible if a single hiring manager was left with the entire responsibility of choosing an ideal candidate.

• Candidates have a better experience

Most organisations tend to forget that throughout the hiring process, the potential employee is evaluating the company just as much as they are being evaluated. A candidate will not have gained enough exposure to the work environment if they were only introduced to one or two hiring officers during their interview process. Sometimes, if their interaction is less than satisfactory, the candidate may reject the job in the initial stages itself, which could potentially lead to the company losing out on good talent.

When the candidate is introduced to the team, the interactions between them can give meaningful insight into how the candidate would perform as an employee in the company. The candidate could feel a sense of camaraderie right from the get-go, which provides incentive for them to want to work with your organisation.

• Current employees will feel valued

Organisations stand to gain improved employee engagement when they decide to involve existing team members in the hiring process. Collaborative hiring allows employees to have a voice in choosing who they get to work with in the future. This lends them a sense of value and importance, leading to enhanced motivation and productivity within their work responsibilities.

A manager or supervisor undoubtedly knows the roles of employees as well as the needs of the company, but they are not always aware of the deep inner-workings of the organisation. Your employees make your company what it is. Their opinion on the credibility of a candidate can help you go over certain crucial pointers. In fact, your employee can also motivate the candidate about the opportunity they have, which helps to ensure that your chosen talent is secured.

• Improve your company culture

One of the biggest highlights of any collaborative effort is the increase in transparency within the organisation. Most successful companies have a culture of feedback and clarity, and the freedom to voice opinions helps employees feel more engaged and valued within their organisation. Management may feel compelled to follow through with a direct, planned-out vision for the company, but doing so without any input from your employees will lead to a burned-out, unexciting team of workers. Collaborative hiring can help your employees feel involved in the future of the company, which helps to enhance your work culture significantly.

How to get started with collaborative hiring

Altering the role of a hiring manager and adding additional responsibilities for other employees may feel like a plan that could take lots of time and effort. Here’s how you can get started with collaborative hiring to avail promising results:

Step 1: Prepare your team

The first and foremost responsibility of a leader is to prepare the team for a process like collaborative hiring. Get your employees to provide their inputs when it comes to creating job descriptions, a candidate persona, and also advertising the job. Team members will be able to identify specific skills required to do justice for the job, while also making a clear note of the various duties and responsibilities associated with the role. Get your team to advertise the job effectively and honestly, which can be done easily by just finding out what draws them to their current role in the company.

Step 2: Searching for suitable candidates

Companies spend a lot of money creating job posts, which may or may not lead to quality candidates. When incorporating collaborative hiring into recruitment, there is no better place to look than within the workplace. Your employees can be your best bet at finding suitable candidates, as they will have an idea of what can be improved within the company. You can initiate collaboration by setting up an employee referral program, which motivates your current employees to find potential candidates from their network of friends and family members. Statistics show that about 45% of candidates who come in through employee referrals stay in the organisation for over four years. You can also encourage your employees to make use of their social media channels to promote a job position in the company.

Alternatively, you can also make use of the services provided by a talent acquisition company like TalenX.io. They use predictive analytics to identify the perfect candidate from a diverse pool of job applicants, ensuring that you get the best fit for your company.

Step 3: Drawing the interest of the candidate

It’s essential that the potential employee can picture themselves as a part of your workforce. You can attract the candidate by showcasing a positive and collaborative work culture while also highlighting the strengths and potential of your current employees. Be sure to include enough testimonials from your employees on your company website and also get them to write frequent blogs that shed a good light on the company’s ventures.

Step 4: Identifying the perfect candidate

Choosing the perfect candidate can be made much more worthwhile when the entire team is involved in the process. The legendary Steve Jobs once said, “When we hire someone, even if they are going to be in marketing, I will have them talk to the design folks and the engineers.” At Apple, it is common for employees from different teams to interview the candidate, all in a bid to ensure that they can be a good cultural fit for the company.

Your hiring criteria can see a positive change when you bring your whole team together and allow them to suggest suitable interview questions. A person from each discipline can offer their input, and, in the end, you can decide whether a candidate meets not only the technical qualifications for the role but also whether they can fit into the work environment effortlessly.

To keep the process streamlined, ensure that team members have scorecards that can be used to evaluate each criterion separately.

Step 5: Hiring and onboarding

Once the hiring criteria are developed, the candidate will appear for several interviews. After this, the entire recruiting team should gather to discuss the potential of the candidate. Each member’s impression or input should be taken into consideration, which also helps make a detailed assessment of the capabilities of the candidate. In the end, this helps hiring manager feel more confident in their new hire, and the candidate will also feel like enough effort has been taken to pick them from a lot of applicants.

To facilitate the process, you can also make use of a talent acquisition service like TalenX.io, which uses I/O Psychology to identify your candidate’s potential and their suitability for the role.

Companies can also extend the collaborative hiring process to include team members concerning onboarding. Establishing a buddy system or setting up meetups or lunches can help new employees fit into the team and build a natural rapport with other employees.

To Conclude

Collaborative hiring is a process that promises greater employee engagement while also helping employers come to a more informed decision on the perfect candidate for their organisation. When implemented correctly, collaborative hiring can change the game for your HR team, and you get to bring in quality talent that can make all your hiring efforts worthwhile.