A core goal of hiring is to build dedicated, effective teams that will stay with your company and add value in the long run. But for team members to be truly effective and want to stick around long-term, they must feel engaged in the workplace. Fortunately, hiring managers and HR professionals can take steps to increase future employee engagement from the start.
This article explores ways to infuse employee engagement into your recruiting strategy and hiring process to improve your new hires’ and current employee experience and boost long-term employee engagement.
Let’s start with a look under the hood to see where hiring fits into the bigger picture.
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The Role of Hiring in Long-term Employee Engagement
Think about a new employee’s first day on the job. After getting hired, they might feel excited about the position and how it will enhance their lives. Maybe they know about the team happy hour on Friday and look forward to getting to know their new coworkers, one of whom they already met during the interview process. Due to a positive hiring experience and an engaging onboarding period, they’re already on their way to becoming a highly engaged employee.
As this example shows, smooth hiring experiences can set a new hire up to be a more successful, engaged employee down the line. Hiring practices have a major influence on how new hires feel when they onboard and, consequently, how engaged they will be in the future.
With strategic, intentional hiring and onboarding practices, new hires are more likely to picture themselves staying at the company for at least a few years and be curious about future opportunities for growth. You can set them up to enjoy their jobs, seek out additional responsibilities, and be motivated to succeed by improving your hiring process.
How to Boost Employee Engagement Through the Hiring Process
Plenty of critical factors play into employee engagement, from receiving meaningful support from managers to feeling a sense of purpose at work. You can address several of these factors in the hiring process by taking the following steps.
1. Ensure that job descriptions convey company values and accurate responsibilities.
Many candidates’ hiring journeys start by reading a job description. To engage candidates from day one, these job postings must accurately reflect what it’s like to work for your company in that position as well as your company culture.
Use job descriptions to show employees what the job will look like on both a day-to-day and long-term basis so they know what they’re signing up for. This means infusing transparency into your job descriptions concerning company values, job responsibilities, support and training, salary range, growth opportunities, and more.
As you draft and edit job postings, check that they answer questions like:
- How flexible is the work environment and schedule?
- Who will they work with and report to?
- How often will they work individually vs. on a team?
- What responsibilities will they have in a typical day?
- What is the company culture like?
- What are the organization’s core values?
- Are there opportunities for growth at the company? What might these look like?
Besides giving candidates an accurate first impression of the position and your company, your job descriptions can attract candidates who are likely to be more engaged in the future.
For instance, discussing the company culture and values increases the chances that applicants who are a good culture fit will apply.
2. Take steps to improve your speed to hire.
The length of the hiring process can majorly impact a new employee’s attitude toward the position and future engagement. A faster hiring process shows candidates that your company values urgency, efficiency, and the applicant’s time. It also indicates that you value them and truly want them at the company.
When candidates feel respected and valued during the hiring process, they’re more likely to show up with a commitment to engaging at work. You can increase these feelings by improving your time to hire.
There are several ways to speed up your time to hire, most of which involve leveraging hiring software, like Spark Hire. These hiring tools enable you to easily schedule and conduct video interviews, use candidate data to predict suitability for the role, and even automate reference checks.
By taking advantage of the latest HR technology and tools, you can hire the right people faster.
3. Highlight employee engagement programs during hiring and onboarding.
Finally, show candidates and new hires what they can expect once they join the team. Provide information about your employee engagement programs during the hiring process and throughout onboarding. This will spark new hires’ interest and encourage them to take advantage of your programs right away.
Whether you add information to job descriptions or discuss these opportunities during interviews, include details about your company’s:
- Workplace giving programs. Employees want their employers to help support the causes they care about, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that let employees lead are especially compelling. Highlight workplace giving programs such as matching gifts, team volunteering opportunities, and payroll giving to show candidates that you’ll support their philanthropic efforts.
- Culture events. Both in-office and after-work culture events can boost team morale and keep your employees engaged at work. Let candidates know if your company hosts holiday parties, offers teambuilding seminars, or invites employees to create their culture events.
- Employee recognition programs. If your company has a dedicated employee recognition program to encourage team members to continue doing their best work, explain what that looks like. Do you recognize high-performing employees monthly or give out awards at the end of the year? Is there a way for team members to recognize and celebrate their peers’ achievements?
To cement the value of these candidate engagement programs turned employee engagement programs, encourage current team members who interact with candidates to talk about your engagement opportunities in addition to the job itself. If the final stage of your interview process includes a “day in the life” call with a team member in that role, for instance, ask them to mention their favorite engagement program.
Remember that candidates want to be engaged at work — they just need to know what engaging will look like and if it resonates with their values. Taking these steps to prioritize employee engagement during the hiring process will help you hire more motivated, active employees who will contribute their best work to your company.
Streamline your Hiring Process
Keep candidates engaged in your recruitment process, avoiding bottlenecks and reducing hiring time without sacrificing quality.
