Avoid Losing New Hires to Counteroffers

Nonprofits rely on their dedicated, engaged employees to further advance their organizations’ missions. A lax recruitment process, or weak new hires, can jeopardize valuable time and money pertinent to a mission’s success, though.

Because the hiring process tends to be more strenuous for nonprofits due to their typically smaller size and salary rate, a concise recruitment procedure is imperative.

Don’t risk hiring the wrong individual just to end a painful hiring process. Learn how your organization can better identify great job candidates in a fast and efficient manner.

Substantially improve your recruitment process using these six easy-to-manage steps:

1. Create a truthful job description that depicts both the job expectations and the company as a whole. You want to attract a candidate whose skills match that of the position’s requirements, and whose personality/interest will fit well in the organization. Falsifying this content could attract the wrong candidates and lower retention rates.
2. Develop a multiple-step hiring practice. Having numerous hiring phases will eliminate those seeking ANY job. You want someone who is truly interested in what your company has to offer.
3. Take part in the interview process. Because you know exactly what you’re looking for in a potential new hire, it’s extremely important to get involved as early as possible. Whether it is phone interviews or resume reading, you play a crucial role in weeding out unfit candidates.
4. Build your interview around the position’s desired qualities. Create interview questions that reflect roles and characteristics needed for the position. This will help you identify how many qualities each candidate possesses.
5. Have others play a role in the interview process. When it comes down to the final candidates, having other staff members you trust involved with making the final decision will help alleviate any uneasiness or anxiety. Having worked with you, these team members could help with the decision-making process when you’re on the fence.
6. Set a realistic, yet firm, onboarding timeline. Allow 3 months to search for the right candidate, 1 month in order for the new hire to give notice, and 2 months for training purposes. This will give you both short term and long term hiring goals and will prevent you from abruptly hiring the wrong individual.

By reorganizing your hiring process, using these tips and suggestions, you can effectively sort through hundreds of applications and interviews and successfully identify great potential employees. Remember, combining both personal instinct and organizational intelligence can help you build a strong foundation for your organization’s mission development.

Read more tips on how to hire right here.