The typical hiring process goes something like this:

• Know the job you need to fill
• Write a job description
• Advertise
• Interview
• Hire

It’s a method that many organizations have used for decades. Yet how is it that your organization can’t find the right person?

Perhaps it’s in how you’re working the process. In fact, much of what goes into that hiring process will work if you approach each process with more intention. Here are some easy tweaks to help you find quality job candidates and improve your results and retention levels.

Know the job. Sue’s retirement left a gap in your claims department. You think the role you’re filling is someone with claims experience. While that’s true, it’s also true that Sue wasn’t just a claims examiner. She led a team of examiners and liaised with subject matter experts. Sue was also someone who could solve problems and communicate with all stakeholders in a way that ensured a cohesive, team approach to resolving claims.

That means your next employee should also have leadership skills, should be excellent at problem-solving, and should put communication at the forefront of every project.

Write the job description. The right job description telegraphs to all applicants what it is they need to highlight in their work experience. Todd may be a superb numbers guy, but is he someone who has worked successfully as a team participant? Highlight those skills that your organization needs that will benefit the business.

Advertise. Here’s where bias can hamper your best intentions. Hidden bias can creep into your job ads. Review ads, looking for phrasing that includes bias, such as “chairman” (not chairperson), or using words that are inherently masculine or feminine or point to age, such as “aggressively seeking” or “digital native” phrases.

Now is also the time to rethink the traditional employee pool. Because the insurance industry struggles to attract top talent, it makes sense to include remote workers, part-time job seekers, retired professionals looking to augment their retirement income, etc. Your next best employee could well be someone who lives five states away or who works evenings and weekends. Reconsider how you approach your employee work model – with an estimated 36.2 million Americans working remotely and 98% of job seekers wanting remote or hybrid work, you can attract more talent by simply offering hybrid or remote positions.

Interview. This is another area where hidden bias can creep in. WAHVE uses our proprietary software to qualify and match the right-fit talent for your position. We identify the top-scoring applicants, we help you find candidates whose skills and personalities best fit with your organization’s needs.

Hire. Once you’ve placed a new hire make sure to arm them with the tools they need to succeed. HR should be walking them through the first week, answering questions and helping them orient. From there, assign a mentor. Match your new person with the employee who can impart soft skills as well as job duties with equal importance. Stay present and connected with the new hire for the first six months, then on a regular basis throughout their tenure. Give all your employees access to a number of communication tools to help them collaborate no matter where they’re working from.

Now stand back and watch your employees grow. The hiring process works if you shift your perspective to those skills and people that will help propel your business forward. The changes are subtle, but the impact can be huge.