5 New Year's Resolutions for Hiring Managers

The new year is just around the corner, and you've no doubt got a hazy list of personal resolutions floating around in your mind. But what about your professional life? Doesn't the office version of you deserve the same care and attention as the home version?

As a hiring manager, you've got a lot on your plate. Yet you may not be aware of the steps you can take to make the next year run smoothly. Below are five New Year's resolutions that will save you time, lessen your stress and improve your job performance in 2019:

Stop wasting time with busywork

How many hours did you spend reading applications from unqualified applicants this year? How much of your day was lost trying to coordinate background checks? And - be honest - did you devote enough time to reviewing state and federal hiring law updates?

Busywork is part of any job, but hiring managers seem to have more than most professionals. Luckily, the industry is finally catching up and creating tools that make you more efficient and keep your time wasted to a bare minimum. 

For starters, there are numerous third-party services to handle a lot of the backend for you, allowing you to focus on the important parts: interviewing and hiring the right candidates. That said, not all partners are created equal. You want one that offers multiple solutions - for example, background checks, applicant tracking system integrations and risk mitigation. You also want a company that is accredited by an industry board or reviewer. 

Engage Candidates

Hiring has picked up, but the talent shortage still presents a problem for hiring managers. According to the staffing firm Manpower Group, 46 percent of employers have trouble filling open positions. Why?

• 18 percent say they can't find applicants with the right experience.
• 16 percent say applicants lack the proper hard skills.
• 12 percent say candidates lack the proper soft skills.

This means the few applicants who are qualified and have a good mix of hard and soft skills are in high demand, putting pressure on your company to hire them before others do. To beat out the competition, you must make sure your candidates are engaged throughout the hiring process - including the background check. You can increase engagement during this late-stage part of the process by:

• Using a background check service that prioritizes the candidate experience.
• Keeping candidates up-to-date on the status of their background checks.
• Allowing candidates to submit information via their smartphone or tablet.

Keep the hiring process competitive

While engaging candidates during the background check is the final step to securing the hire, you have to ensure everything leading to that point runs smoothly, too. You can do so by staying abreast of trends and new technology in the industry, ensuring you have the latest and most compelling hiring strategy to find, attract and acquire great employees. To help you head into 2019 with the right focus, here are a few hiring trends to expect in the upcoming year.