Every industry—from education to healthcare—has tedious processes that could benefit from automation. This post is the second in a three-part series on accelerating workflows. Part one covered a routine education process. Here, we’ll discuss how to improve a common human resources process.
Human resources professionals are the glue that holds most companies together. To say they are busy people is an understatement. Not only are they tasked with key administrative processes like managing benefits and payroll, but they are also responsible for building company culture and keeping employees happy and engaged. What’s more, they spearhead the hiring process that creates the workforce in the first place.If you want your HR team to be successful, automation is key. Streamlining some of the tasks and processes they handle can make a world of difference for their productivity and happiness. For example, the beginning stages of the hiring process—gathering job applications, reviewing resumes and cover letters, and selecting interview candidates—can be automated to remove bottlenecks and get new employees in the door quicker. How? Online HR workflow forms. Using a multi-step online form, you can eliminate cumbersome email threads and paper documents to simplify the information-gathering and reviewing portions of your hiring process. Formstack’s Workflow forms allow multiple people to seamlessly participate in one process. One Workflow form can travel from applicant to recruiter to hiring manager, with participants viewing and completing only those portions that are relevant to them. Then, all data submitted throughout the process gets combined into a single record in the database.
Using an automated Workflow form, your employee hiring process could start like this:
Step 1: Applicant submits online job application.
The process starts when someone who is interested in an open position at your company submits the corresponding job application form. This form asks for basic identifying information and salary requirements. It might also include a series of screener questions to help vet applicants. Additionally, it typically requires applicants to submit a resume and a cover letter, which can be uploaded directly to the form.When an interested party submits the job application form, he/she initiates the hiring process and kicks the workflow into motion.
Step 2: Recruiter reviews application.
After an applicant submits a job application, the recruiter at the company receives an email notification letting him/her know it’s his/her turn to participate in the process (or, in other words, to fill out a portion of the Workflow form). A link in the email will open the Workflow form, displaying the applicant’s submitted information and highlighting the section of the form that now needs to be completed.The recruiter reviews the applicant’s salary expectations, screener question answers, resume, and cover letter and gives the applicant a rating to indicate initial impression and position fit. The recruiter also includes any relevant notes for the hiring manager.The recruiter submits the necessary information and completes step 2 of the workflow.
Step 3: Hiring manager reviews application.
Just as in step 2, the next participant receives an email notification when the form is ready for him/her. In this case, step 3 is completed by the hiring manager. The manager checks the recruiter’s notes and rating and then reviews the applicant’s information (resume, cover letter, etc.) as well. He/she then provides a separate rating to indicate his/her own impression of the applicant. He/she may also include relevant notes.The hiring manager submits the necessary information and completes step 3 of the workflow.
Step 4: Recruiter processes applicant.
As with steps 2 and 3, the next process participant is notified via email that it’s his/her turn to complete a step in the workflow. In this case, the form travels back to the recruiter. The recruiter reviews the hiring manager’s rating and notes and decides whether to move the applicant forward.Once a determination is made, the recruiter indicates the candidate approval or denial to complete the workflow.
Step 5: Applicant receives status update.
The final submission automatically triggers a notification email for the applicant who submitted the job application. The email can be customized so that the applicant gets one of two messages, depending on the recruiter’s decision: 1) a message indicating the applicant will not be moving forward in the process, or 2) a message stating that someone will be in touch soon to schedule a phone screen or interview. The applicant notification email closes out the initial hiring process workflow.
Is your company hiring at a rapid pace? Would you like to streamline your hiring process and save time for all involved? Check out our Workflow Forms help doc for more detailed information on setting up a Formstack Workflow form. Or click below to watch a demo of our Workflows add-on.
