With usual recruitment cycles taking up to two months, business owners may panic when faced with the need for a quick replacement.

Fortunately, there are some ways to prepare for a speedy recruitment process:

Look internally
External hiring can be lengthy, between interviews, background checks and competency tests, an external hire can take months. Consider notifying and encouraging suitable internal employees of the available position before posting the job advertisement externally. Internal hiring reduces time spent as the employee’s information is already in the system and they are familiar with the company culture.

Formulate an action plan
An action plan can help ensure a stress-free emergency recruitment. Consider drafting and updating job descriptions all year round so they are immediately ready for use. Training documents, business processes and login details should all be stored in a central document which is easy to access.

It is also a good idea to collect resumes all year-round. Use your business’ website and LinkedIn page to inform potential candidates you are always accepting applications.

Screen candidates before interviewing
Don’t feel obligated to interview everyone – only interview candidates that stand out on paper. Interviewing is the most time-consuming part of recruitment, so be selective when deciding suitable candidates to reduce your recruitment time.