Hiring the right person for your restoration company can sometimes feel like dealing with an elusive odor on a job site—hard to pinpoint and harder to resolve. The hiring process, especially in restoration, often brings its share of frustrations: irrelevant applications, endless resume sorting and uncertainty about how to streamline interviews. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With a clear, well-thought-out process, you can improve hiring outcomes and find the best talent to support your team.

Here’s how to freshen up your hiring process and ensure you’re bringing on the right people for your restoration business.

Why Hiring Can Be Frustrating

1. Flooded with Irrelevant Applications
    Job postings often attract a wide range of candidates, many of whom aren’t qualified or haven’t even read the job description or are just trying to fill a quota for their unemployment. How many times have you received 100 resumes for a Mitigation Project Manager only to find out you spent the first 4 hours of your day looking at resumes for software project managers?
2. Overwhelming Number of Resumes
    Sorting through stacks of resumes can feel overwhelming, especially if there’s no system in place to quickly identify the best candidates. Without a structured approach, it’s easy to miss great candidates or feel bogged down by the sheer volume.
3. Unclear Interview Processes
    A disorganized interview process can derail even the best hiring efforts. If the hiring team isn’t aligned to the role’s requirements or the goals of the interview, you risk miscommunication and poor hiring decisions.
4. Delays in Decision-Making
    Taking too long to make hiring decisions can lead to missed opportunities, as strong candidates may accept offers elsewhere. It also leaves your current team stretched thin, trying to manage workloads without the additional help they need.

Steps to Streamline and Improve Your Hiring Process

1. Start with a Clear Job Description

A well-written job description is critical to attracting the right candidates. Be specific about the qualifications and skills you need for the role. For example, if you’re hiring a Project Manager, include details like:

• Required certifications (e.g., IICRC in Water and Mold).
• Software proficiency (e.g., Xactimate, DASH).
• Years of restoration experience.

Adding specific instructions, such as “Please include a cover letter detailing your experience with Xactimate,” can help filter out applicants who don’t meet the criteria or aren’t paying attention. Assessments are also a wonderful tool to determine if a candidate has the right knowledge and skillset for the role that they are applying for.

2. Decide How You’ll Manage the Process

Will you handle hiring internally or work with a staffing or recruiting agency? Each approach has benefits and challenges:

• Internal Hiring: Gives you full control but requires time and resources. Most of the employees involved in the process have many other responsibilities that they should be attending to and are more well equipped to do.
• General Staffing Agencies: Cast a wide net but may not specialize in restoration. If a high volume of candidates is what you need, this is the place to go! Staffing agencies will take the stink out of the hiring process for many general roles that do not require high technical aptitude. If you need 25 people tomorrow for a large loss tomorrow, staffing agencies can provide the team you need quickly!
• Specialized Recruiters: With specialization comes many benefits. A reduced number of applicants. All candidates should be relevant to the job they are being hired for. Shortened interview cycle, typically two – three interviews are sufficient. With a skilled restoration recruiter, you know that they have screened the candidate thoroughly prior to them arriving on your desktop. Top recruitment firms will also have assessments that candidates will have filled out prior to submitting. This process will reduce the cost of time spent on irrelevant candidates. This process may be expensive, but so is having an employee running through resumes for eight hours a day to find a $80,000 a year Project Manager and having to settle on a marginal candidate because you are sucking too much time away from your leaders’ normal responsibilities.   

Regardless of the method, make sure roles and responsibilities are clear. Who is responsible for reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews and making final decisions? Establishing these details upfront prevents confusion later.

3. Use Technology to Simplify Screening

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can streamline the initial stages of the hiring process. These tools help organize applications, track candidates and even screen for keywords to match the qualifications you’re seeking.

For additional screening, consider implementing:

• Skills Assessments: These tests can measure a candidate’s technical abilities or problem-solving skills relevant to the job.
• Personality Tests: Useful for assessing cultural fit and teamwork potential. These are great tools but should not be the end all for making hiring decisions.

4. Standardize the Interview Process

Consistency is essential for fair and effective hiring. To keep interviews aligned:

• Limit the number of interviewers to those directly impacted by the hire.
• Prepare a list of standardized questions to ensure you’re evaluating all candidates against the same criteria.
• Focus interviews on assessing the skills and behaviors needed for success in the role and the company.

Additionally, set clear expectations for timelines and follow-ups. Candidates appreciate transparency and efficiency and these qualities reflect positively on your company’s culture.

5. Involve the Right People

The success of your hiring process depends on involving the right stakeholders at the right stages. For example:

• Managers should provide insights into the technical skills and experience required.
• Team members who will work closely with the new hire can offer perspective on cultural fit.

Having a team that understands the role and the company’s needs is crucial to making informed decisions.

6. Keep the Process Moving

Hiring delays can cost you valuable candidates. Set realistic timelines for reviewing applications, conducting interviews and making offers. Use tools like shared calendars and automated email reminders to keep everyone on schedule.

If you’re working with a recruiting agency, maintain clear communication about your hiring timeline so they can manage candidate expectations and keep you aware of any unexpected changes in the candidate’s temperature regarding the role.

Creative Solutions for Managing Irrelevant Resumes

Despite your best efforts, you may still receive applications from candidates who don’t meet the requirements. Here are some constructive ways to handle these resumes:

1. Create a library of “lessons learned” to improve future job postings.
2. Use them as examples for training your HR team on identifying red flags.
3. Build a database of candidates for other roles that might suit their skills.
4. Automate polite rejection emails to save time while maintaining professionalism.

Final Thoughts

Hiring in the restoration industry doesn’t have to be an overwhelming or frustrating process. By taking the time to clarify your needs, streamline your systems and align your team, you can reduce inefficiencies and attract the right candidates.

Remember, just as you invest in quality tools and processes to deliver great service to your customers, investing in a clear and efficient hiring process is essential to building a strong team. With the right strategies in place, your hiring process can become a competitive advantage rather than a source of frustration.

So, take a deep breath, implement these tips and watch your hiring process become a breath of fresh air for your restoration business.