First published: July 2022 – last updated: January 2026
Recruitment takes a lot of resources – both time and money, and there are many moments along the way where things can go wrong. As a recruitment partner for both international and Swedish companies, we know how challenging it can feel to "get it right" and still have time for your day-to-day work.
This guide gives you a clear and practical structure for your recruitment process. You can use it as support when you plan your next role, from defining the need to welcoming your new colleague on their first day.
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A successful recruitment process starts long before you publish a job ad. You need a clear picture of what kind of person you’re looking for – based on the role, the team, and where your organisation is heading.
You can start by asking yourself:
Putting this into a short role profile makes everything else easier – from the job ad to the interview questions and the final decision.
Every hire should support your long‑term business strategy, not just solve today’s workload. Think a few years ahead:
When you connect the recruitment to your strategy, you avoid short‑term hires and instead build a team that can grow with the company.
To find the right kind of candidates, you need to think about where your target group is. What skills are you looking for, and in what channels are those people? Remember that having many candidates in the selection process does not mean that you have a better chance of finding the right one. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to recruitment processes. How you formulate the requirement profile and what tonality and language are used in the job description will also affect who applies.
To find the right person for the job, it is important to make a neutral and conscious
selection. Feel free to let more than one person review the applications. In the first screening, you can go to relevant education, experience, possible language skills and practicalities as a place of residence if it is important. The second selection should be more about personality, skill, abilities and development potential.
Make everyone in the recruitment process aware of what they call unconscious bias, i.e. preconceptions, so as not to let it stand in the way of attracting the right talent. During the recruitment process, it can be a good idea to let the candidate meet several colleagues – for example, a person from HR, the nearest manager and a colleague. This gives you a more diverse picture of what the candidate is like as a person. Depending on the role, you can choose to do one or more interviews – many people do the first interview on the phone and then a more in-depth interview in a personal meeting.
Feedback is important, including for the candidates being screened. Keep in mind that there is always one person behind each application, who has chosen to apply for a position at your company. The worst thing a candidate can hear from a recruiter or company is not hearing anything at all. So always inform the applicants about what the recruitment process looks like, and reconnect with everyone, even those who do not move forward. Then you, as a company, gain credibility in the long run!
"Keep in mind that there is always one person behind each application, who has chosen to apply for a position at your company. The worst thing a candidate can hear from a recruiter or company is not hearing anything at all."
The person should fit both the team and the organisation
Define the type of person needed in the team and what they need to add. Go back to the organisation and the team, and don't just think about the role.
Recruiting is time-consuming, and to make the process more efficient, it is important to look at the places where the candidates are located. Try to look at as few platforms as possible and focus on the channels where you have the best chance of reaching the right candidate. It costs a lot to have an ad out and, above all, to process all applications, so think about relevance in advertising.
Communicate with the candidate throughout the recruitment process. Everyone who is applying for the job has become involved in your company, and it says a lot about the organisation and how you treat candidates and reconnect during the recruitment process.
It can be good to have a broad team, not just HR people but a combination of other professions. Bring your team into the whole process, and be sure to be inclusive and objective.
Try as best as possible to be objective and maintain a neutral view of the candidates throughout the recruitment process. If you look beyond the prejudices, you will have a better chance of attracting the right talent.
To achieve your goal of finding the right person for the job, you sometimes need to broaden your view of who you are looking for and where you are looking. Don't be afraid to go outside the box and think new.
Do not let the recruitment process drag on too long. It is always good to have a timetable, but dare to shake it if necessary. Many times you have steered too hard and decided when to collect CVs, when to start interviewing and so on. It may be worth saving time by skipping steps and daring to do otherwise.
Based on your recruitment planning and strategy, you need to make a requirement profile for your desired candidate. It is an important part of the recruitment process and is simply a description of the person to be recruited. Be sure to update the requirement profile for each new recruitment, even if it concerns a similar role. In addition to the direct qualifications required for the position, you need to ask yourself and answer some other questions to supplement the requirement profile:
Thus, use words in services and titles that potential candidates are looking for. Be careful when writing the ad that you use inclusive and gender-neutral expressions and word choices.
Start by describing the service and the company, and be happy to be personal.
It is important to highlight what kind of company you are. Remember that the candidate should also be eager to work with you! If you're talking about having ping-pong tables and soda fridges, be aware that it might not appeal to everyone.
In addition to describing the position in detail, it also highlights aspects such as the role's challenges and benefits, as well as the team, working climate and benefits.
Describe where the office is located and what is in the surroundings. If you work remotely, it can be good to highlight how you help with ergonomics when employees work at home and how you work with team-building remotely.
List the main reasons and tell us again how to apply – a so-called 'call to action'.
Anything that attracts the eye makes you more inclined to watch the ad. Don't be afraid to stand out.
Moving material always gives good attention and can also give a good picture of what kind of company you are.
In order to find the right candidates in the recruitment process, it is important to use relevant channels. You need to think about where people with the right profile are and how you can reach them.
Posting job ads on job sites is an effective way to reach many candidates. But it's important to choose channels where the people you actually want to reach are active. There are, for example, job sites focused on startups, tech roles and an international audience.
When you use job sites, you can expect a large number of applications. All of them need to be screened and answered, which takes time – but it also matters for your employer brand. How you communicate with candidates, even those you don’t hire, affects how they talk about you and whether they would apply again or recommend you to others. We have also written a useful blogpost about the importance of employer branding and company culture.
To handle this well, you need a clear structure for how you review, prioritise and respond to applications. Without that structure, it’s easy to lose track, miss good candidates, or leave people without an answer – which quickly creates a negative impression of your company.
One benefit of working with Beyondo is that we take care of all applications, follow‑ups and communication with candidates for the roles we support you with. You get the value of a professional, consistent candidate experience without having to manage every detail yourself.
When you work with us, your roles will be published on Beyondo's own job portal. We focus on business-oriented roles, giving your vacancy strong visibility with suitable applicants.
Here are some useful sites:
To minimise the risk of making wrong recruitment, it is good to define three to five points that are most important and that are crucial for the role. Then start from them when you make the first selection of those who have applied for the job. Match personality and values with your corporate culture, and find a good balance between the skills you are looking for in a candidate and the person behind the CV. Go for facts, but also trust your gut feeling when recruiting!
What are the points that you cannot compromise on? It can be special education, experience, competence or language skills that you have identified as a must for the role.
The skills and attributes that are important but not crucial.
What does the CV look like? It is in the correct language, has a clean design, and includes everything. In short, what impression does it give?
Has the candidate included education, previous work experience, and language skills, and is there a summary of what the candidate's goal is?
Remember to select those who not only check in all the boxes but also try to read who will add something to the team and the rest of the organisation.
First, you need to define the reference persons you want, such as a former manager, colleague, or team member. It is good to have references from different employers, and they should be people that the candidate has worked with for the last five years. Make sure the reference person is prepared for the call. When you are going to do a reference interview, you make an interview template based on the results of the job interview.
How do you know the candidate? Then you get a good idea of the person's relationship with the candidate.
What are the candidate's strengths? Then you get a clear picture of how well the candidate judged themselves during the interview and their ability to see themselves from the outside.
What are the candidate's identified weaknesses? A good way to find out how the person acts, for example, in pressure situations. But keep in mind that a reference person is by definition not negative, so it is good to ask follow-up questions to ask about something that seems less positive or unclear.
What should an employer think about when hiring a person?
Remember to refer to the past so that the reference person does not feel that it may be criticised for how the candidate is today.
Would you hire the person again? A sincere answer is often given. That's actually the case!
Have an elaborate process. Review your recruitment process and review it critically. Define your needs for the current recruitment, and review what skills and qualities you need right now. Remember to design the job description so that it has a gender-neutral and inclusive appeal. Make sure you have a mixed team that looks through the applications and does interviews.
Diversity and inclusion need to permeate the entire company, not just management. It is therefore important that everyone is on the gender equality journey, and that HR does not pursue the whole issue itself but has support throughout the organisation. Hiring managers need to know how to conduct inclusive interviews.
Educate employees on "unconscious bias" and highlight the benefits of a diversified work culture.
Make sure you have a good process so that the new employee feels welcome. Diversity and inclusion should be a fixed point in the onboarding of new employees. Make sure you have a good onboarding strategy. Here are tips from an expert.
Be sure to have different perspectives on internal courses and introductions, and integrate them into your company's DNA.
Successful organizations create added value through solid work with employer branding. This can include many parts, but a fundamental part is to create the conditions for employees to be able to develop skills. It is also important to think about creating a level playing field for everyone. We, at Beyondo are behind a diversified work culture and have access to a unique talent pool of international candidates. We have also challenged the founder of The Accessible Society, Tove Möller, to guest blog on the subject. Here you can read Tove's article: Anyone who hires themselves has a fool for employers
A test can provide a good basis for an objective and fair assessment and can help eliminate prejudice. One advantage is that everyone is tested on equal terms, and by testing personality types, you can get the right qualities to complement a team. The disadvantage is that the test result can be misleading, as it can be difficult to interpret the result. A test also does not say everything about the candidate's personality and competence.
In my 20 years working for Undutchables in The Netherlands, now running my own recruitment company in Sweden, I am used to working in a diverse, inclusive and international team. I have worked in teams consisting of multilingual employees with different backgrounds from different countries. This has also always been the focus when recruiting myself: attracting a diverse team. It feels like we have been working by ‘lead by example’.
In my role of assisting clients with their recruitment, I have primarily focused on positions that require specific language and market knowledge, as well as cultural understanding. The clients I work with are typically centralised teams serving other countries, where having a thorough knowledge of the designated country's language, culture, and market is crucial. Achieving this requires a deep understanding of unconscious bias in the recruitment process.
In this article, I’ll elaborate on why recruitment agencies play a crucial role in reducing unconscious bias in the recruitment process and what steps they can take to reduce the impact these biases might have.
Firstly, let’s clarify what unconscious biases are. Unconscious bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that we hold about certain groups of people, often without even realising it. This can lead to making assumptions or judgments about candidates based on their background, culture, or ethnicity, rather than their qualifications and actual skills.
Especially when recruiting for roles that require language and cultural knowledge, unconscious bias can lead to overlooking highly qualified candidates who may not fit your preconceived notions of what someone from that culture or language should look or act like.
Therefore, it is important to be aware of our unconscious biases and strive to mitigate them to ensure fair and inclusive recruitment practices. Mediating multilingual candidates does not guarantee diversity and inclusivity in recruitment, so learning about and addressing unconscious bias is essential for promoting a more equitable hiring process.
Reflecting on the workplace, it is crucial to train recruiters to draw out the best in candidates regardless of their biases. Recruiters should also inquire with clients about the essential qualifications for the role. Recruitment decisions should not be based on factors such as nationality, origin, gender, or sexual preference but should focus on skills and personality instead.
Moreover, clients are increasingly committed to improving Diversity and Inclusion policies, recognising the benefits of diversity in expanding the talent pool. However, it can be challenging to know where to start.
To improve the recruitment process and eliminate unconscious bias, recruitment agencies can take certain measures, including the following advice:
Eliminating unconscious bias in the recruitment process is crucial for ensuring fairness, diversity, and inclusivity in the workplace. Recruitment agencies can add value by providing unbiased recruitment services, which can help clients attract a more diverse and qualified pool of candidates.
Keep track of what works for your organisation when evaluating whether the initiatives put in place to reduce unconscious bias are paying off. You can do this by setting up KPI’s. Time is money, so a ‘time to hire’ KPI is to be suggested; also, if you work with agencies, it is worthwhile to measure the quality that they deliver. The onboarding process and employee satisfaction and engagement levels can also give you valuable insights and data to consider when moving forward, and be open to making adjustments and improvements.
Also, to measure that using the above suggestions and that these tools are effective, you can keep track of KPIs, such as ‘qualified candidates per opening’, ‘source quality’, ‘candidate satisfaction’, ‘D&I metrics’, etc. Have the set goals been reached? Are we gaining better results when using tests or not using tests, for example?
A recruitment company has as its core business to do recruitment. They use the above-mentioned perspectives daily and can advise hiring managers on what to focus on in the recruitment process, as well as offering an objective view of the candidates that they present. For us at Beyondo, we see the benefit of attracting diverse candidates using inclusive job descriptions, having an open mind and focusing on a person’s abilities when we are interviewing candidates. Everyone has a story to tell, and it is important to have awareness of the existence of unconscious bias and to constantly work on ‘neutralizing’ and removing these, so a more diverse and inclusive workforce can be created – for the benefit of everyone!
If you’d like to discuss a specific role or get feedback on your current process, you’re welcome to book a short, no‑obligation call with us.
Meet with Team Beyondo: Welcome to book a call with us here!