Are you a hiring manager about to embark upon a new hiring adventure? If you've ever led or been a part of a hiring campaign, you'll know that the recruitment process can be more complex. It's typical to receive dozens of applications for one open position, and it's your responsibility to sift through all of the resumes and cover letters to find the best candidates for your company.

The journey to finding the ideal candidate can take a significant amount of time, money, and effort. Several steps are involved, from writing the initial job posting to providing the chosen candidate with an official job offering; your team needs the best resources and tools to guide you along the way.

Before starting your upcoming recruitment process, read on to discover these three tools that will help optimize your search. Before you know it, you’ll have the most qualified and outstanding employee working alongside you in the office.

1. Create an In-House Panel

To enhance the hiring process, many organizations are creating in-house panels with team members with the experience and expertise to help gauge who would be a good fit in the office. Once you’ve conducted the first round of interviews and have narrowed down a smaller group of candidates, ask a few of your colleagues if they’d like to sit in on the second cycle of interviews.

Having employees engage with a potential team member will be incredibly helpful during the hiring process. You’ll see how both parties interact and if they get along. Furthermore, the employee panel can give you insight into their choice of candidate.

2. Work With a Professional Recruiter

HR (Human Resources) professionals recommend working with a trusted and reliable recruitment agency to help staff your company. A recruitment agency — such as IQ PARTNERS — will manage the entire procedure so you won’t have to drop all your work and devote your time to this one hiring project.

Find a recruiter that operates at the mid-to-senior level and one that proactively recruits top talent because of their highly specialized knowledge and hands-on experience. You'll want to look for a company that provides expertise in many different sectors, from executive search to sales to Information Technology (IT), because that way you'll know they have a broad, strong spectrum of knowledge.

The right agency will have wide-ranging networks and can easily tap into exclusive talent pools.

3. Utilize Your LinkedIn Account

Your organization’s LinkedIn account is an incredible tool to use when employee-searching because it provides an in-depth look into applicants’ work experience and references. Look for endorsements and recommendations from previous employers and coworkers, and notice if they’ve taken the time to create informed and accurate profiles.

Always ensure that their skills apply to your industry and the open position. You'll want to watch for red flags such as limited connections and activity on their page.

With a bit of help, patience, and time, you'll have a new employee in no time and an even stronger team.