The recruitment process can take time, but it doesn’t need to take forever. Speedy hiring is your key to getting great talent in record time. Here’s how:
1. Make sure your job ad is well constructed
One of the easiest ways to ensure speedy hiring is by making sure your job ad is well written. It needs to clearly communicate what you need it to. Misunderstandings and uncertainty around what you’re advertising can cause delays at best, or, at worst, can turn people away.
Here’s a checklist of things to look out for:
- Is the job title clear?
- Now is not the time for creative job titles – your job has to be easy to look for
- Does the candidate know what the role entails?
- Is it clear what the duties and responsibilities of the candidate would be?
- Will the candidate be able to tell if they meet the requirements for the role?
- Save yourself time in the screening process by making your skill and qualification requirements clear
- Is it clear what the candidate would get out of the role?
- Are you touching on things like the company culture and location?
- Are you listing the salary, benefits, and perks of the role?
2. Look internally first
For speedy hiring, always advertise the role to people who are already in your company. Finding a candidate within your company is first prize because it saves you time and money on advertising elsewhere. Onboarding is also easier because the candidate already knows your company and systems.
3. For speedy hiring, be selective on which job portals you use
Not every job portal is built the same, and your success with each may vary depending on your role. Figure out which portals get you the best results. This doesn’t always mean the portal that gets you the highest number of applications. Some portals attract hundreds of applications that aren’t what you’re looking for. Pay attention to how many useful applications you receive from each and save yourself time and energy by focusing on those ones.
Also make sure that wherever you advertise is optimised for mobile. It’s reported that around 67% of all job applications are made via mobile. If the mobile experience is frustrating or confusing, you could be missing out on talent.
4. Use social media
Social media is an incredible tool for speedy recruiting. As long as you have an eye-catching visual, it’s an effective and cost-effective way to advertise. It’s also incredibly versatile. Think of how many platforms there are and how many ways there are to post on them. Between newsfeed posts, stories, reels, groups, pages, paid boosts, and sharing, it’s easy and inexpensive to get the word out there.
5. Be flexible with interviews
Save time in the interviewing process by conducting group interviews or video/telephonic screening in the early stages. Once you have a shortlist, you can pursue more in-depth one-on-one interviews.
Another way you can save time in the interview process is by being flexible with when you can meet. Often it’s difficult for a candidate to find time during the workday to attend an interview. Allow them the opportunity to come in after hours to avoid delays due to navigating their current employers. Also be open to conducting video or telephonic interviews, which can be conducted during a lunchbreak from anywhere. It may even give you more time to interview the candidate as they don’t need to commute to the interview venue.
6. Get external help for speedy hiring
There’s a reason companies hire recruiters and it’s because they know what they’re doing. Recruiters have specialist knowledge of where to find the right candidates, how best to match candidates to the role, what to look out for when screening, what red flags to avoid, and how to manage the candidate experience. They have the time and resources to source and screen that you might not have, saving you valuable time in the process.
7. Don’t draw out the process
This one may seem self-explanatory but drawn-out hiring processes happen more often than you’d think. Sometimes this is due to unforeseen circumstances, but often it’s because there’s a delay in the decision-making process. Perfect candidates are rare and if you’re waiting for absolute perfection, you could lose the great talent you already have. Around a quarter of candidates lose interest in your company if they don’t receive feedback from you a week after an interview. A further 46% lose interest after 2 or more weeks. Yours is likely not the only job the candidate is applying for. If you’re delaying a decision, you could lose great talent to another company.
Drawing out the process could also make recruiters less likely to work with you. As much as you are their client, they also have a responsibility to their candidates. If you repeatedly keep their candidates waiting for a decision, they will be less likely to want to work on your roles going forward.
8. For speedy hiring: automate!
This is something we’re passionate about – so much so that we created our own AI sourcer, Crystal. There are parts of the hiring process that need a human touch (think interviews and candidate management). Other parts could absolutely be sped up by automating them. There are digital tools for sourcing and screening that take the bulk of the time out of those tasks. Another option is to invest in an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to centralise and automate your process. Even something as simple as creating rules on Outlook could cut down on your sourcing and screening time. Find what works for you so that you can focus on the human parts of the hiring process.
Remember:
Speedy hiring is about working smarter, not harder. Understand where the bottlenecks in your process are, and see how you can implement the tips above to correct for it.
