As a recruiter, you are usually juggling several different roles, and it can be easy for some to fall by the wayside and drag on for months.
A long recruiting delay can be more costly, and it could cause projects to collapse, even leading clients to go elsewhere. Of course, it is important not to rush hiring decisions. However, it is also vital to ensure that you speed the recruitment process along, as much as possible. These are some ways you can make the recruitment process as quick as possible, while also ensuring you hire the right talent.
Review Your Processes
The first step is to review your recruitment processes and find any potential bottlenecks. For instance, it may be that you are spending too much time reviewing applications, writing job adverts or maybe the feedback from clients or managers is not as timely as you might like. When you understand the bottlenecks in the process, you are in a much better position to make positive changes. It may mean you need to sit down and time the processes, but it will be highly beneficial for improving your time to hire.
Set Timelines
You may want to consider setting strict timelines for each part of the recruitment process. For instance, when you receive the vacancy to work on, it must be advertised within 1 business day, or feedback from hiring managers must be received within 2 days or you will chase them up. It’s easy to let things slide when you are busy, but if you have timelines to work with, it will keep you focused and reduce your time to hire.
Tailor Recruitment Sources
When you receive a vacancy, the initial thought for most recruiters is to post it on as many job boards as possible, but this could be hindering you, rather than helping. A good way to approach advertising your vacancies is to tailor each of these to suit the job. For instance, if you are recruiting for a specialised role, you may want to post on specific groups on LinkedIn or Facebook, rather than a scattered approach. It may be more effective to source candidates yourself via job sites such as CV Library than by advertising roles. As recruiter, you will be aware that some candidates will apply for anything, regardless of their expertise, so this could be a great time saver.
Hiring Internally
One of the main mistake’s recruiters make is always looking out for ‘new’ people to fill roles. As a recruitment consultant, you will have a database full of candidates that may be interested in your role. Make sure you use your data. You don’t always need to advertise roles; it could save you a lot of time by utilising what you already have. If you are an in-house recruiter, consider internal staff for your roles. Succession planning is vital for ensuring you can fill your roles quickly and easily. Not only this, but your employees will be more likely to remain if they are being considered for new opportunities. If you continue to hire new staff without considering upskilling them for these roles, they are likely to head straight for the exit.
Flexible Interviews
The interview process is often held up by availability for interviews, especially for candidates that are already employed. In this case, it may be worthwhile to consider flexible options. For example, virtual interviewing, or interviewing in the evening or weekend. It might not be ideal to stay on at work or by offering flexible interviews, but you will be ahead of the game and more likely to complete the hiring process quickly.
Review your Recruitment Tech
Recruitment Technology has become a necessity, and is packed with automation and time-saving tools. You have the option of an ATS or CRM. In-house recruiters typically use an ATS to automate recruitment tasks, which speeds up the entire process. Recruitment consultants often use CRM’s for managing the candidate relationships and really taking advantage of data. It can also be great for succession planning. Most recruiters are using some form of tech and it’s proven to significantly reduce time to hire. It can help you delegate all those little parts of the recruitment process that seem to take up all your time.
Hopefully, this article has gave you some useful tips for reducing your time to hire. If you are thinking about recruitment tech, we offer a unique recruitment technology comparison service, where you can find an ATS or CRM that fits your organisation like a glove!
A quick, responsive process is what you need to attract and engage the best talent.
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