In the UK, the average time it takes for a candidate to be hired after entering the recruitment process is around 30 days. At the moment, attracting and recruiting talented individuals can be tricky as we are currently in a business phase that is limited in candidates. With this in mind, it is worth looking at everything you can do to stack your odds of hiring your ideal candidate.
Reducing hiring times can really help you get people over the line, helping you catch the talent you need for business growth. The cost of unfilled vacancies often has a direct impact on business productivity and performance, and delays in the process could result in missing out completely on those "gold dust" candidates.
As recruiters, we know it isn't easy trying to find top talent, so we have put some key points together that we think make an efficient recruitment process, which could improve your chances of securing those key hires in the shortest amount of time.
How Can You Reduce Your Hiring Time?
Whether you recruit internally or not, it would be beneficial to streamline your process. Creating a structured plan that everyone involved adheres to will mean you can deliver an efficient top-quality candidate experience, which will help to give you the best possible outcome.
Let's Start With Four Quick Tactics
Below, we have given you a quick snapshot look at the four tactics that are within our article, 9 Strategies You Must Know for Recruiting in a Candidate-Driven Market, this will give you a quick insight into some of the ideas you can use to help speed up your process.
1. Streamlining the Hiring Process:
In today's fast-paced market, agility in hiring isn't just a bonus—it's a necessity. Implementing streamlined processes and clear decision-making criteria can cut the hiring timeline.
Try to put procedures in place to shorten your process, for instance, make sure key decision-makers are available to authorise sign-offs, make sure there are no potential hold-ups in your system and ensure you're sending your candidates either an interview or acceptance offer in less than 24 hours. Speed is of the essence if you want to keep your potential candidates in your process.
2. Making Fast Decisions:
The key to rapid recruitment without sacrificing quality is having a robust pre-screening process. By the time candidates reach the interview stage, you should be confident in their fit, which accelerates decision-making.
Making fast decisions on candidates through your recruitment process will reduce the time between the interview and the offer stages, this will also have the effect of reducing candidates dropping out at any stage.
3. Make Sure You Can Keep Your Candidates Motivated:
Keeping candidates engaged and motivated throughout the hiring process is critical. Personalised communication and transparent timelines turn passive interest into active excitement about joining your team.
If you are impressed with a candidate, don't hold back. Move fast and let them know they could be a good fit for your company; this will keep them motivated, and they are likely to stay with you throughout the process.
4. Discuss Any Issues With Your Candidates In The Interview:
Addressing potential concerns upfront during interviews shows empathy and significantly reduces dropout rates.
If there are any problems for your candidate in the interview, such as inflexible hours and long commute times, make sure they are resolved in the interview stage. Again, this will ensure that potential candidates do not drop out when they are due to start their positions.
Let's Start From The Beginning
The Importance of Employer Branding
A compelling employer brand is vital in today's competitive job market. It not only sets you apart from competitors but also speeds up the hiring process by attracting more suitable candidates. A strong employer brand communicates your company's values and culture and has the benefit of drawing in individuals whose values align with yours. This alignment leads to a quicker recruitment process, as these candidates are more likely to apply, engage with the process efficiently, and accept job offers promptly.
Key Benefits:
Attracts Qualified Candidates: Clearly presenting your company culture and values helps prospective employees quickly assess their fit, drawing in those most aligned with your mission.
Reduces Hiring Time: An attractive employer brand increases visibility and interest among potential candidates, leading to a larger, more qualified applicant pool and faster hiring cycles.
Improves Candidate Experience: Positive interactions with your brand during the recruitment process enhance candidates' perceptions, increasing their likelihood to accept job offers.
Strategies for Success:
Focus on clear messaging about your mission, culture, and values across all platforms. Utilise social media, your website, and employee testimonials to communicate your brand authentically. Remember, your current employees are your best ambassadors; their satisfaction and engagement are crucial in portraying a genuine employer brand.
Investing in your employer brand not only attracts the right talent but also significantly enhances the recruitment experience, laying the foundation for long-term success and growth.
Creating A Job Description
Although creating your job description comes before the candidate is introduced to the process, delving into this now will again give you more opportunity to improve your overall efficiency when you recruit.
The perfect job description needs to be punchy and interesting so it will motivate the candidate to apply; it's a good idea to make sure you include relevant information, such as salary and benefits, as this will save the candidate time finding this information out. You should also make sure your application process is easy to fill out on any device, as according to Indeed, 66% of candidates want to be able to apply for a job on their phone as it's quicker that way.
Searching For Candidates And Shortlisting
Finding the right candidates will take up a lot of your time if you are internally recruiting, so why not think about investing in specialist recruitment tools? Systems that specialise in Customer Relationship Management or Applicant Tracking tools are readily available to anyone in recruitment. Having these systems will allow you to build databases of candidates that you can use to be data-driven when you recruit. This has the added benefit of making it much quicker for you to source people every time you recruit in the future.
Many recruiters also use organic searches through systems like LinkedIn, as well as paid searches through social media and job boards, to source candidates. Depending on your budget, this will allow you to filter and target your job advertisement and content to the right number of people, which can save you a lot of time in your search process.
The Role of Technology in Recruitment
In today's fast-paced business environment, leveraging technology in the recruitment process is no longer optional; it's essential. Advanced technological solutions, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and chatbots, are revolutionising how companies attract, screen, and engage potential candidates. By embracing these innovations, organisations can significantly streamline their hiring processes, reduce time-to-hire, and enhance candidate experience.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI and machine learning are at the forefront of transforming recruitment practices. These technologies offer the ability to automate repetitive tasks, such as resume screening and initial candidate assessments, saving recruiters a significant amount of time. AI algorithms can quickly analyse vast quantities of resumes, identifying candidates who best match the job requirements based on their skills, experience, and qualifications. This precision helps reduce the risk of human bias and ensures a more diverse candidate pool is considered. Also, as a great benefit, machine learning algorithms continuously improve over time.
Interviewing
The interview is an opportunity for you and your candidates to meet and see if you are the right fit for each other. As the candidate will have taken a considerable amount of time to prepare and attend the interview, you should make sure their experience is as good as it can be to keep the candidate motivated so you don't lose them in the next stage.
If you decide some of the candidates aren't right for you, they deserve to know why. So, although it can be awkward, giving feedback efficiently to an unsuccessful candidate is going to allow you to move forward quickly, as well as give you good credibility for the future.
Offering Employment
Once you have found that perfect candidate, it's important to remember things can still go wrong at this point. So, try to deliver an efficient service as well as an open and honest one, as if they are a good candidate they will most likely have offers elsewhere. If you can give them the best offer you can as quickly as you can, this will reduce the chances of you missing out to another employer.
Enhancing the Onboarding Experience
Congratulations on your new hire! The journey from accepting the offer to becoming an integral part of your team is now crucial; you do not want to waste all the time by losing your fantastic hires before they start. Here's how to refine the onboarding process for better engagement and long-term staff retention:
Setting the Stage for Success
Begin by ensuring all contractual paperwork is complete, and any additional information required from the new hire is gathered efficiently. Establishing a clear start date and preparing everything they need for day one is just the beginning.
Maintaining Engagement Before Day One
The period between the offer acceptance and the start date is critical. To prevent any second thoughts or the risk of "ghosting," maintain open lines of communication. Regular check-ins can reassure the new hire of their decision and build excitement for their new role. Encourage them to connect with their future colleagues and the company on professional networks like LinkedIn. This not only fosters a sense of belonging but also keeps the enthusiasm alive as they transition into their new role.
Onboarding Beyond the Basics
Effective onboarding goes beyond just the first day or week. Consider implementing a structured program that spans the first few months, including:
Orientation Sessions: Introduce them to your company culture, values, and mission to align their goals with the company's objectives.
Training Programs: Tailor these to both the role-specific skills and the broader competencies needed for success within your organisation.
Mentorship: Pairing your new hire with a seasoned mentor can facilitate smoother integration into the team and foster a supportive learning environment.
Fostering Connections
Encourage new hires to engage with their colleagues through team-building activities or informal meet-ups. Creating opportunities for social interaction enhances team cohesion and helps new employees feel like part of the community.
Continuous Feedback and Support
Solicit feedback on the onboarding experience from the new hire and offer continuous support as they navigate their new role. This approach not only helps in refining your onboarding process but also reinforces your commitment to their success and well-being within the company.
A thoughtful and comprehensive onboarding process lays the groundwork for a fruitful and enduring employment relationship. By investing in a robust onboarding experience, you're not just facilitating administrative tasks; you're significantly contributing to the long-term success and satisfaction of your new team member.
Conclusion
It's crucial to adopt strategies that streamline the hiring process, where the average recruitment cycle in the UK extends to about 30 days. We have navigated you through optimising your recruitment processes, decision-making, candidate engagement, and addressing interview concerns. Emphasising employer branding and recruitment technology, we've outlined how to attract quality candidates quickly and enhance their onboarding experience. This approach speeds up hiring and ensures new hires are well-integrated and aligned with company goals, laying the groundwork for long-term success and retention. In sum, marrying speed with quality in recruitment, bolstered by strategic use of technology and a strong employer brand, is key to securing top talent essential for business growth.
If you want to learn more about how to recruit in a candidate-driven market, please click here