The average time to fill a critical role in an organization is now 23 days, up from 13 in 2009. When an organization take too long to complete the hiring process, it risks loosing top candidates to other companies. Moreover, unfilled positions cost the company money and overstretch workers to fill the void.
Shortening the hiring process often means a less costly hiring process. If your organization isn’t ready for a complete overhaul of its hiring process, i.e. analyzing key metrics to see what is working and what needs to be improved or eliminated, you can speed up your hiring process in the short-term by taking advantage of technology and resources available.
Tips for Speeding Up Your Hiring Process
- Be clear about what you want. Crafting a clear, concise job description and accurately describing the company culture will help ensure that qualified candidates are applying for the job, naturally weeding out those who would not be a good fit. Clearly defining a candidate profile will help hiring managers make quicker decisions on which candidate they should hire. It is a candidate’s job market, not a client’s job market. Candidates want to hear your sizzle and know why your company is deserving of their interest.
- Use video interviews. If your top candidate is located across the country, or even a few cities over, consider conducting the first round of interviews via video to save time on in person airfare costs. Skype and Google Hangouts are a couple of easily accessible options available.
- Tap into your network. Your employees are sometimes your best recruiters. Let your team know about positions you’re hiring for and offer a referral bonus for successful hires. Also, reach out to your friends and colleagues to see if they know of anyone that would be a good match for the role.
- Use outside skills-testing resources. Research companies that do skills testing for you. Companies like Codility test fundamental programming skills so you can hire “faster and smarter.” eSkill offers a variety of skills testing ranging from typing and language to IT and healthcare.
- Partner with a staffing agency. Besides insight and expertise, staffing agencies specialize in efficiently providing high quality candidates. Agencies specialize in particular market areas and have a well cultivated talent pool. By partnering with a staffing agency, their team of recruiters use their expertise to match up their existing candidates who fit with your company culture and the skills requirements. This partnership allows you to quickly view and vet the most highly qualified individuals, saving you time and money.
- Use resume scanning technology. No one has the time to manually read the hundreds of resumes that fill your inbox. It might be worth the investment to have a system that scans electronic applications for you and picks out the best matches based on your job requirement inputs.
The shorter your hiring process, the more likely top candidates will stick around. By taking advantage of the resources readily available, you can shorten your time-to-fill by a few days or even a week or more.
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WunderLand is a team of Talent Acquisition Experts who connect companie with in-demand digital, marketing and creative talent. The experience, insight and market knowledge we provide have earned us loyalty and a reputation for quality.
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