The silence is deafening.
After investing a ton of resources recruiting, screening and interviewing her, that promising candidate you’ve courted for weeks just stopped returning your phone calls. And quit responding your emails.
Why did you lose her?
Your hiring process could be to blame. The lengthier or more cumbersome your recruiting process is, the more time candidates have to explore other job options.
In today’s job market, the best candidates aren’t available for long. Use these suggestions to streamline your hiring process and minimize candidate drop-off:
Accelerate timetables. Critically examine every aspect of your hiring process, from application through onboarding, to make sure it is as simple for job seekers as possible (without compromising quality). Here are a few suggestions:
- Make sure your initial application is mobile-friendly and takes no more than 20 minutes to complete.
- Consider using panel or group interviews to expedite interviewing.
- Combine first- and second-round interviews into a single event.
- Identify and eliminate process bottlenecks that slow hiring decisions.
Leverage technology. Before you ramp-up recruiting, consider how technology investments could expedite candidate sourcing, selection, screening and interviewing. Applicant tracking systems, online scheduling tools and other cloud-based technologies are invaluable in streamlining large-scale recruiting efforts. Video conferencing tools like Skype, on the other hand, can eliminate scheduling and travel conflicts that slow down the screening process.
Be narrow-minded. Sounds counterintuitive in a tight candidate market, right? But sometimes “casting a wide net” isn’t the best approach. When you’re looking for high-level, specialized talent, skip the giant job boards and post to niche platforms. You’ll spend less time weeding through unqualified candidates and may identify high potentials faster.
Always take good care of “runners-up.” Despite your best efforts, you may lose your first choice. Be prepared for this possibility by maintaining relationships with your second and third choices. Throughout the hiring process, keep in touch to inform them of the job’s status. Should your top candidate drop out, you will have other viable applicants already in process.
Partner with a leading professional staffing firm. Contingent or direct hire, part time or full time, Corps Team can connect you with the talented professionals you need. We can help you:
- Improve sourcing – using specialized expertise, the right recruiting methods and national resources to attract high performers.
- Simplify screening – handling the time-consuming and technical aspects of talent acquisition that slow down decision making.
- Shorten your search – by accelerating the sourcing, interviewing and vetting processes.
Contact your local Corps Team office to learn more about our staffing and placement services for mid- to senior-level professionals.