Today, if your hiring process is too unwieldy, the chances are high you will lose candidates to your competition. You may try your best to engage candidates throughout your process; however, 62% of candidates say that if the employer takes too long to make the offer, they will walk away. If the candidate hasn’t heard back from the employer in three weeks, that number increases to 77%. Having a long hiring process can waste time and lose valuable candidates. Here’s how to streamline your hiring process and close more candidates before your competitors do.
How to Improve Your Hiring Process?
If you have an unwieldy hiring process, you’re going to lose. The best candidates will be snatched up by someone else in this market. So, you need to find a way to streamline your hiring process to make it more efficient. There are a few ways to do this.
Start with the recruiting process itself.
How is the job description you’re using? Is it accurate and compelling? Does it lead with the benefits for candidates and not just the requirements to do the job? Having a precise job description will help you weed out any candidates that clog up your funnel. That leaves you more time to focus on just the right candidates for the job. You’ll probably have more qualified candidates applying, too. Then look at the questions you’re asking and the interviews you’re conducting. If you can’t make it through the interview process in a couple of weeks (earlier if you can), you simply won’t keep candidates interested. Does your team use automation to keep communication flowing between the candidate and your organization? These are all pieces of the candidate engagement puzzle.
Next, look at the interviewing workflows.
How prepared are your interviewers? Do they have a list of questions to ask? It’s a good idea to send questions to your hiring team in advance to make sure they’re prepared. What is your candidate evaluation process like? All interviewers should use the same process and rating systems to ensure effective communication during the interview process. Avoid some of the most common interview mistakes that could turn off a candidate, such as:
- Many states now have salary history bans, so asking questions about their current income is just as illegal as asking about age, race, religion, and so on.
- Train your hiring teams to be alert for common red flags, such as being disorganized during the interview or criticizing a former employer.
- Move beyond any scripted material and concentrate on making the candidate feel welcomed. Treat every interview as an opportunity to further your company brand.
Set clear expectations at the beginning of the interview process for your hiring teams and the candidates. After the first interview, every candidate should understand the processes they’ll go through to reach the end goal of being hired. If you’re having trouble streamlining your hiring process, consider using a staffing agency to help extend your reach to a broader pool of candidates while also bringing efficient workflows to your team.
Your Best Weapon: A Staffing Agency
Partnering with a recruiting firm like Lingo Staffing is an immediate way to improve your hiring process. We bring our clients a huge pre-built network of potential candidates as well as efficient systems to maintain a positive relationship with candidates through an efficient hiring process. Call on us today to find out how we can help your business.
