The steps, the paperwork, the bits of information, the calls and emails can start to pile up and get messy, fast. Streamlining the hiring lifecycle facilitates a better candidate experience. When a hire is done efficiently and quickly the candidate feels like they are in good hands from the get-go. Streamlining the hiring lifecycle also makes for a more successful recruiter or hiring manager. Whenever a process is improved upon it affects the bottom line through time and resources saved.

The hiring process takes a lot of time and it involves a lot of steps. Improving this process can have a serious impact on the entire job of a hiring manager or recruiter. The hiring process went from an average 15 days to fill in 2009, to 23. Although we're steadily pulling out of a recession, hiring managers and recruiters are so afraid of making costly, bad hires, that process has become drawn out. 

Assess the Process in Place

Take a look at the current process and document it all the way through. Streamlining begins with addressing what is working and what isn’t. It’s surprising how many steps and pieces of paper the process actually takes. A bird’s eye view of how things are flowing will give perspective and let you know where improvement can be made.

Create Thoughtful and Engaging Job Descriptions

When creating job descriptions, you should have in mind that these do the initial screening for you, or at least they should. Properly worded job descriptions and ads will automatically do some weeding out, while catching the right eyes. The job description shouldn’t just tell the candidate what is expected of them, it should display the company culture, showcase the brand and ultimately let the candidate know why this is or isn’t the job for them. For great tips on creating job ads for the right candidates, visit this post on our blog.

Get Organized

Handbooks, W-2s, tests, training, onboarding and paperwork can create quite the tangle. So much falls through the cracks if the process isn’t nailed down. I believe that we’ve all been there, weeding through candidate and employee files looking for all the papers, all the signatures and ensuring all the proper steps have been taken. This is frustrating and takes a whole lot of time. Creating complete and consistent files starts with organization. Having hiring packets and checklists helps to ensure that it is all taken care of. Going back through files and profiles is such a tremendous waste of time, and it’s not a good look for managers.

Organization is about simplification, and that is exactly what templates do. Having an arsenal of templates and canned emails or documents is a huge time saver. It also ensures consistent communications.

Get the Right Technology

The right technology can be a recruiter’s best friend. Talent management software can do some pretty impressive things now. The rise of big data has made it possible to have up-to-date, complete profiles ready and waiting in the cloud. The right software and vendor can make a huge difference in hiring lifecycle.

Another recently popular tool that has been a proven lifesaver is video interviewing. Currently 3 out of 5 recruiters are using video interviewing. Instead of scheduling, preparing and conducting dozens of interviews, recruiters can send out an email with a link to prerecorded interview questions. The candidate can then choose the time and place that they wish to complete the interview. Then the candidate’s responses can be shared, commented on and followed up on.

Nail down the process, stick with it and ensure compliance office-wide.

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