A few weeks ago we posed the question to hiring managers: what is the one thing that is getting in the way of building out your unstoppable team? Lack of overall process took the cake. This is not at all surprising and the good news: you’re not alone. Time and time again, we hear how a lack of a sound and scalable hiring process negatively impacts the hiring journey; creating a lengthy hiring cycle, increasing candidate abandonment, and just overall dampening that candidate experience that everyone seems to be talking about. If you look at the numbers, on average, it takes 44 days to close out tech positions - that is almost 2 months!
Our CEO, Anya Tsirklin, finds that having a clear understanding of the stages, timelines, and open communication throughout the process, can tremendously improve this experience for all involved parties. Aligning on the team level helps manage expectations across the board and assists recruiters in managing expectations with the candidates as well.
Easier said than done, you might be thinking. Well, it’s actually all about having a plan! Prior to recruiting for any role, the hiring team should be mapping out the stages of the hiring journey, the timeline that goes with each stage and who is involved at every part of the process. We recommend creating consistent stages and timelines for all open positions. This will help mitigate revisions in the midst of the process, something that could derail the process, painting a chaotic picture of internal inner workings. Remember, this roadmap is constantly evolving, so it doesn’t have to be written in stone, therefore it should be flexible and easy to adjust. Deciding on these first few steps can help save a ton of confusion and time in the long run, allowing your team to focus on filling up the pipeline instead of questioning next steps.
As you begin to outline the stages, you will need to think about the overall hiring cycle and the complexity of the role. Questions to be asked could include: What is the target date for filling these roles? How much lead time will the team need to fill the position? What are some potential obstacles that the team could encounter while recruiting for this role? Shining a light on these potential blind-spots will give you and the hiring team a better understanding of the overall recruiting effort for these roles.
Now that the hiring process is ironed out, creating a consistent and open communication strategy is crucial. As you start thinking about communication patterns with candidates, think about the “what, when, how much”. According to Anya, a transparent and authentic communication style is the golden rule of recruitment. Automate when necessary, and leave it to the creative powers of the recruiters to fill in the gaps. Remember people want to hear from a human, not an AI tool, so give your recruiters the freedom and voice to connect with each candidate!
So now that your wheels are spinning, how do you and your team want to communicate with your candidates? Think about your overall employer brand and how that would translate into the “voice” of the recruiters, as they are oftentimes the front line to your organization. No matter what you decide, make sure that the tone is consistent across the board; no matter if it's a phone call or an email.
These are just a few simple ways to start shaping your hiring process. Remember, it doesn’t have to be complex to work. In fact, the more simple the process, the easier it will be to replicate.
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