Hiring decisions are important and typically involve multiple people and departments, which can cause delays and sometimes complications. A long hiring process is one of the top complaints I hear from job seekers. Finding new employment is stressful and can be frustrating, so as an employer, make every reasonable effort to make the hiring process as quick and efficient as possible, rather than dragging it out.
How? As an employer, ask yourself the following questions:
- How quickly can a vacancy be filled?
- Is the hiring process streamlined and expedient?
- Is there level after level of screening and interviews that can take weeks or months to bring a successful applicant onboard?
First, let’s discuss why it is in a company’s best interest to hire quickly after an employee leaves a position. Delays in the recruitment process can have many negative impacts ranging from a damaged company reputation to a direct impact on business productivity, as well as reduced sales, ineffective customer service and possibly poor performance.
Strain on Current Staff
Positions left unfilled for extended periods of time can put extra strain on current staff that are now required to do double duty, due to the increased workload. This often leads to more stress and the potential of a domino effect of more employees leaving. Another important factor to take into consideration is when winter arrives, there is a good chance there will be increased absences due to illnesses or weather.
Lose the Candidate
When a job vacancy is not filled quickly, an employer risks losing their ideal candidate, as they may have sought another job, or are no longer interested. A drawn-out hiring process may dissuade the applicant. The applicant may give up or realize they don’t want to work for a company if this is how they handle the hiring process.
Impact on Future Business
The impact of lengthy hiring processes can also impact future business opportunities. Job seekers may leave a negative review about an employer if the interview process took too long. Inefficiencies perceived by customers, at any level, all have the potential to tarnish a company’s wider reputation and image in the long-term.
Now that we have addressed the impacts of a lengthy hiring process, it should be asked: “How can you speed up the hiring process and find the ideal candidate for the position you are hiring for?” Below are recommendations.
Write a great job posting. This task is easier said than done. Be sure to list essential requirements, skills, pre-requisites, details about the role which summarize the responsibilities and who the applicant reports to. Other useful information to include is whether the position is in the office, remote or hybrid, mention why the applicant would want to work with your company and don’t forget to outline what the company does.
Streamline your process. Determine if there are any bottlenecks in your hiring process. It is helpful to ask the following questions:
- Have I set enough time aside to review the candidate shortlist?
- Can stages of the interview process be combined?
- How can other decision makers quickly get on board with a hiring decision?
Use social media to spread the word and make sure people know you are hiring. LinkedIn and Indeed are ideal platforms, but Facebook, Instagram and Twitter should not be overlooked. Include an email address where candidates can send their resume, or create a portal where the applicant can upload all of the necessary information.
Use recruiting software to screen candidates. These tools allow you to select candidates based on the requirements of the job that is fair, as there is no bias.
Be a little more ruthless when going through applications and limit the number of people you interview in person. One way to eliminate many applicants is to remove any that did not follow the instructions for applying.
Be Decisive. Once the right candidate is found, stop interviewing other prospective hires. Don’t delay your offer.