Does Your Hiring Process Take Too Long?

In a recent poll, Indeed found that 48% of respondents said that waiting to hear back from employers is “highly frustrating.” Even worse, 55% of candidates will give up on the position if they don’t hear back from the company after two weeks of applying.  This begs the question; how long should it take you to follow up with candidates?

According to a report from Glassdoor Economic Research, the average hiring process in the US takes 23 days, just a bit over three weeks.   No one wants to make a bad hiring decision, so some of the reasons for the lengthy process may include:

• Vetting employees internally before making commitments
• Beginning the hiring process with a “wish list” of skills or experience instead of deciding upon the skills that are critical
• Involving additional stakeholders in the interview process and looking for a consensus decision
• Lack of technology to improve communication flow

According to Officevibe, the best candidates are off the market in 10 days!

How do you compete?

First, rethink your job descriptions.  Make sure that the requirements are reasonable and clearly defined.  Additionally, include information about your company culture and values.  Once you have a complete job profile, think about where it’s shared beyond just job sites.  Have you communicated it to employees asking for referrals? Have you shared with your social networks? If you aren’t confident how swiftly you can hire, reach out to a recruitment firm to help – it’s their job to find the best candidates as quickly as possible.

Next, manage expectations.  Not just the candidates’, but yours. Instead of searching for that unicorn, look at a candidate’s skills, as well as their potential.  Remember, if they are talented, they can be trained.

Keep communications going!  Don’t let A-level talent fall by the wayside because of your organization’s bad hiring process. Be sure to let the candidate know what to expect at the end of their interview. Follow through with your commitment to them, whether or not you have a decision to share. Modern technology can also aid in helping with engaging candidates via email and text.

Recruit year-round and keep filling your pipeline!  The good news is that with a shorter hiring process and engaging, positive candidate experience, you are building quite a nest of candidates to reach out to in the future.

Need some ideas to create on-point job profiles or technology recommendations?  Let’s talk!