Speed is of the essence in recruitment today. If you want to recruit top candidates, you need to move fast. Since demand for talented professionals is high, and the talent pool is not exactly brimming, a lengthy interview and recruitment process could be having a negative impact on your ability to attract the best talent. 

In recent years there has been a trend towards longer recruitment processes. On average, from a candidate applying for a role to starting a new job, we’re seeing it taking in excess of 3 months – depending on how many hoops they have to jump through!

However, we’re also seeing candidates getting other offers during this time, and employers are missing out on securing excellent employees. 

Factor in the time between receiving an application and contacting that candidate; then the time between that first direct contact and a telephone interview; next how long it takes between a telephone interview and an in-person interview; then second interviews; and finally, the time between the second (or third) interview and an offer being put on the table; you can see there are numerous opportunities for the candidate to be snapped up by a competitor.

Often it takes longer than 3 months. Staff absences, key decision-makers on holiday, or interviews being delayed because of other workloads all contribute to lengthy recruitment cycles. The more people involved, the more likely it is that someone is unavailable and holds things up.

We also find that often when a company is recruiting to fill a vacant role, the incumbent employee has actually left before a replacement is found – and that has a knock-on effect on productivity and performance within their department. It can also impact the on-boarding process, as there is no hand over period.

In this situation we often find companies employing temporary or interim workers to meet staffing shortfalls. This can be an effective strategy if you are not able to recruit the right people – recruitment agencies like Howett Thorpe can advise you on how to go about this.

How to speed recruitment up

As you can see, there is an opportunity to compete for top candidates, especially when your competitors have lengthy recruitment processes, by speeding up your recruitment process. Shaving off a few days between different steps, for example by reviewing applications and contacting candidates within one week instead of two, could make all the difference. 

However, there are other ways to speed the process up, as outlined below:

With the tips above you should be able to attract and retain better candidates through your recruitment; as well as reducing lengthy processes by focusing time and effort on fewer but higher quality candidates.

If you have any questions about speeding up your recruitment cycles, or need advice on other areas of recruitment, please get in touch. Call 01252 718 777 or email us on [email protected]