How to Reduce Time to Hire in the Workplace
By Marta Gongos Forty-four days is the average time to hire across businesses, a new all-time high that frustrates job seekers. The longer your hiring process drags on, the more likely it is that applicants will drop out before completing their applications for your company.
Longer time to hire means higher cost-per-hire and losing qualified candidates to competitors. Fortunately, you can reduce time to hire and make your company’s recruitment process more efficient without affecting the quality of hire.
Level up your hiring processes and improve candidate experience with this all-inclusive guide. We’ll explain why the hiring process takes so long and teach you how to reduce time to hire.
Why Does the Hiring Process Take So Long?
Qualified applicants get frustrated waiting too long for a hiring decision, likely accepting whichever job is offered first as long as they’re both offering similar pay and benefits. The wait truly does cause a poor candidate experience and can hurt your brand.
But why does the hiring process take so long in the first place? The common reasons are lengthy applicant filtering, extended background checks, and multiple rounds of interviews. Moreover, the higher the level of expertise needed, the more strenuous the screening process, which means extended time to hire.
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7 Tips to Reduce Time to Hire
Learning how to reduce time to hire teaches you what areas you need to improve. Here’s a list of tips that tackle various aspects of the hiring process.
1. Collect Relevant Data
Reducing time to hire starts with getting the right data. Measuring key HR metrics can determine baselines, benchmarks, and goals, allowing you to create a tangible plan. In this case, ensure you measure or get the following data:
- Measure the time it takes to fill a role. Do this for all levels of job openings
- Determine how long a candidate moves from one phase of the recruitment process to another
- In every recruitment cycle, count the number of job seekers and then segregate them into categories based on their skills and compatibility with company standards
2. Work With a Recruitment Agency
Two is better than one. Working with a recruitment agency can expedite your hiring processes. It’s a cost-effective solution to streamline sourcing, interviewing, and negotiating. Agencies like Ad Culture have pools of qualified candidates, all ready to cover your job openings.
3. Develop a Structured Hiring Process
Map out your current hiring process from start to finish and streamline it for more efficient hiring. This is a good way to determine which areas take more time compared to others. You’d be surprised with what you’ll find out. For instance, your interview phase might take longer than searching for qualified candidates.
Don’t forget to create a structure for an applicant’s recruitment journey. Seeing things from their perspective can reveal loopholes to fill, allowing you to improve candidate experience as well!
Read more: Six Recruitment Challenges and Tips to Get Over Them
4. Build and Update a Talent Database
Instead of wondering why does the hiring process take so long, be more proactive in recruiting. Create a talent database of all applicants who applied for the company and tap them to apply again. They may not be the best candidates for the positions they applied for but could be a perfect match for another role.
5. Form a Talent Pipeline
Another proactive way to reduce time to hire is developing a talent pipeline. This pool of qualified candidates are ready to accept a role as soon as it opens up. Internal talents, referrals, and applicants from online job portals and career pages belong to this group.
With a talent pipeline, you can cut several steps from your recruitment process. Build relationships with candidates and you keep them interested in applying.
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6. Improve Your Careers Page
Believe it or not, your careers page plays an important role in talent recruitment—it’s the face of the company. It’s where applicants go to learn more about the organization and its current employees before and after the interview.
It could make or break any talent’s decision, which is why marketing your company in the best way possible is needed. Make your company story engaging, and add employee testimonials to hook interested applicants instantly. You can further solidify the deal by showcasing company perks and culture.
7. Be Concise but Informative With Job Postings
Shorten time to hire by writing concise job listings. Provide an honest scope of responsibilities, and requirements to filter only those who match your search criteria. Remove unnecessary or vague details since these cause an influx of applicants.
Choose Ad Culture for a Faster Hiring Process
Recruitment agencies not only match candidates with organizations expertly, they also reduce time to hire with tried-and-tested strategies. Ad Culture provides these services and more to companies seeking expert assistance in recruitment.
Let Toronto’s top-rated hiring agency recruit talents in your place, so you can focus on growing your business. We’ll find the unicorns you’ve been struggling to look for and ensure they match your company’s standards.
Interested to know more? Send us a message!
