We are currently in a hiring generation where time and speed are critical elements of business success. Many HR stakeholders argue that the top talent pool is shrinking, even though the global population is growing.
On the other hand, the competition to attract talented candidates is increasing day by day. Increasing your organization's hiring speed is critical to staying competitive in this fast-moving business environment, especially if you have recently lost a top-performing employee.
So, what do you do if you need to quickly find a replacement? These five hacks can help you expedite your talent acquisition process and find the perfect replacement in days.
5 Tips to Find the Perfect Replacement in Days
1. Explore specialized online job platforms
We live in the digital age, and going through an orthodox hiring process is likely not the most efficient way forward. Traditional recruitment methods usually require loads of paperwork and time. Moreover, hiring during a pandemic may not be the ideal environment to look for the next best talent. If you need to fill an open position fast, consider exploring online job hunting platforms. 68% of recruitment professionals agree that the best way of improving their hiring performance over the next five years is by investing in recruiting technology and online job platforms.
Using the latest recruitment technology and platforms can bring down hiring costs and processing time while improving your HR department's efficiency. Most developed countries have very high internet accessibility, and hence, your job offer is potentially reaching a vast pool of interested candidates. Additionally, posting your open position on an online job platform can be especially useful if you are looking to reach a younger audience; roughly 99% of the 18-29 age group in the U.S. are active internet users.
2. Simplify and optimize your job ads
According to a LinkedIn study, 52% of recruiters believe that a complicated and lengthy talent acquisition process is the biggest obstacle to efficiently hiring quality employees. Moreover, the more complex the recruitment process is, the less time it takes HR departments to handle their vital day-to-day responsibilities. Simplifying your recruitment starts with clearly specifying what the skills required for the position to fill are. Also, highlight the different steps a candidate will go through after applying. Keep the job description as short as possible, without omitting critical details.
For instance, job listings that mention a salary range trigger more interest than listings that don't. Whenever possible, include visual elements to your job postings, such as your company logo, presentation videos, or images to make them more enticing. Finally, ensure that your job advert is mobile-friendly and is easy to navigate on mobile devices as this can significantly increase the number of applications submitted.
3. Focus on a positive candidate experience and communication
Job applicants and your company's clients share one common trait − clear and personalized communication strongly influences their knowledge, and hence, their ultimate decision about working with your organization. A positive or negative candidate experience directly impacts whether job seekers accept a position or not. Improving job applicants' experience is crucial if you are looking to hire quickly, especially considering how tight and competitive the talent marketplace is. A positive experience will make the candidate feel comfortable, valued, respected, and excited to work for your company.
Your first communication touchpoint with a potential candidate is via a status update on their application, so be sure to follow-up once you receive that submission. If feasible, also consider personalizing your recruiting emails so you stick out from the competition. Streamlined and personalized communication with candidates will also encourage applicants to apply for future vacancies at your organization even if they don't get hired the first time around.
4. Reduce gaps in the interview process
Several companies are often interviewing top-notch talent looking for a new job at the same time. If you are looking to fill an open position fast, you should cut down on unnecessary delays and gaps for an efficient interview process. Once you come across exciting applicants' profiles, schedule phone interviews as quickly as you can. You can easily determine if these candidates make it to the shortlist by asking some critical questions over the phone.
Next, bring in candidates who pass the initial phone screening for a face-to-face interview. This can help you qualify applicants and, at the same time, eliminate those who are unfit for the position. When you are finally left with the best candidates for the job, you would be wise to schedule all of them in a single day. Again, schedules can be tight, but at the end of the day, the more time that goes by, the higher the chance of seeing your competitors grab the top candidates.
5. Don't Delay your Offer
In today's market, many candidates that face a lengthy hiring process will either stay in their current job or take up a new position at another organization. Once you have identified the perfect match for your open position, make them an offer as soon as possible. Keep in mind that top talent will not hang around for too long and are most likely being interviewed by other organizations as well.
Leaving candidates in the dark for too long, waiting for a response, is a sure-fire way of either putting them off or allowing your competitors time to hire them first. So if you are entirely sure that you have found the perfect fit for the position, it is your job to hurry the process and secure their services as fast as possible. However, if you delay the offer because you are unsure, you should be continuously interviewing people until you find the candidate that ticks all the boxes.
Final Thoughts
The talent market is a fiercely competitive one, especially when it comes to top-performing candidates. Regardless of your hiring process, avoid leaving top candidates on the back burner for too long. For optimal results, track your hiring metrics and analyze them to find what works best for you in the long run.
Additionally, pairing this information with productivity data, such as retention and engagement rates, allows you to drill down to which profiles work best with your company structure and culture. We live in a digital, fast-paced world, often driven by instant decisions; speeding your hiring process for top talent can only positively impact your organization.
About the Author: Caroline Forrest is the Director of Community Outreach and Content Management at JobGet, where she has been working for a year and a half. She works to deliver handcrafted educational and inspiring content to individuals job searching, looking for career advice, and more! Caroline is dedicated to providing high-quality services to those in need. To connect with Caroline, reach out to her on LinkedIn, or send her an email!
