Your Hiring Process: Helping or Hindering Your Ability to Hire?

The hiring process was thrown a never-before-seen curveball by the onset of COVID-19. From a sudden shift to virtual interviewing to rethinking what new and current employees want and need, companies had to shift plans and create new processes quickly. 

Despite best intentions and perceptions about the positive candidate experience, hiring processes have elongated, adding further complexity, cost to companies for both losing good candidates as a result and the time of interviewers.  The longer processes combined with often little communication with the candidate, means applicants are turning to other opportunities.  

Candidates are interested in a shorter and clear process.  A recent survey identified that 62% of US professionals say they lose interest in a job if they don’t hear back from the employer within 10 days after the initial interview, jumping to 77% if there is no status update within three weeks. In the current labor market, where the demand for talent is keen, 10 days is a long time for no communication, particularly when candidates have other opportunities to consider.

An overwhelming or overly lengthy process can turn candidates off before they truly evaluate the company. We’ve outlined a few areas for employers to re-examine to ensure they are driving the desired outcomes with candidates.

Re-envision Your Fundamentals -- ATS

Applicant Tracking Systems play a key role in identifying talent and managing the process.  Your ATS may be set too high for weeding out vs. weeding in.  As cited in a recent HBS study and WSJ article, good talent is being passed over because they didn’t use very specific key words or had gaps in their resume.  As noted below, once you refine your job descriptions and requirements to reflect what’s truly needed in candidates, redefine your ATS criteria.

Breadcrumbing Candidates

“Breadcrumbing,” or stringing candidates along needlessly, especially at the early stages of the process, can cause prospective hires to lose interest or to feel neglected. Not only will these candidates not engage further, but they also might harbor a bitter taste about the company. A recent study saw 26% of respondents say that they would leave a negative comment anonymously on review sites if they felt like they were being strung along. 

Articulate the Process

Up front, outline to candidates the hiring process, including details of how many rounds with how many people, expected time to fill and anything they will need to produce (recommendations, assessment, etc.).  Unforeseen requirements can quickly cause potential candidates to look elsewhere. 

Inform Interviewers

It’s vital for key hiring managers to not only understand a position's needed skill sets and to involve the right evaluators in the decision, but also to know what procedural steps need to occur to move forward and how to communicate those clearly with the candidate. Consistency from the interviewing team helps streamline the process and reinforces with candidates the company’s clarity.

Objectively Reassess Your Process

A recent study by SHRM saw that the average time to fill a new role has added nearly a month in the last 5 years.  In addition to adding costs and time, top candidates now have multiple opportunities to consider.  A prolonged process often leads to ‘losing’ a top candidate to another company.  Regularly reassess your process: how many people should each candidate meet with (generally, adding more people to the process slows down decision making and introduces added complexity), how do you communicate with candidates in-between interviews, and what information do you need from candidates and when?  

Know Your Target Candidate

Before you can get to the final stages of an offer, you need to find a compelling candidate. We often see job descriptions that read like wish lists, such as asking for mastery of a dozen programming languages. Given the added complexities of hiring during a tight labor market, organizations should spend time defining the characteristics needed for success and focus on attracting candidates with those qualities. 

As CEO of Business Talent Group Jody Greenstone Miller notes, “most job specs are too general and not realistic, listing a whole host of requirements that no human would be able to satisfy, so you have to make tradeoffs. Creating a more prioritized list of qualities or skills candidates must possess early on in the process will help you hone in on the right candidates a lot faster”.  By objectively reevaluating your hiring process and each step, you will drive a stronger candidate experience resulting in better hires for your organization.

Do you have an interview process strategy that has worked well during the pandemic? Can we help orient your process toward success? Reach out at info@bensonsearch.com, we’d love to to hear from you!