The Recruiting Plumber: Fixing Leaks from a Slow Hiring Process (part 3 of 3)

Losing too many great candidates?

It’s so frustrating. After investing a ton of time and effort recruiting talented people, staffing and recruiting firms are seeing field associates and candidates:

  • skipping client interviews
  • completely ignoring formal job offers
  • no-showing for assignments

And the longer unemployment rates stay low, the worse these problems becomes.

These days, no staffing agency can afford to have candidates pull a disappearing act. Thankfully, the problem is largely preventable! In today’s post (part 3 in our 3-part series), we share action steps to keep the talented people you’ve worked so hard to recruit from dropping you like a hot rock.

Missed parts 1 and 2 in this series? Read them here:

Fix the Leaks in Your Candidate Funnel

Fixing a “Leaky” Mobile Candidate Experience

Leak 3: A SLOWWWWWW hiring process.

You know the numbers. Unemployment has been under 5% for over a year now, and time to hire is near record highs (29.2 working days at the time this post was written). Translation? Talented candidates have options – lots of them – and won’t sit around, waiting for you and your clients to get your act together. So move it:

Identify bottlenecks that slow down decision-making and communication. To prevent delays and process stalls, look for culprits on both your end and the client’s:

  • Consider how you could improve and/or simplify communication during and after the interview phase to maintain momentum.
  • Review the client’s interview and candidate evaluation processes, providing recommendations for balancing efficiency with effectiveness.
  • Provide a hiring “roadmap” for clients who don’t have formal processes.
  • Encourage clients to have offer letters pre-written.

Turn a critical eye to your entire recruiting process. Examine every candidate touch point, from initial application through post-placement check-in. Look for ways to accelerate timelines – without sacrificing quality:

  • Tighten up your screening timeline, so promising applicants are contacted (even if it’s only with an automated email) within 24 to 48 hours of applying.
  • Consider phone or video screening for out-of-town candidates.
  • Invest in technology to expedite processes and ensure that talented people don’t fall through the cracks.

Don’t forget the red carpet. Once you’ve extended an offer for an assignment, contract or direct position, you’re not out of the woods! Onboarding is essential to protecting still-vulnerable field associates and candidates. Evaluate your process to make sure it’s comprehensive, efficient and candidate-friendly. Then share best practices with your clients, so they do a great job making temporaries and new hires feel welcomed, valued and prepared to hit the ground running.

Final Thoughts

The best candidates are only in the job market for a brief time. Rightfully, they expect you to value that time and treat them with respect. A protracted hiring process frustrates job seekers, leading them to explore other opportunities – and opening the door for poaching. Use the tips in this post to tighten up your timeline from application to assignment (or hire), and keep your hard-won candidates out of competitors’ clutches.

Fill your recruiting funnel. And keep it that way!

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