9 Helpful Steps to Speed Up the Hiring Process

Mar 20, 2024

Applicant Tracking, Blog, HR and Recruiting Industry Information, Recruiting Best Practices

The ever-changing job market demands that businesses of all sizes adapt to find the best candidates in the hiring pool. Speed of hiring can make or break a job seeker’s experience with your company. According to The Society of Human Resource Management, it can take between 24 and 36 days from application to offer, numbers that can seem daunting to a company looking to grow and fill open positions.

A thoughtful analysis of your company’s hiring practices can reveal some places where you might be unknowingly hitting the brakes. Here are some steps to help you speed up the hiring process.

Write Thorough Job Descriptions

Attract top talent through honest and accurate job descriptions. Especially if you’re recycling previous descriptions, examine the language for vague clichés or missing responsibilities. Make sure benefits and compensation are clear, and that you give some information about company culture or unique things about your business.

Most people can figure out what it’s like to work at Apple, but the features that make your small business special may not be as easy to find on Reddit or Glassdoor. Let your description act as a marketing tool. It needs to attract candidates fast. Don’t let precious days pass between posting and receiving applicants.

Update Your Social Media and Website

Once you’ve piqued a candidate’s interest, their next step is likely checking you out on social media and your website. It’s easy to lose an interesting candidate who gets turned off because your last Instagram post is two years old or your website still features an announcement about Covid closures. Social media is useful for helping people understand your company culture, highlighting products or initiatives, and even advertising for open positions. It’s good for your public-facing media to not look abandoned.

Scrutinize Your Application Process

When was the last time someone from your company test-drove the application process? An internal review can reveal sections where a potential candidate may get bogged down. Make sure your tech works properly at each step. If you encourage applications through a web form, check that all the information transfers to the right people in a timely manner. Give job seekers details like what kind of documents are preferred or allowed, any file size limitations, or required information. Try to identify points in the process where someone might get discouraged or abandon it altogether. A clear and simple experience means an expansion of your pool and the ability to act quickly.

Invest in Automation Technology

You’ve got a brilliant job description and a streamlined application process: now what to do with all the data? Automation technology like ApplicantStack helps you avoid an overwhelmed inbox or a messy spreadsheet. Open jobs are laid out in an easy-to-view grid with many ways to proceed from there. Sort candidates by referral source, suitability rating, and dates to keep on top of interview scheduling, contacts, and overall view of your candidate pool. You can set tasks and deadlines that ensure nobody falls through the cracks. Handle simultaneous hiring timelines with ease, cutting down significantly on time to hire.

Keep an Open Mind for Potential

Qualifications for a job are the gold standard for advancing a candidate through to the next step. But the job pool may be full of underqualified people (on paper) who may fit in well with your company culture. Putting them on the back burner or dismissing them outright while waiting for the perfect candidate can waste precious time. Valuing potential can be very productive to the hiring process. If a person gives you every indication they’re capable of learning and adapting to something new, it might be worth giving them an opportunity sooner rather than later.

Avoid a Drawn-Out Interview Process

Hiring managers and job seekers are equally invested in the time to hire from first interaction. Along with scrutinizing your job descriptions and hiring protocols, consider the effectiveness of your interview practices. In the modern job market, phone calls and videoconferencing are ideal for preliminary interviews. They save time and travel expenses and serve as a useful tool for first impressions and determining next steps.

The ability to conduct multiple interviews in a day means faster movement through the process and gives in-person priority to serious candidates. Faster decisions also means faster communication with your candidates, which can keep them engaged and at lower risk of ghosting you or dropping out of contention.

Keep Communication Open

Notifying candidates about their place in the process ensures an open dialogue that benefits both sides, even if the end result isn’t an offer. Looking for a job usually means a fair amount of uncertainty as a candidate juggles companies’ various application and interview processes. Clear communication about next steps and dates is always welcome. A well-timed email of assurance in between can go a long way in showing your company’s interest.

With texting capabilities built right in, ApplicantStack supports your company’s efforts to communicate and meet candidates where they are—on their phones.

Issue Offers Quickly

Once the hiring managers have made a decision, issue the offer as soon as possible. Every day that passes with a candidate waiting for an answer is a day lost to the process and an opportunity for them to become discouraged by your process or take another job. Even if you decide not to extend an offer, a prompt rejection shows you respect the candidate’s time.

Set Internal Deadlines

Depending on the size of your business, you may have people wearing multiple hats of management and hiring. Organization is crucial to keep the process moving, especially with unforeseen circumstances that inevitably pop up. ApplicantStack includes candidate management functionality, reminding you of deadlines you’ve set and allowing other members of your team to help. It clearly lays out the hiring priorities in a way that makes it simple to spread out the work and keep the process moving efficiently while ensuring everyone involved stays on the same page.

Adapting to changes in the job market demands adaptability from hiring managers. Modern technology gives companies the tools to speed up the hiring process and fill open positions with engaged and enthusiastic workers.