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.
In this blog, we’re discussing some of the top challenges a new remote employee might face with virtual onboarding and how organizations can help set them up for success—starting as early in the process as the job posting.
What Is Remote Onboarding?
Onboarding remote employees requires a few key elements, such as introducing, integrating and orienting a worker with a company’s culture, policies and procedures. This happens either entirely or partially through virtual means, rather than in person.
Remote workers have become much more typical over the last handful of years, with approximately 22 million employed adults working from home 100 percent of the time. With the rise of remote work and distributed teams, many companies have had to adapt their traditional onboarding processes. The process usually involves using various digital tools and platforms to facilitate orientation sessions, training modules, meetings, access to company resources and documentation and more.
Even remote onboarding, which you’d expect to be a fairly uniform process across the board given the inherent limitations, can look different from one organization to the next. However, there are a few main components and onboarding best practices that are to be expected, such as:
Virtual orientation sessions: Introduction to company culture, values, mission and policies through online presentations or videos.
Digital training materials: Access to online courses, tutorials and documentation to learn about job responsibilities, software tools and processes.
Virtual meetings: Scheduled video calls with managers, remote team members and HR representatives to discuss job expectations, goals and performance evaluation criteria.
Digital communication channels: Utilizing email, instant messaging platforms and project management tools for ongoing communication, collaboration and feedback.
Remote access to resources: Provision of necessary equipment, software and access to company databases.
Regular check-ins: Scheduled virtual meetings to assess progress, address concerns and provide additional support as needed.
These could be considered the bare minimum requirements of an onboarding plan. However, to reap the benefits of a truly effective strategy, including better employee retention and a more meaningful employee experience, it’s important to understand common challenges first.
Top Challenges With Remote Onboarding
Surprisingly, only about 12 percent of employees in the U.S. say that their organizations have a good onboarding process — so getting virtual onboarding right can really set you apart from your competition. With an ever-expanding remote workforce, being able to adapt to this new normal will only strengthen company culture over time.
Remote onboarding isn’t without its challenges, just like its face-to-face counterpart. To facilitate the most meaningful remote onboarding experience for new employees, being aware of common challenges is key to developing strategies to overcome them and can help both you and remote hires succeed.
For context, here are a few typical challenges with remote onboarding processes:
Technological barriers
Some candidates, especially older generations, may not be as comfortable with certain technologies as others. Remote onboarding sessions should provide training to help get tech-averse employees up to speed.
Limited personal interaction
Remote onboarding lacks the face-to-face interaction indicative of more traditional working arrangements, where it’s easier to build relationships between new hires and colleagues. In a virtual environment, it can be more challenging for new employees to feel connected to the company culture and other team members.
Lack of supervision
Without direct supervision and timely feedback on their initial performance, new employees may struggle to effectively learn and adapt to their roles.
Disengagement
Remote work can be isolating, especially for new hires who may feel disconnected from their peers and the organization itself. Without the informal interactions and socialization opportunities provided by an office environment, new employees may struggle to integrate and engage with their teams.
Difficulty building trust and rapport
Establishing trust and rapport between new hires and their managers and colleagues can be more challenging in a remote environment. Building strong relationships in these virtual settings requires an intentional effort to foster open communication, collaboration and camaraderie.
Remote Onboarding Checklist: Building An Effective Plan
As an employer interested in hiring remote employees, you should be committed to facilitating success for each new hire in your remote environment.
That means providing the appropriate tools, software, and support that remote workers need to thrive in their new roles. At a high level, that effort also includes committing to and/or developing:
Clear communication: Provide clear instructions and expectations for the remote onboarding process, including timelines, objectives and resources. Regularly communicate with new hires through various digital channels to ensure they feel informed and supported.
A structured onboarding plan: Develop a comprehensive onboarding plan that outlines the training modules, orientation sessions and milestones new hires will complete during their first weeks and months on the job. Break down tasks into manageable steps and provide access to relevant resources and materials.
Feedback and evaluation: Solicit feedback from new hires about their remote onboarding experience to identify areas for improvement and ensure ongoing optimization of the process. Evaluate the effectiveness of the onboarding program based on new hires’ performance, engagement and satisfaction levels.
A Remote Onboarding Checklist For New Remote Hires
Now that you know what your organization should have in place for the best chance at successful virtual onboarding, here’s a checklist that you can provide to employees ahead of the remote onboarding process to ensure they’re fully prepared:
Test your internet connection to ensure it’s stable and reliable.
Ensure you have all the necessary hardware (computer, headset, etc.) and software (messaging apps, project management platforms, etc.) If provided by the company, be sure to reach out to get an idea of when you can expect the equipment to arrive if it hasn’t been made clear.
Confirm contact information with HR and that you have access to all necessary apps and programs.
Designate a quiet workspace in your home without distractions.
Familiarize yourself with the organization’s culture, values and professional standards so you know what to expect as you start the transition.
Prepare to introduce yourself to each new team member you meet.
Remote Onboarding Made Simpler with Applicantstack
Applicantstack streamlines onboarding tasks to get new remote hires integrated into your organization quickly and effectively.
Our software has everything you (and your remote employees) need to succeed, all in one place. Import hires, upload forms, create tasks, set reminders and so much more in a centralized platform that’s easy to use.
Hiring new employees is a huge time investment. Growing your small business sometimes takes labor from various departments, with hiring contributions from a lot of people. After all that, you want to be sure the new hires stick with you and become valued members of the team.
Employee retention is a concern in companies of all sizes, but for small businesses, it’s especially vital to avoid costly disruptions. More than just offering a bonus or a perk here or there, employee retention practices start with the first job posting and go well beyond the interviews and job offers. Here are our best tips for better employee retention.
1. Crafting Clear Job Descriptions
Job seekers likely read dozens if not hundreds of job descriptions. The typical cliché language (“rockstar”, “go-getter”, “team-player”) starts to blur together and might even make a candidate click right on by your posting. From the first interaction with your company, you want a potential hire to stop and feel intrigued, impressed, and interested in submitting a résumé without delay.
Avoid vague language that doesn’t accurately describe the work or, worse, actively misleads someone. There’s no better way to chase someone off than by revealing a totally different set of responsibilities than what was listed in the posting.
Rather than recycling old postings with a few changed words, consider taking the time to rewrite in a conversational tone that sounds welcoming and has enough specifics to help the right candidate apply. Share just enough about the company to make you stand out, e.g. the most important product you sell, a tidbit about company culture, or any relevant accolades. Chances are the candidate will seek out your website and social media, but remaining deliberately mysterious doesn’t serve anyone.
ApplicantStack provides an ideal system for creating and sharing job descriptions. You’ll never have to go searching in the cloud for that one missing document ever again. Plus, templates make it easy to save the information you need.
2. Ensuring Salary Transparency
Many companies lean towards always posting a salary range in job postings, particularly those in states where legislation has been passed to require it. Some companies remain squeamish, though, and industry experts suggest “without it, employees—and job candidates—trust those companies less, which in turn could blunt companies’ competitive edge.”
No one is willing to work for free, so an awkward culture around salary discussion and negotiation can be a big reason why you can’t retain valuable employees. Salary transparency goes beyond that initial description in the job posting. It also means your employees are free to discuss compensation without fear of retribution. It means management is willing to discuss compensation matters outside of scheduled performance reviews. Openness around a formerly taboo topic can very well be the reason an employee stays or goes.
3. Providing Access to Flexible Schedules
A Pew Research Study in 2021 found that 45 percent of people who quit a job in 2021 cited “not enough flexibility to choose when to put in hours” as their reason. To be sure, 2021 was a unique time in the world’s history, but for many workers, a flexible work schedule became non-negotiable. There are some jobs where fully or even partially remote work isn’t a good fit, but where possible, a flexible schedule may be the thing that can help you hire an ideal candidate in the first place and keep them satisfied in the longer-term.
It may take some creative thinking to figure out how to transform a former in-person job to something fully remote or hybrid. Chances are, you’ve been applying creative thinking all over the company since 2020. There is real power in negotiation and compromise in helping talented employees stay and give quality work.
4. Creating Advancement Opportunities
In that same Pew study from 2021, a whopping 63 percent of employees who resigned cited “no opportunities for advancement” as their reason. The ebb and flow of small business growth may mean that day-to-day operations sometimes take precedence over keeping up with employees’ career aspirations. However, based on that statistic, it’s clearly worth some curiosity.
Though some employees might be an open book when it comes to ambition, others might be quietly harboring resentment that they aren’t approached for raises or moves up the management ladder. Developing a company strategy for frequent check-ins may prove to be one of the most valuable ways to retain employees. This kind of open communication may reveal opportunities for mentorship or even previously unknown skills that are a good fit for other jobs within the company.
5. Offering Competitive Perks and Benefits
An on-time paycheck, health insurance, and a safe space to work are the bare minimum for a company employee. Beyond that, you can show your workers how much you value their efforts by adding in perks and benefits that improve their life circumstances in real ways. Here are some ideas:
Wellness initiatives like gym memberships, massages, or complimentary food and drinks at work
Work-life balance benefits like generous PTO and sick and family leave, or allowances for time away for appointments or family obligations
Personal development opportunities like conferences or classes
Paid volunteer opportunities, either individual or as a company
Workspace personalization allowance for things like plants, standing desks or walking pads, and freedom for personal decor
Commuting assistance for public transportation or fuel stipends
Employee retention depends on people being valued for the complete person they bring to their work. Successful companies need more than just skills and labor. Acknowledging that value begins at the first contact. Subsequent interviews can demonstrate the culture a person is capable of bringing to your company.
ApplicantStack gives you a place to manage candidates, cataloging and keeping track of first impressions. You can get a sense of how a candidate will fit in and whether you think they could be happy in your business. An eye on retention may help you value these soft skills even more than the ones listed on the candidate’s résumé.
The term “ghosting” originated in the app-heavy world of online dating. Two people start communicating past the first inbox message. Then, one party disappears without a “sorry, but” message, never to be heard from again. In job seeking, ghosting refers to when either the candidate or the employer drops out of the interview process without explanation. Invitations go unread, interview appointments remain unconfirmed, and emails sit unopened.
Ghosting Is On the Rise
According to a survey conducted by Indeed in 2021, the shift in the employment market during the pandemic meant ghosting on either side became much more common. More than three-quarters of job seekers report being ghosted by an employer. On the other hand, 76 percent of employers in the same survey say they, too, have been ghosted. Statistics tell the story of a frustrating experience on both sides of the hiring process. Candidates ghosted by hiring managers can feel undervalued, discouraged, indignant, or angry. On the company side, it can feel equally discouraging and like a tremendous waste of resources. For small businesses in particular, growth can present huge challenges, and efficiency is crucial.
As a prospective employer, you can’t control every candidate’s behavior. But you can control how you internally manage the hiring process to reduce the risk of being ghosted. At its core, ghosting happens when one side gives up on the potential relationship. Here are some tips to reduce applicant ghosting.
3 Tips to Stop Applicants Ghosting You
Improve Engagement
This word may be mostly tied to social media in our minds. Engagement describes the ability to create content that keeps your viewer in front of their screen and ideally willing to comment, like, subscribe, click, or purchase. In the interview process, your content is the candidate’s experience at each step of the hiring process. Ask yourself:
Do our emails sound friendly and professional?
Do we encourage questions and appear open to follow-up communication?
Are meeting invitations sent in a timely fashion with clear instructions on how to use the tech?
Does the candidate know what to expect in an interview, e.g., who will be in attendance, how long it will last, whether it’s one of a series of interviews?
Sure, you’ll use some form emails to streamline the process. ApplicantStack can help keep you organized at each step of the way. But the content of the communication should sound authentic, open, friendly, and inviting. Candidates want to feel like their presence in the interview process is valued and worth the company’s time.
Maintain Transparency
Job seekers often describe being misled by postings. Job descriptions are couched in language that may not accurately describe the daily duties. You can imagine that while this tactic may have a high rate of inquiry, it has a low rate of follow-through. Honesty really is the best policy in job postings and follow-up communication. Just like you expect the candidate to tell the truth on their resume, transparency on the employer side establishes trust from the first interaction. Without trust, you are much more likely to be ghosted. You have to earn a candidate’s respect.
Along with accurate job descriptions, candidates want transparency in salary and benefits. Reporting by CNBC in November 2023 discovered that “beyond any material impact on wage levels, rising pay transparency has had the largest effect on how employees and employers behave during the job-seeking and hiring processes. Employers are using pay transparency to attract candidates who are actually willing to receive the pay that is listed—and discourage others from applying.” When you start with your cards on the table, the candidates you attract are less likely to ghost you later when the salary is revealed and it’s unattractive to them.
Offer Clarity
On each side of the hiring table, people are multi-tasking. Hiring managers have multiple candidates at varying stages of the interview process. Job seekers live in a state of inquiring with and waiting on multiple companies, often running on different time tables. It’s a process that can make your head spin without an excellent system of organization. For the hiring side, ApplicantStack gives you all the tools you need to keep track of each candidate at every stage in the process. As you adjust the tool to fit your company’s needs, consider re-evaluating the clarity of each message you send.
Does the candidate understand the steps of the submission, interview, and hiring process?
Do they know what stage they are in?
Do they know how to withdraw their name from consideration?
Do they know where to direct questions?
Do you give an estimated response time or update if that can’t be met?
Attentive hiring managers who give as much information as possible are the least likely to be ghosted. Online job boards are full of people asking “how do I tell a company I’m not interested anymore?” The answers vary widely, but that general advice may not apply to your company. Communicating your company’s preference can relieve a candidate’s anxiety on how to handle this potentially awkward situation that very commonly leads to ghosting.
Use Different Communication Methods
You may have trouble getting ahold of candidates via email, only to feel like you’ve been ghosted. But some people simply forget to manage their inboxes efficiently, leading to missed messages. ApplicantStack makes it easy to communicate with job seekers where they are—on their phones. Here’s an interesting statistic: 98 percent of texts are read within two minutes of receipt. By contrast, roughly 20 percent of emails get opened and read within that timeframe. When you consider the high risk of an email getting filtered and not seen at all, it’s clear that texting is the winner for communication.
You can never control another person’s behavior, but you can adjust your hiring practices to mitigate applicant ghosting. Using organizational tools backed by transparency and excellent communication can lead to positive hiring relationships. Learn more about the features built into ApplicantStack when you start your free (no strings attached) trial.
Recruitment has become more challenging in the recent past. Between the tight labor market, increased competition for top talent and an aging population, recruiters have faced new difficulties when trying to find and bring on new hires. Helping your company and open positions stand out is critical in remaining competitive and appealing to talented individuals. Explore our guide to video recruitment marketing and the benefits of utilizing video in the hiring process.
What is Video Recruitment Marketing?
Video recruitment marketing is a technique that utilizes video content to outline the hiring process, what it’s like to work for a company and what to expect. Since video is the most widely shared form of content, it’s worth investing in videos to support recruitment efforts.
Creating recruiting videos might involve outlining what the culture is like at the company, as well as emphasizing the benefits of working there. You could enlist the support of current employees, who can become brand ambassadors in their efforts to encourage others to join the team.
What are the Advantages of Video Recruitment?
Video recruitment efforts can bring a number of appealing advantages.
Say more in less time
Videos can say more in a shorter amount of time, as viewers can watch the content quickly rather than having to invest time in reading it. Research indicates that marketers have approximately eight seconds to grab someone’s attention. A video is more likely to achieve that aim than a piece of written content, as the visual movement coupled with engaging sound are attention-grabbing.
Tailor videos for each step of the recruiting funnel
When you tailor different videos to speak to every step of the recruitment process, jobseekers know what to expect. This information can provide valuable insights and keep applicants engaged. By contrast, if your company doesn’t issue any information regarding what to expect in terms of communication and feedback, jobseekers may lose interest or look elsewhere when they don’t hear from the hiring manager.
Utilize video where text and images don’t work
In areas where text and images simply don’t garner much attention, a video can be a game-changer. For example, more than 300 million people spend time on social media platforms daily, browsing and scrolling through feeds. They may not stop on a text-heavy post, but a video that begins playing before they stop scrolling could cause them to pause and watch. Videos shared by friends and contacts on social media are also more likely to get additional views.
Promote brand image
When you want to promote your brand image and look more established, professional video content can support these goals. With relevant, engaging and concise elements, your company can also stand out in a sea of organizations seeking top talent.
Where Can Recruitment Videos Work Best?
There are many different applications where recruitment videos can add a lot of value. These include:
On your career site: If your business has an established career site, incorporating video can appeal to those who come searching for open positions. This site is a good place to include video testimonials from current employees and content that emphasizes the culture.
In job postings: When applicants get to job listings, they should be able to get a sense of what to expect. Include video content in job postings that is easy to view without navigating away from the application page.
At job fairs and conferences: When participating in job fairs and hiring conferences, consider how you can help your business stand out by utilizing professional videos. Show them on a loop on a screen in your booth or provide a QR code that allows potential applicants to watch the videos instantly.
On social platforms: As mentioned, millions of people are on social media platforms at any given time. Expand your reach by sharing videos through your social networks and encourage employees to do the same.
On video advertising platforms: If you want to put money behind your recruitment videos, consider utilizing advertising platforms geared toward video content.
Throughout the hiring process: Share videos with applicants throughout the process to keep them informed and engaged.
Through employees: Ask happy and engaged employees to take part in the recruitment process by sharing videos with their friends and family. Internal referrals tend to have higher engagement and retention rates.
Examples of Effective Recruitment Videos
Need some inspiration? Check out a few effective recruitment videos:
Apple
This video is demonstrative of Apple’s culture, focused heavily on innovation and creativity. It showcases what the organization does and the value placed on diversity as employees speak various languages throughout.
Zappos
In the recent past, Zappos has adjusted its culture and management structure, replacing the traditional “boss-employee” hierarchy with self-management opportunities. The company’s documentary-inspired recruitment video emphasizes the importance of culture fit.
Starbucks
With more than 28,000 locations across the globe, the massive coffee chain is among the largest restaurants in the world. In this recruitment video, viewers get a sense of the welcoming, supportive environment where every team member is considered a partner.
Dropbox
This video features the perspective of colorful puppets, creating a quirky video that’s sure to stick in the minds of viewers. The humorous expressions on the puppet’s face also provide insights into the playful company culture.
Manage Your Candidates with ApplicantStack
As you consider how to incorporate video into your recruitment efforts, it’s worth thinking about how your business will manage the influx of candidates as they see your videos and apply for open roles. ApplicantStack is an excellent tool for businesses of all sizes, offering budget-friendly pricing and robust features.
Everyone involved in the hiring process can view candidate status, identify next steps and move top talent through various stages with ease. Keep everyone on the same page while keeping track of notes and recommendations in one place. Additionally, ApplicantStack makes it easy to text candidates. Since texts have a 200 percent higher response rate than emails, you can see the immediate value of this feature.
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