Recruiting: 6 Activities that Can Reduce Your Time to Fill Open Positions
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Regardless of the job market, I’d like to think that most organizations want a short time to fill. The time to fill metric traditionally represents the average length of time it takes to fill an open job requisition. While you have some flexibility in when the clock starts and ends, most people consider a job open when the requisition is approved and consider the job closed when the candidate accepts the offer.
So, the shorter the time to fill, the quicker the new employee starts. That’s exactly what the organization and the new hire are looking for. So, the question becomes what can we do to shorten time to fill without compromising the integrity of the recruiting process? Well, here are six things to consider.
#1 COMPLIANCE: Organizations: The Time to Start Recruiting is Right Now
One aspect of the recruiting process that’s often overlooked is posting compliance. Just like the labor law posters required for your employees, there are specific postings you must make available to job applicants. Organizations are required to post applicant-facing notices regarding equal employment opportunity, family/medical leave, the polygraph protection act, immigration, etc. There are various applicant posting requirements under federal, state, and local laws.
#2 APPLICATIONS: Recruiting: 5 Ways to Get More Candidate Interviews
Organizations that are serious about hiring the best employees are working hard to create a hiring process that is easy for people to apply, interview, and get the job. That doesn’t mean the company has to compromise their standards. Just take a critical look at your hiring process and make sure it’s not the obstacle to success.
#3 SCHEDULING: Successful Recruitment Means Being Responsive to Candidate Schedules
48% of candidates would be less likely to recommend or engage with an employer in the future if they have a frustrating interview scheduling experience, rising to 64% with more senior roles. That requires understanding what frustrates candidates and being able to mitigate those frustrations. It only makes sense – candidates who are frustrated with an organization won’t want to work for them.
#4 MANAGER TRAINING: Interview Skills Training: Now Is a Good Time to Give Managers a Refresher
Organizations cannot afford to have a disorganized recruitment strategy right now. Because if they do, the result will be that the best talent gets hired by the competition. Find time to give everyone involved in the recruitment process a refresher focused on the three key components of excellent hiring: 1) understanding the job you’re recruiting for, 2) doing a thorough job of interviewing candidates, and 3) selecting the most qualified person for the job. The organization will see immediate benefits for it.
#5 BACKGROUND CHECKS: Select the Best Candidate Faster: Employment Background Checks
Background checks help the organization, employees, customers, and vendors. However, for them to be valuable, organizations need results quickly. In an article from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average time to complete a basic background check is 24-72 hours. It can be longer if there are some complexities that need to be researched. If the best talent can find new opportunities quickly, then organizations need to be able to conduct activities — like employment background checks — quickly.
#6 REFERENCE CHECKS: Talent Acquisition: Create a Candidate Reference Check Strategy
Organizations that make the strategic decision to use a background check solution can reduce administration in their hiring process which can translate into a shorter time to fill. This benefits the organization. And it benefits the candidate who would love to get a job offer from you.
Reducing time to fill means having an effective hiring process where very little time is wasted. Organizations can do that by staying compliant. They can have a process that makes it easy for people to apply. Once applicants apply, make it easy for them to schedule or reschedule the interview. Give managers the training they need to interview well. And once the candidate has been selected, partner with someone to conduct background and reference checks.
Streamlining the hiring process means HR and operational managers are spending their time on the right parts of the process. And letting technology and/or a third-party handle the pieces that they do well. That perfect partnership creates the environment to hire people quickly, which is what everyone wants.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Orlando, FL
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