Struggling to Get Applicants? Why You Need to Examine Your Hiring Process and How Long It Takes to Hear Back

Like many employers, you may be having difficulty filling your job openings. One of the reasons may be that you take too long to respond to candidates.

Regular follow-up throughout your hiring process is important. This may include letting candidates know you received their application, would like to schedule an interview or are considering offering them a job. It also involves what the next steps in the process are and when the candidate should expect to hear from you.

Discover why regular communication throughout your hiring process is an effective way to hire the best applicants.

Respect

Responding to each candidate shows you respect their time. Applying for a job takes a significant amount of research and decision-making. Expressing interest in working for your company says a great deal about your organization. Showing appreciation is important.

Realistically, you may be unable to personally respond to each candidate. As a result, you might want to automate your responses with your applicant tracking system (ATS). This helps provide a positive candidate experience.

Candidate Engagement

Top candidates have many employment options. Following up with them throughout your hiring process helps keep them engaged. This increases the odds that your best candidates will accept potential job offers from you.

Be sure to let each candidate know when they should expect to hear from you. Also, fulfill these expectations as much as possible. If you need to extend a timeframe, let each candidate know as soon as possible.

Candidate Experience

Effectively following up throughout your hiring process improves the candidate experience. This helps set your company apart from the competition. It also helps you hire more high-quality candidates.

Even if you’re not ready to provide a job offer, share with your most desirable candidates feedback on their interviews. This encourages them to want to work for your organization.

Talent Pipelines

The more you keep in contact with candidates, the more your talent pipelines remain filled. A candidate who has a positive experience with your company but isn’t offered a job may apply for a role in the future. They also might refer other candidates to your organization.

Employer Brand

Regular follow-up with each candidate enhances your employer brand. The more you communicate with candidates, the more positive your company’s reputation remains.

Many candidates post reviews on Glassdoor and other employer review sites. They’re likely to share positive reviews when you follow up on an ongoing basis. This encourages other candidates to apply to your organization.

Want Help Hiring?

If you’re not regularly following up with candidates, you may be having trouble filling your jobs. Ongoing communication with candidates promotes respect for their time, engagement in the hiring process, and a positive candidate experience. It also helps keep your talent pipeline full and your employer brand positive.

If you need help hiring, Casey Accounting & Finance Resources can match you with qualified candidates to fill your business needs. Learn more today.

Are You Taking Too Long to Contact Potential Candidates? Are They Losing Interest?

If you have a slow hiring process, top candidates most likely will lose interest in working for you. Candidates who move fast want to work in a fast-paced culture where quick decisions are made. Keeping job vacancies harms production, revenue, and employee morale. As a result, you want to speed up your hiring process to bring aboard the most in-demand talent.

Common Reasons for Delayed Hiring

Your hiring process may be delayed for various reasons. For instance, there may be more job openings than candidates to fill them, especially when labor markets tighten. Or, candidates’ resumes may remain untouched in a hiring manager’s inbox. Additionally, hiring managers may be unclear on what they need in a candidate until they see it.

Why Delayed Hiring Hurts Your Business

Delayed hiring hurts your business for multiple reasons. For instance, you will lose the majority of top candidates in the late stages of your recruitment process because they typically will have multiple offers and will be more inclined to accept one. You will have to hire a lower-quality candidate at a potentially higher salary to fill the role. Also, the longer you keep a role vacant, the more productivity and revenue you lose. Further, a company image of being slow at making hiring decisions implies that making other business decisions will be slow, as well. Strong contributors will not want to work for your company.

Steps to Speed Up the Hiring Process

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to speed up the hiring process. For instance, benchmark your hiring efficiency according to where your jobs are located, your company’s size, level of the position, the measure of local talent supply and demand, and other pertinent variables. Because some roles will be harder than others, put time-to-fill in the right context. If a more-thorough hiring process for a specific role will result in a higher-quality hire, accept the longer timeframe. Also, engage in workforce planning. Allocate recruiting resources in line with your business needs so that hiring managers can see where and when demand will be greatest, and plan accordingly. Additionally, keep your pipeline active so you have available candidates when a position opens. Use candidate relationship management (CRM) tools to keep track of interested candidates. Further, keep your scheduled interview times as much as possible. Set a plan for interview guides, assessment criteria, and how feedback gets submitted to whom. More structure leads to a better candidate experience and better hire.

Find Qualified Candidates Through a Chicago Staffing Leader

Find qualified candidates through Casey Finance & Accounting, staffing leader in the Chicago area!

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