On average, the best candidates are available on the marketplace for 10 days; yet, it takes most organizations upwards of 24 days to make a hiring decision.
Knowing this, it’s not only a good idea to keep candidates engaged throughout the recruitment process – it’s practically business critical!
Have a Hiring Timeline – AND STICK TO IT!
When you push a job online, you’ll receive a boatload of resumes in a short window of time. You need to be actively screening these applications and making informed decisions on their suitability in quick order. You can use technology to help you automate this process.
The critical piece is to always let candidates know where they are in your recruitment cycle. The candidates whom you like NEED to be informed of their successful transition to the next stage of the interview process.
You should know what your hiring timeline looks like. It’s not about offering dates, per se, but at least give a range and time frame (ie – 2 weeks, 1 week, etc.) It’s important to do your part to streamline the hiring process so that the necessary stakeholders are available
Consider Using a ChatBot
Startup entrepreneurs know that the candidates they covet for their organizations will seldom be available beyond that 10-day period; therefore, creating a culture of candidate engagement across multiple mediums of communication is CRITICAL.
Consider using chatbots on your website, for example, to help answer candidate questions. The chatbot can have prepared answers to disperse to candidates about the role itself, the application process, or even the timeline between applying and hiring.
Let’s face it – you’ll be receiving tens, even hundreds, of resumes. If you are intentional about engaging both the rejected candidates and the coveted candidates, then your business will start to develop a reputation of respect and excellence in recruitment.
Get Candidates EXCITED About Your Start-Up
The North American start-up landscape is experiencing exciting growth. There are LOTS of opportunities for candidates in start-ups across North America.
Why should candidates choose your technology start-up over your competitors? You NEED to be the differentiator for your organization.
There are lots of little things you can implement, including a social media presence that spells out what your start-up culture looks like. Although this list isn’t exhaustive, you can emphasize the importance of culture to your start-up by having online personality assessments to determine how closely the candidate fits with your cultural mold; you can have a career night where interested candidates can meet the people who make up your organization; and you can use VR to show people around your office.
Provide Feedback & Ask for Feedback
If you’re a hiring manager, one of the worst things you can see about your organization is that it has a reputation for ‘ghosting’ candidates – in other words, not providing feedback to interested applicants. If you have many candidates, it might be hard to provide personalized feedback to everyone; you should consider automating this to ensure all candidates know where they stand when it comes to your recruitment cycle.
You should consider offering same-day feedback since you can dramatically reduce the risk that your organization will ‘ghost’ interested candidates!
You should also consider & value your candidates’ opinions during your recruitment process. Don’t just provide feedback, ask them to provide you with feedback too! Let the marketplace help to shape your future recruitment strategy. You can do this by creating a short survey and ask what their thoughts are. Not only will you engage them, but you will also gain valuable data on your recruitment process. It’s a win-win!
At ITS Global, we specialize in workforce management consulting. Our clients rely on us to effectively implement a talent acquisition program that will allow them to scale their growth and be a success. Let’s meet to discuss further – coffees on us! You can reach out to us at 416-689-4653 or email Ross Cadastre at [email protected] to schedule a confidential free meeting today!
