A slow hiring process can be a death sentence for your business, but thankfully, there are some key strategies you can utilize to speed up your hiring process and attract top talent. In this blog post, we’ll identify the common reasons the hiring process is slow and how companies like you can improve your hiring process to set your business up for success.
How Long Is The Average Hiring Process?
According to research by Glassdoor, in the United States, the average length of a hiring process is about 23.8 days which is up from 2014 at 22.9 days. If your company’s hiring process is longer than this, then you have some work to do. Even if you are on par with this number, don’t rest assured just yet, the average length of the hiring process also depends on location, industry, and position.
Washington, D.C., and Albany, NY are tied for the longest hiring processes in the US at 33.2 days and Kansas City, MO wins with the shortest hiring process at 16.9 days. For industry stats, the government comes in last with a shocking 53.8-day hiring process and the restaurant and bar industry beats everyone else out at only 10.2 days. Waiters have the shortest hiring process by job title at 8 days and professors must wait for the longest at 60.3 days.
Reasons The Hiring Process Is Slow
There are many reasons the hiring process can be slow, but some of the most common are:
A Poor Job Description
When you’re not clear about what you’re looking for in a potential candidate, it makes the hiring process much slower. Job seekers will apply for positions that they are not a good fit for and your team will spend unnecessary time reviewing resumes and conducting interviews with unqualified candidates.
Lack Of Recruiting Resources
When you’re short-staffed, it can be difficult to keep up with the hiring and recruiting process. Hiring takes time and energy, both of which are in short supply when you don’t have enough recruiters on your team or hiring managers to review job applications and conduct interviews.
Read more: Why Recruiting Is The Most Important Business Strategy.
Too Many Rounds Of Interviews
This is one of the most common reasons for a drawn-out hiring process. When you have a lot of people involved in the decision-making process, it takes longer for everyone to come to a consensus on qualified candidates. Additionally, each interview round takes time and energy from the recruiter, the candidate, and the hiring manager.
Bad Hiring Practices
If you’re slow to make a decision or you’re not good at following up with job candidates, it will slow down your hiring process. Additionally, if you’re not using technology to help with the hiring process, it will also slow you down.
A Lack of Organization
If you’re not organized, you will have a slow and inefficient hiring process. When recruiters and hiring managers are not sure where everything is, who is responsible for what, or when decisions are due, the hiring process will slow to a crawl.
All of these factors can significantly slow down your hiring process and cost your company valuable talent. Reflect on your hiring process and look for these key roadblocks. By doing an audit of your job descriptions, the application process, interview process, and follow-up measures, your team can begin to implement new practices to improve your hiring procedure.
How To Speed Up The Hiring Process
Now that we know some of the reasons the hiring process can be slowed down, let’s focus on some ways to speed it up.
Write An Effective Job Description
Job applicants are more likely to apply for jobs that are clearly outlined in the posting. Accurate job descriptions are also extremely important because desirable candidates may be easily turned off at some point in the hiring process if the description does not match the role. Be sure to write a comprehensive description with bulleted responsibilities, desired experience, and critical qualifications to ensure a faster hiring process.
Read more: Job Descriptions That Attract Top Talent
Use Technology
There are many tools out there that can help you with the hiring process. ATS software can help you keep track of all of your applicants and automate the screening process. Social media recruiting platforms like LinkedIn also make it easy to find candidates.
Follow Up With Candidates
One of the main reasons the hiring process slows down is that candidates get lost in the shuffle. If you don’t follow up with them, they will lose interest and move on. Put a focus on following up with candidates and responding to their questions on a regular basis throughout the hiring process by making it a key responsibility for your hiring manager or a recruiter.
Check References Early On
One of the best ways to speed up the hiring process is to check candidate references early on. This will help you weed out candidates who are not a good fit for the role and save time in the long run.
Read our blog The Best Practices For Checking References to learn more.
Target Top Talent With Ads
When you’re focused on finding the best talent, the hiring process will naturally move more quickly. Run a targeted job ad posting on LinkedIn or Indeed that speaks to the ideal candidate persona you have in mind for the role. Reel in that potential hire by speaking directly to them.
Prioritize Talent Acquisition Over Recruiting
Recruiting is reactively filling vacancies whereas talent acquisition is proactively planning for organizational assets. By prioritizing talent acquisition over recruiting, you are hiring with your business’s future and growth at the focus and your processes will be more effective.
Prepare Your New Hire Onboarding Process
One of the best ways to speed up the hiring and recruitment process is by having a well-oiled onboarding process in place before you make a decision. This will help your new hire hit the ground running and start contributing to your company as soon as possible. A thought-out onboarding process will also combat potential turnover that can be caused by a new hire’s lack of direction.
Read more: 2022 Hiring Guide: How to Attract, Interview, and Onboard Top Remote Employees
Use A Staffing Agency
One of the best ways to speed up your hiring process is to outsource to a staffing agency. A staffing agency will have a large pool of candidates to choose from and they will have already screened all of the candidates for you. This will save you time and energy so you can continue business processes as normal.
firstPRO is a staffing agency that can help you find the best candidates for your open positions. We have a large network of top candidates and we are professionals in quick and efficient hiring practices.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you speed up your hiring and recruiting process.
