Slash Time-to-Hire AND Improve Your Candidate Experience? Yes, You Can!

For years, the struggle has been real: reducing time-to-hire while simultaneously crafting a positive candidate experience. Sound familiar? I feel you.

But what if I told you there's a simple, science-backed strategy to dramatically reduce time-to-hire while simultaneously creating a stellar candidate experience?

Imagine this: you streamline the hiring process, slash days off the timeline, and impress candidates with your efficiency and care. Seems like a dream, right? Wrong. It's totally achievable. ??

Here's the not-so-secret weapon: tiny, consistent improvements inspired by James Clear's Atomic Habits; here are 3 tiny tweaks you can make to your hiring process that yield big results:

1??????? Set Realistic SLAs: Forget the "hire in a week" pipe dream. Work with hiring managers to establish achievable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for each interview stage. Set clear interview timeframes with hiring managers upfront during your intake and review the prioritization of filling the role against all other business priorities. Align on SLAs: weekly synch cadence, interview feedback, debrief, timeline-to-fill timelines. This eliminates back-and-forth and major pain points for recruiters (and candidates)!

2??????? Streamlined Communication: Focus on the recruiter educating candidates on the process and ensuring they are informed throughout. A simple, regular update builds trust and reduces anxiety. You can also try one of my favorite processes during my career: setting follow-up Friday as your pillar to share updates. Lastly, provide clear (and constructive) feedback to all candidates, even those who aren't a fit. It shows respect and helps them improve their applications for future opportunities.

3??????? Short, focused interview loops:?to keep candidates engaged. Utilizing short, focused interview loops?with the specific?interview competencies?needed to assess a candidate's core skills efficiently. This means ditching the generic, all-encompassing interview panel. Instead, tailor each interview to the role's specific requirements. A software engineer candidate might meet with a technical lead to assess coding skills, while a marketing manager candidate might interview a content marketing expert to evaluate their content strategy knowledge. This keeps candidates engaged, shows respect for their time, and allows for a quicker decision.

These seemingly small steps, implemented consistently, compound into BIG results. Implementing these "Atomic Habits" for your hiring process will decrease the time to hire and surge candidate satisfaction. Win-win!

Data speaks volumes: Studies show a strong correlation between a positive candidate experience and faster hiring. Impressed candidates become brand advocates, which can help attract top talent more easily.

What are your best practices for reducing time-to-hire while maintaining a stellar candidate experience?

Share your tips in the comments!

Let's break the silos! Share your best practices in the comments.

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