Why Does Recruitment Take So Long?

The Step-By-Step Process From Advertising A Job To Starting A New Role.

Job hunting takes longer than you think – it’s the hard truth. From the hiring company’s perspective, hiring the wrong person can cost time, resources, and money. And for this reason, many companies go through a lengthy approval process for new hires.

Why is it important for job hunters to know how the recruitment process unfolds? The answer is simple. Understanding the process can give you a considerable advantage compared to those who don’t know how the cookie crumbles. It's also essential to understand the recruitment and selection process from the other players' points of view. In this case, the other plates are decision-makers in the organization, human resources staff, and recruiters. 

In this article, you will learn:

• The steps companies go through to advertise a role.
• How hiring decisions are made.
• How the selection process unfolds.

This will help you understand the selection process completely, not just from the candidate's perspective. Once you know the process, you can have confidence and the sense of control to know what's going on on the other side of the field when you're planning to apply for jobs in the future.

Let's break down the entire process and dive into detail.

There are two ways that job vacancies are created.

1. An employee resigned, had been absent from the job for an extended period of time (e.g., taking maternity leave), or terminated (i.e., fired).
2. The second reason for a job advertisement is when a new role is created. 

If the vacancy was created because a candidate resigned, it might take a long time for that role to be advertised, depending on how bureaucratic the organization is. If it is a newly created role, the budget approval process that allows managers to advertise the position can also take a very long time. 

There are two ways a job vacancy is filled.

1. Internal Promotion. Succession planning is a big part of organizational and professional development. There could be professionals internally who are keen to apply for that role or who are being groomed for that role by their managers.
2. Advertised.  Many times there are no internal candidates. There may also be a need to advertise the job externally because the organization's policies and procedures require that jobs be advertised. 

External candidates can be completely unknown to the organization, or they may come through via a referral. That means that the candidate is known to someone that works in the organization. There are incentives for company staff to identify and refer good candidates for externally advertised jobs. 

To make sure that the very best candidate for that role, decision-makers can also advertise internally and externally. This way, they can compare and contrast the internal and external candidates and hire the best fit for the role. 

Two ways a job vacancy is advertised.

• In-house.  The manager or HR handles the process. They write the position description and job advertisement and promote the job ad internally and externally. 
• Outsourced. The organization hires a recruitment agency to support the manager and the HR team with initial recruitment stages because that can be very time-consuming.

If it's a senior role, they may have to outsource this to a search company. Those recruiters are often called headhunters or search professionals. They are usually specialized in specific sectors and are experts in helping organizations find senior executives for their top roles. Sometimes, search companies won't even advertise and just look within their candidates’ pool and networks. 

What happens before you even get to see the job ad? 

Depending on the organization’s size, the job ad can be drafted, finalized, and reach the internet in a matter of hours. Or in a large organization, the Position Description and Job Ad need to go through a thorough approval process that can be very lengthy. It can take days, weeks, and even months before a job reaches the market. 

New job advertisements may need to be cross-checked to see if it is required. The HR may want to check if there are internal candidates that may transition into the role. The organization may also have affirmative action programs, which means they may work with partners to identify candidates from minority groups before advertising more widely. 

If a large organization has a subsidiary going through a restructure, they may consider making staff redundant. Some staff may transition into vacant roles, saving jobs and saving money for the organization. From an HR perspective, if job vacancies happen, they need to consider existing staff on the bench that could transition into the roles.

Four types of job postings

1. Traditional Channels. These include large platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or Seek (Australia only). Job hunters can also look directly through the company’s website.
2. LinkedIn Personal And Company Social Profiles. The company can post their job advertisement on their social profile (e.g., LinkedIn). The staff who either work closely with the role advertised or work in HR could write a LinkedIn post so that their connections would see the job ad and know that they are hiring. This amplifies the job ad's reach and the ability to bring in high-quality job candidates for the role. 
3. Other Social Media Platforms. Depending on the sector and country, other platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can be an avenue to identifying good job opportunities. Like on LinkedIn, companies may have both personal and company accounts in these platforms and use them to promote the job vacancy to their followers, friends, and members of groups they belong to.
4. Special and Niche Job Boards. Aside from these channels, job postings can also be shared on unique job boards, such as the ones managed by industry and professional associations, chambers of commerce, and special interests. If employers can find the perfect special board for their job post, they will most likely attract the best candidates. On the other hand, as a job seeker, applying through unique boards can give you a higher chance of getting noticed and perceived as a high-caliber candidate.

Here are some final tips for job hunters:

• You need to be highly networked internally within your organization to know that job vacancies are available, when new positions are designed, and when internal candidates are being considered.
• It would be best if you were ready to apply once those jobs are out there. This requires investment in your career plans and being “career ready” when opportunity knocks.
• If you're applying on public job boards, such as LinkedIn, you apply at the tail end of the process. You need to be patient and interested and have a very high-quality application to stand out because everybody's already excited and ready for whoever is the best candidate to start as soon as possible. They are also invested in this project, potentially tired from all the work they’ve done so far, and very keen to get the recruitment over with. Curveballs and other priorities in a manager’s day-to-day jobs mean this process can also take longer than expected. So hang in there! 

Armed with this knowledge, you can now find solutions and plan on how to get noticed for promotion and job opportunities. Job hunting is not just about going to LinkedIn job advertisements and applying randomly and in high numbers. If you remember how the opportunities came about in the first place, you will be better positioned for the role.

You will get through to the rounds of the recruitment and selection process and ultimately get the job.

Renata Bernarde

Job Hunting Expert | Career Coach | Host of The Job Hunting Made Simple Podcast

This article is an extract from one of the lessons of Renata’s online course and group coaching program, Job Hunting Made Simple.

To learn more and register your interest in participating in the next group coaching program starting late February, please go to https://www.renatabernarde.com/jhms. 

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