With unemployment having increased to 4.5% as reported by ONS it is not surprising that some companies are being inundated with applications. Indeed have recently reported 1.2 million job vacancies across the UK, the market is busy. That said, there is being busy responding to applications and then there is actually filling your job, often the two don’t go hand in hand and that’s where being overwhelmed and the candidate experience can often fall down or you risk losing those exceptional candidates by getting bogged down with the admin. With many companies reporting hundreds, possibly even thousands of applications that’s a lot to manage especially if it is just one part of your day job.
Hiring can be a challenge, from initially deciding that you actually want to hire to the actual time taken to hire. No one wants to make a mistake, hiring the wrong person can be costly so it pays to get it right but taking too long can cost a lot more in the long run!
Too longer advert window can result in too many applications and a long lead time from that first application. Taking too long to interview can put off candidates and make them think that it is not a business they want to work for, taking too long to make an offer can make candidates doubt that it is a brand they want to work for and during all this poor recruitment process, the overall effect is how very damaging it can be to a brand in terms of candidates future applications or not even wanting to be a customer, not to mention telling their friends and family of their negative experience.
Benchmarks from Glassdoor 2020 shows the average length of the job interview process in the UK is 27.5 days. If your recruitment process is longer than this, here are three reminders why an efficient recruitment process and candidate experience is important.
- You risk losing the perfect candidate
If you are trying to attract top talent there is likely to be competition and you risk the applicant dropping out if you don’t offer an interview or the job quickly enough and your competitors do. If you recognise a really good fit for your vacancy, don’t delay in issuing an interview date or job offer, or you may find yourself pipped to the post or part of a bidding war.
- Delays damage your brand
It’s a fact that poorly managed recruitment processes damage brands and create negative impressions. Glassdoor reported recently that when making a decision on where to apply for a job, 84% of employees/job seekers say the reputation of a company as an employer of choice is important. Lack of communication and process gives the impression that the company could lack interest in its people not to mention common courtesy.
- The impact on productivity
On top of all this a lengthy recruitment process could leave a role unfilled and that work not getting done or creating further pressure on others which can create even more issues longer term including increased turnover in the department, stress, reduced productivity etc…
So how to overcome a slow recruitment process
Review the current system you have in place, nail down the process, set timeframes and dates for each stage of the process and the people involved. Once you have identified the time you need you can plan your resources accordingly and hopefully quicken the process or alternatively now you know what’s involved why not consider using a specialist recruitment agency? At Bond Williams we can kick start your recruitment process, we recruit all day every day that’s our job and we draw on our 300 years of accumulative experience to do it! We will expose your job advert to relevant candidates who are actively looking, match your criteria and in turn drastically streamline the job of short-listing thus giving you the time back to do your day job. With a detailed understanding of a company’s unique recruitment needs and tailor making our service we can accurately match and reduce the time it takes to fill a vacancy.
