How to Optimize Your Recruitment Lifecycle For Hiring the Top Talent

Recruitment is a tough gig that impacts all departments of your organization. And that’s why over 86% of the recruiters are pumping more investments and efforts toward a candidate-driven hiring approach.

But unfortunately, hefty investments alone aren’t enough to guarantee maximum returns. You also need an optimized recruitment process that works like a well-oiled machine.

In this article, we will break down the recruitment lifecycle into parts to take away home some actionable tips for optimization.

What is a Recruitment Lifecycle?

The recruitment lifecycle is the complete journey of bringing a new team member on board, right from drafting a job description to training the fresh joinee.

Once you hire a candidate successfully, the whole cycle starts again for another vacant position to fill.

You can streamline your recruitment lifecycle for a more systematic approach that can work for hiring an executive or a CEO alike.

 

What are the Stages of a Recruitment Lifecycle?

The whole recruitment process can be broken down into 6 stages.

Preparation

It’s the first stage where you ready the resources for hiring a new candidate. The lifecycle starts with you sitting down to decide what skills and qualities you want in an ideal candidate.

While doing so, you also need to analyze the requirements of the particular department and what kind of prospects the management wants you to shortlist.

But the preparation isn’t limited to just that. Figure out your internal logistics for better results.

1) What help would you need for drafting the job description?

2) Are the stakeholders involved in giving their input?

3) Who will vet the resumes and join the interview panel?

4) What kind of assessments will work best to shortlist the candidates?

5) Who will give the final go-ahead for the hired candidates?

How to Optimize the Preparation Stage?

1) A Job Description that Attracts Talent

The job description might be the first encounter of any candidate with your brand. So, ensure that it’s crafted to appeal to the best fit. Write a perfect job description with the following details.

1) Company name with a brief business description

2) Company values & motto

3) Job title & location

4) Responsibilities

5) Skills & qualifications required

6) Benefits & salary offered

7) A conversational call-to-action button

Keep the tone conversational and avoid using unnecessary technical jargon.

2) Remove the Roadblocks From the Application Process

We all have seen those lengthy application forms and have skipped those too.

It’s fair for a recruiter to ask for more information in the application form to make a better selection decision. But a candidate might just pass on the opportunity if it seems like a huge task.

That’s why streamline your initial application phase with the following steps.

1) Keep the form short.

2) Don’t add a minimum character limit to the descriptive questions.

3) Ask for a resume that can auto-populate many questions on the form.

4) Maintain a proper database of the applications, and use the tools to screen them.

5) Check the form for broken links and duplicate questions.

 

3) Level Up Internal Communication

Maintain regular communication with all department heads to know if any upcoming position needs to be filled.

Also, get in touch with them to draft job descriptions and understand their definition of an ideal candidate. Unless all the stakeholders are on the same page, you won’t be able to get the best fit in the shortest time.

Sourcing

Sourcing is the stage of the recruitment lifecycle where you build your database of active and passive candidates.

Active candidates are the ones who are eagerly looking for a job. At the same time, the passive candidates may already have a job but can consider a better opportunity.

Sourcing both types of candidates is a failsafe for any urgent hiring situation and can save you time searching for perfect fits then.

How to Optimize the Sourcing Stage?

1) Market Your Brand

Candidates prefer being part of a company that is known for good reasons.

72% of recruiting leaders believe that nothing can substitute a brand’s image when candidates choose to apply. So, if you wish to attract top talent, invest in generating brand awareness in the market.

Engage candidates with an authentic brand story and share your company culture through videos.

2) RSVP to Every Industry Event

Numerous events are organized for industry leaders to meet and build connections.

Ensure that you attend most of such events to broaden your candidate database. Even college job fairs are also a great place to spot talent.

3) Reward Referrals

Nothing beats the value of referrals provided by your existing employees. It automatically reduces screening and assessment to an extent as the prospect comes from a trusted source.

But your employees will only care if they are rewarded, so payout for all successful employee referral hirings through gift cards or cash bonuses.

4) Leverage Social Media

Passive candidates might not engage with job portals, but everyone uses social media.

Create your brand presence there to build a direct connection with your candidates. Publish relevant content in the form of funny videos, infographics, and doodles.

5) Enhance Your Careers Page

Candidates who want to be a part of your team will always refer to your website’s career page.

What they see there will help them choose whether to apply or skip. So, ensure that you pay attention to it and update it regularly with the open positions. Mention the job description and what the candidate needs to do to apply.

Screening

The screening stage is where you trim your candidate pool to a list of shortlisted candidates. Screening is the most basic form of evaluation, succeeded by an extensive assessment.

However, it’s the most time-consuming stage since you must select eligible candidates from a comprehensive set of applications.

How to Optimize the Screening Stage?

1) Introduce the Right Tools

Automating resume screening is the best gift you can give your recruitment team. It saves manual effort and lets you shortlist the best candidates out of the lot.

2) Ring Up the Candidates

A full-fledged interview can cost you resources and money. So, schedule a phone interview with suitable candidates for initial screening.

It will save time and lets you narrow down the candidate pool.

3) Ask Questions That Matter

You can’t spend hours interviewing the initial batch of candidates. That’s why it’s highly critical to think about how you will assess the applicants.

Ask straightforward questions related to the profile. You can even ask the candidates their action points when faced with a relevant work situation.

4) Implement Smart Search

Use a targeted skill search to get the most suitable candidates from the exhaustive list of applicants. The resume screening tools are equipped with such features to ease the process.

Selection

It’s the stage of the recruitment lifecycle where you hand-pick the most suitable candidates and involve the management in the interview. After several rounds of assessment, required candidates are offered a position to join.

How to Optimize the Selection Stage?

1) Structure Your Interview Process

If your interview process is all haywire, it can create chaos and unnecessary hiring delays.

That’s why decide beforehand the rounds of interviews required and who will be the driver of the same.

Inform the responsible members in advance so they can prepare their questionnaires and make the most of the limited interview time. Also, use an applicant tracking system for better visibility in each candidate’s hiring journey.

2) Segregate Must-haves From Good-to-have

Everyone wants that star candidate, but are you willing to let go of all potential recruits for that perfect one?

It’s wishful thinking that can cost you serious money and time.

That’s why it’s essential to filter out the needs from wants. It will put less burden on the candidate and set realistic expectations that are quicker to meet. You should even mention in the job description which skills are non-negotiable and what is an extra advantage for the candidate.

3) Train Interview Panel For Unbiased Judgment

Often, unintentionally, we can let subconscious biases affect our judgment. It’s natural but not optimum.

So, train your team to avoid inherent biases and make an objective decision. It will help you retain a diverse candidate base.

4) Bet on the Best Horse

You got the best candidate, but they lack a skill that’s a must-have for you. What would you do?

Before passing on to another candidate, see if that skill is transferable. If you can train the candidate in a short period of time, then invest in them right away.

It will build a strong relationship, and the candidate will appreciate the trust you show in them.

Hiring

The fruit of all the hard work– this is the stage where you finalize the most suitable candidate and extend an offer to them for joining.

Remember that hiring doesn’t mean the candidate has also accepted your offer. It’s the stage where you show the intent of hiring and reinforce the benefits for the candidate.

How to Optimize the Hiring Stage?

1) Negotiate the Salary

Discuss the candidate’s expectations and break down the total CTC as a lucrative package. Inform the candidate about the perks, benefits, allowances, variable, and fixed aspects of the paycheck.

Ensure that you are at least meeting the industry pay scale, if not more, to retain the candidate.

2) Run Background Check

Even the top companies often get scammed by a fraudulent candidate. To avoid this, hire a third party to run background checks for you.

3) Seal With a Psychometric Test

Psychometric tests are not a part of the candidate’s selection process but are still important to assess their overall personality.

You can share this test with the candidate once they have confirmed the salary and signed the offer letter.

Onboarding

Congratulations, you have made it through the recruitment lifecycle. In the final stage, you officially introduce the candidate to their new team and onboard them into the company system.

How to Optimize the Onboarding Stage?

1) Train & Orient

Before anything, set up a call with the candidate and introduce them to the company’s culture.

Orientation sessions help the candidates gauge the work culture, important policies, and expectations.

You can introduce them to their department heads for direct interaction and training.

2) Pair Up With a Buddy

The Buddy program effectively breaks the ice and warms up the candidate to their team. You can assign a buddy to the candidate who will guide them in the initial days by being their friend.

Since it’s an informal setup, the candidates are more likely to open up and share their queries.

3) Hold Hand & Support

The initial days can be confusing and overwhelming for the candidates. That’s why you share as much support as you can during these weeks.

Let them know that they can reach HR for any concerns and will get prompt help.

4) Wrap Up the Paperwork

Finish all the formalities so that the candidate can focus on their training. Ensure to get the offer letters, identity proofs, and educational certificates.

What Makes Recruitment Lifecycle Better?

You can’t turn your recruitment lifecycle overnight, but you can always start now.

In the fast-paced world, 98% of recruiters believe AI to be the future of better hiring. That’s a considerable percentage to ignore. Invest in the right technology to save you the high cost in the long run.

To boost your recruitment processes, start with improving the candidate experience. Actively ask for feedback from the candidates, irrespective of whether they are selected.

Also, measure your efforts rigorously. Research the industry benchmark for critical performance metrics and evaluate where you stand.