4 Tips for Streamlined Hiring in a Competitive Job Market

If you’re a business owner, you’ve more than likely felt the effects of the “Great Resignation” and the unprecedented changes that have occurred within the labor market over the last few years. 

CareerPlug’s 2022 Recruiting Metrics Report found that the number of applications are down, job postings are up, and businesses are quickening their hiring processes to stay ahead of the competition. In fact, employers were much faster to hire in 2021 than 2020 and shaved nearly a full week off their average time to hire. 

So how do these businesses convert candidates to new hires so quickly in today’s talent market? Our friends at CareerPlug have outlined some important tips to speed up your hiring process so that you can hire the best candidates before your competition does. 

How to Increase Hiring Speed

Many businesses are needing new talent now more than ever before to keep their business on the right track. But in order to be successful in your recruitment, it’s important to keep in mind that the quality of your hires still matters even if you speed up the process. A bad hire can cost you 30% of that employee’s first-year salary, so rushing into hiring the wrong person may carry more risk than it’s worth.

Hiring quickly isn’t about putting the first available person in an open role. Instead, it’s about optimizing your hiring process from start to finish so that you are better equipped to get the right people in the right seats. Let’s look at four major changes you can make to improve your process without sacrificing its integrity. 

1. Respond to Applicants Quickly 

Communication is key throughout the hiring process, and you can put your business at a significant advantage if you contact candidates sooner than your competition. In fact, a CareerPlug survey of recent job seekers found that applicants consider prompt and frequent communication with their potential employer to be a major factor in a positive candidate experience. 

So how do you pursue a great candidate before another employer does? One LinkedIn report found that over 50% of recruiters deemed automation a powerful tool to consider when speeding up your hiring process and communicating with candidates sooner. You can automate communication with candidates by using an applicant tracking system that lets you know when a qualified applicant applies then automatically sends interview invitations to your ideal candidates. 

Additionally, text recruiting can be another powerful tool that helps you improve communication. According to one study referenced by CareerPlug, text messages are opened 4.9 times more than email and responded to at a rate 7.5 times higher. This data indicates that contacting a candidate directly through text can lead to a faster candidate response and keep the hiring process moving. 

2. Utilize Templates

Creating organized templates saves hiring managers time, allows them to hire more consistently, and contributes to a positive candidate experience. Try creating templates for all of your most repetitive communications with applicants, including:

• Job descriptions for the roles you hire most frequently
• Interview invitation emails
• Follow-up emails after interviews
• Rejection emails
• Requests for references
• Offer letter
• New hire forms

Remember, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel every time you hire. By having these forms ready to go, you’ll be able to move quickly and ensure a smooth experience for all candidates. 

3. Include Prescreen Questions 

Do you need someone with weekend availability? What about someone who already has job-specific certifications? Minimize the amount of time it takes to weed through applicants by including important prescreen questions such as these on the application. 

When you include prescreening questions directly on the application, you’re cutting down on the candidate follow-up time. This will help you narrow in on the quality candidates who are worth that next step of a phone screen or in-person interview. 

4. Utilize a Background Screening Provider

Conducting background checks is an important part of making the right hires. Though it can be tempting to skip this step when you’re in a hurry to hire, doing so can cost you in the long run.

Fortunately, you don’t have to manually conduct background checks on your hires. Career plug utilizes Verified First for our background screening needs. Their one-click VF Connector browser extension allows for the screening of new hires to take place without having to leave the CareerPlug platform. Utilizing their extension saves time in the hiring process since everything is all in one place, so you can get back to your candidates sooner.

In Conclusion

In today’s competitive job market, fast hiring is more important than ever. But remember, hiring quickly isn’t about hiring just anyone. It’s about creating an optimized hiring process that helps you hire the right people. Review your applications daily and use templates where you can to make candidate communication easier. Treat background checks as non-negotiables even when you need to move fast. When you take the steps to streamline your hiring process, you’re more likely to hire top applicants before your competition.