Written by Sarah Tomlin

As we all know, the job market is becoming more and more competitive for organisations seeking new talent. More positions are opening than there are qualified applicants to fill, and exceptional candidates often have multiple offers to consider. If you linger around during the hiring process, we’re risking losing out on the best and brightest candidates. On the other hand, you don’t want to race through the process either. It’s important to move quickly, without compromising our screening process or managing candidates expectations.

So, where do we start?

The best way to change your process is from the beginning, the job description. When positions need filling, we can often forget the impact of a good job description. The purpose isn’t just to tell people about a job you have to fill, you also want to attract the right candidates and set the right expectations.

Think about these key points when creating your job description:

• What are the 5 core skills that a candidate will need for this role?
• What will they be expected to do during their work day?
• What tasks can they learn after being hired?
• How much and what experience does this candidate need?

By following these steps you can cut out a huge amount of time you might otherwise spend searching job boards for the right candidates.

Another vital thing to remember is to keep all communication channels open. There is no quicker way to drive someone away than to give them the silent treatment. As recruiters, we often experience candidates ghosting us, but what about the other way round? Not many people would be willing to wait 1-2 weeks to hear back from a company after an interview, so if there are delays in the process or unsuccessful candidates, we should let them know at every stage. Otherwise, you are wasting their time but also your own when they’re not interested anymore and you have to start your search from the beginning.

Sometimes things can happen that are out of our hands which can result in candidates dropping out during the process. This is where creating an incredible talent pool can come in handy. If you can maintain a positive relationship with two-thirds of all your candidates, whether you offered them a role or not, you will gain a talent pool of candidates who are already screened, qualified and interested.

By making changes like these, you can save a huge amount of time in your recruitment process.