Finding suitable candidates for a job has never been easy, but these days the task is more challenging than ever before. The recruiting process can take months before the right candidate is identified, hired, and ready to do the job. Not to mention that competition is ever-present. Therefore, finding the best candidate out there highly depends on how quickly you can complete the hiring process. 

In this article, we’re covering the main issues that arise from slow hires, reasons to accelerate the hiring process, and the various methods for doing so. 

So, why exactly is slow hiring bad for business?

1. Time is precious. If a candidate you're trying to hire gets an offer from another recruiter during the process, they will be long gone. Especially if we’re talking about top candidates that get multiple offers at once and can choose where they will work for the next few years or more. 
2. The longer the position is vacant, the more money a company loses. This is already a bad thing, but if we consider the people who have to fill in by doing the job for the missing person, burnout is inevitable. As a result, you're risking losing even more people, leading to even more vacancies.
3. If your recruitment process is slow, everyone will know it by checking websites such as Glassdoor. It may be a blow to your company's reputation, and people aren’t as excited about going to work for slow movers.
4. If a candidate already has an offer, be ready to raise your end of the offer in response. Sure, there are other benefits that you can try to leverage, but quite often, it all comes to salary, which will cost a company even more.

As we can see, there are plenty of reasons why the hiring process should be accelerated. Even though the advantages seem obvious, let's make sure we're on the same page:

1. Faster hiring will save your company a lot of money.
2. Your staff members won't be overwhelmed with extra tasks, which means no burnout. As a result, the risk of employee churn due to the vacancy is all but eliminated.
3. If you are the first of numerous hiring managers to make an offer and it’s well-received, the better your chances of landing a new team member.
4. The process of hiring new people becomes more enjoyable, responsive and right to the point.  

So how do we actually speed up the hiring process?

Let's dive deeper and see what we can do right away and in time to complete the hiring process earlier and faster.

Step 1. Hire a recruitment agency

If you don't have time to handle recruiting yourself, hire specialists that can do it professionally. Usually, such agencies employ a number of trial and error techniques to help the best candidates find the most suitable roles available. Indeed, it will cost you money, but it may save you a lot more in the long run. 

Step 2. Automate the hiring process

Automation seems like the obvious thing to do, and there are a number of options out there for hiring automation. First and foremost, if you've decided not to hire an external team to make the hire and have opted to do it in-house, invest, for example, in video interviews. Simply schedule a meeting with a candidate.

Secondly, track application CVs using any of the tracking platforms available on the market. Just choose the one that suits you and your team best. This way, you can track applicants as long as they're going through the process of hiring. And what's also great about monitoring systems is that you have every applicant in one place, so you can add managers and any interested third party to follow the process and check the progress. These options usually come in handy when you're trying to speed up the hiring process. Besides, keep in mind other AI tools, chatbots, etc.

Step 3. Pick the right job boards

While posting a job ad on Linkedin may seem like the right course of action, one should not forget about other websites and recruitment platforms where job advertisements can be posted. For example, local websites work great for local small and middle-size businesses, so be sure not to underestimate the power of smaller websites.  

Step 5. Headhunt people from other companies

As we all know, the best people already have a job. So why not reach out to them and try to persuade them to change their position? While this won't be easy, it can end up saving you time and money in the long run. Getting the right person on board is as essential as having the right set of hardware in your office. 

Step 6. Be clear in your job post

Knowing exactly who you are looking for is an essential part of hiring new specialists. Also, you will need to be sure to cover the core hard and soft skills in the job ad you're posting. Candidates appreciate when the ad is clear, concise, and written by a person, not a machine. This way, you have a better chance to reach the exact people you're looking for. Never underestimate the power of the personal approach. Make the vacancy look like an excellent opportunity to grow professionally and personally. 

Step 7. Hire within the company

It may happen that the most suitable candidate is just right under your nose, working for your company, and the opportunity to change their position is what they've been wanting for a while. It's great when people grow within a company and this makes filling the position the easiest and fastest solution.  

Step 8. Have a clear process 

Optimization is the key to accelerating the hiring process. If you are conducting numerous interviews, make sure they're structured efficiently. Always come prepared for an interview and follow up with feedback. Make sure that everyone involved in the process is on the same page. The thing is that if a candidate realizes that the process is vague and slow and it takes ages for you to make a decision, you risk losing your best potential candidates. So make sure you are the first one to make an offer.

Conclusion

Nowadays, as never before, it's essential to be efficient when hiring new people. Numerous variables are at work and they dictate the pace of hiring. If you want the best professionals to work for you, you must be proactive, fast, precise, and make offers that people can’t just walk away from.

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