3 Key Priorities to Identify the Right Candidate

November 30, 2018

 

iCIMS Staff

3 min read

Have you ever had that sinking feeling of presenting a shortlist of candidates to a hiring manager, only for them to systematically reject each and every one? Have you ever found the ideal candidate, only to discover they have another offer from a competitor which they’ve just accepted? If so, you are not alone. This experience reflects the fact that, despite huge advances in recruiting technology, our recruiting processes are slowing down.

In fact, according to Gartner time to hire has increased by 30 percent in 5 years, and most of the time, line managers still rely on gut instinct to make hiring decisions. Why is this happening?

The reality is that organizations have to balance three key priorities when they are hiring talent: hiring effectiveness, recruitment efficiency, and candidate experience. It’s a struggle to achieve all three of these at the same time, and so all too often we find that one dimension is given more weight. However, focusing too much on one area leads to problems. Some of these are more obvious. Cutting corners to deliver efficiencies places you at risk of compromising both the quality of your hiring decisions and the candidate experience. However, when organizations only think about making effective hiring decisions, it’s just as dangerous. Additional stages are added into the process, such as multiple interviews with multiple different line managers which often cover the same topics. When this happens, it really shouldn’t be a surprise to the recruiter that the candidate drops out of the process or finds another position in the meantime.

Organizations simply cannot afford to be introducing more time into the hiring process. Firstly, we know that 40 percent of the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index are hiring for the same 21 role types – everyone is competing for the same talent. So, if you snooze, you will lose! Secondly, productivity is a significant issue facing companies at the moment, and it can take up-to six months for most people to get up-to-speed with the requirements of their role. It is critical that recruiting decisions are made quickly and efficiently to enable the onboarding process to begin so that new hires can start producing results. Finally, remember that candidates are often your customers too. A poor hiring process can directly impact your company’s performance if the individual decides to take their business elsewhere – particularly as research shows that they are highly likely to tell friends about this negative experience.

There is, however, a better way. By considering the context in which the candidate is completing assessments, and in which the hiring manager is making decisions, it is possible to create a seamless assessment process that ensures the right person is identified for the right role at the right time. You can improve your time to hire by ensuring you:

• Differentiate between the skills and competencies that are essential for job performance, and those that can be developed in role – enabling hiring managers to think more strategically about the talent pool that they are selecting from
• Ensure the assessments you use are measuring the relevant role requirements to provide your hiring managers with the right, objective information to make confident (and speedier) hiring decisions
• Make sure managers are skilled and equipped to make the best selection decision
• Use technology to allow candidates to access assessments quickly, through their mobile or on tablets
• Make sure the context of the role is reflected in the assessment process, enabling the candidate to gain insight into the role and the company while they are in the process

In all other aspects of business, we expect speed, accuracy, efficiency and a seamless experience. HR functions that are unable to provide this will increasingly find themselves left behind, something that they cannot afford in today’s talent-scarce world.

Learn about how you can quickly assess and select the right people for roles and provide an engaging candidate experience.