When it comes to hiring, teamwork, efficiency, and engagement are essential for success. On average, it takes 42 days to fill a position. Of the reasons why people don’t ultimately accept a job offer, nearly 50% say it’s because they got another offer while waiting to hear back from an interviewer. For many companies, that means there’s room for improvement to close gaps and shorten the hiring time frame in their applicant tracking system.
Getting Hiring Managers Involved
Hiring takes time and teamwork. However, there’s quite often a disconnect between recruiters and hiring managers. Traditionally, hiring managers don’t get engaged until later on in the process. However, studies show that the earlier hiring managers get involved, the more likely it is that you’ll find a candidate who’s a better fit for the job. One way to get them involved initially is to have the hiring manager send emails to applicants. This can be done easily through ATS software, and it can even be automated to save time. Applicants, research shows, are more responsive to emails sent from a hiring manager than a recruiter. For passive candidates, hiring managers can hold informal coffee chats or luncheons to learn about candidates in a more relaxed environment than a formal interview.
Timing Is Everything
The interview process lasts about 22.9 days. From interview to offer, it takes approximately five to six weeks to hire. To keep applicants from losing interest and looking for work elsewhere, you need to keep them engaged. This starts in the recruitment process and continues through employment. Some companies implement a rule of reviewing a candidate’s application within the first 48 hours. In that same time frame, they either send a rejection email or offer an interview. Even if they don’t make it to the next step, applicants will appreciate the fast response. To really expedite the process, hiring managers can even notify candidates through mobile, such as texting.
Measure With Metrics
Sometimes, simply asking hiring managers to become more involved in the recruiting process isn’t enough of an incentive. If this is the case, then integrating measurable metrics into your ATS tracking system is the incentive that hiring managers need to get the ball rolling. Some things you can track are the hiring manager’s volume of interviews to resumes received and hiring offers. Hiring managers can also collect ratings for candidates’ experiences during the interview process and suggest ways to improve the onboarding process accordingly. Knowing how they’re performing, especially in comparison with other hiring managers, often motivates hiring managers to be more productive. While recruiters may initially attract candidates, hiring managers have the final say in whether or not to bring an applicant on board. To ensure a good match for the company, it’s essential to have the hiring manager involved as early as possible. After all, hiring one person is the groundwork for building a team, and every manager wants a productive and efficient team. Asking hiring managers to review and respond to applications within two days, giving feedback on their performance, and having them meet with candidates on a less formal basis keeps candidates engaged and gets hiring managers more involved.
