Colleagues shaking hands and welcome new team member

Reduce Your Time to Fill Without Compromising on Candidate Quality

According to LinkedIn, the time it takes to fill a job vacancy is increasing, taking an average of 66 days to make a hire (up from 52 days in 2021). They caution that this extended timeline increases the chance that top candidates will accept a competitor’s offer. Delays in filling vacancies can also impact your business with increased workload, decreased productivity and potential revenue loss.

7 ideas suggested by LinkedIn to reduce your time to fill

Here is a summary of the recommendations to reduce your time to fill, without compromising on candidate quality (you can also read the full article here):

1. Build a culture of hiring

Create an environment where everyone, from executives to individual contributors, works collaboratively to hire skilled talent. Share hiring updates internally, encourage employee-generated social media content and consider implementing a referral program.

2. Invest in your employer brand

Develop and maintain an authentic employer brand that attracts qualified candidates who are enthusiastic about joining your team. Build out your careers site and leverage social media to showcase your employer brand and engage candidates.

3. Maintain a strong talent pipeline

Starting your search from scratch each time can drag out the recruitment process. Maintain relationships with skilled candidates from previous job postings who weren’t selected but showed potential to excel in another role on your team. You can also stay in contact with high-performing former employees who left your company on good terms and could return as ‘boomerang’ hires in the future.

4. Manage applicant volume effectively

High application volumes can significantly increase time to fill if not managed efficiently. Ensure you have clear selection criteria to help your team quickly and consistently evaluate applications and consider adding brief screening questions to your application.

5. Create a positive candidate experience

Foster an engaging and transparent hiring process that keeps candidates informed and invested. Communicate clearly and often, and ensure you set aside time in every interview for candidates to ask questions.

6. Optimize your interview process

The longer your hiring process and the more interviews each candidate must undergo, the higher the risk of losing top talent along the way. Optimize your interview process so that you can properly evaluate candidates in a shorter time frame.

7. Build a smoother offer process

Create an efficient offer process that allows you to move quickly once you’ve identified the right candidate. Have compensation ranges approved in advance to avoid delays, develop standardized templates that can be quickly customized for each candidate and consider including an expiration date on your offers.

Bonus: Outsource your hiring

Managing an effective and efficient hiring process can be daunting, especially if your internal talent acquisition resources are limited. Consider working with a recruitment firm who can streamline your hiring, quickly bringing you top candidates who meet the job requirements and fit your team dynamics.

  • Contact us for a no-obligation chat with a Recruitment Consultant
  • Read about how our recruiters can provide value to you as consultants
  • Check out this interview with one of our long-term clients to see a successful example of how we can partner for effective hiring