How HR Can Reduce Time to Hire

Reducing the time to hire is a primary concern for many talent professionals. But what exactly is time to hire?

Time to hire is the period between the day the job candidate applies for a job and the day the candidate accepts the job offer. This measurement identifies the efficiency and speed of your hiring process.

The average time to hire across various industries is 41 days. However, 55 percent of job candidates expect employers to offer a job no more than two weeks from the first interview. 

The shorter your time to hire, the better for your organization and the candidate. For example, a shorter time to hire helps find top talent that may not be on the market long. It also creates a more affordable hiring process, helping you reduce the resources needed to find the right candidate.

Here are four ways to reduce time to hire, helping you keep that competitive edge when hiring top talent. 

1. Build a Talent Pipeline Before You Start Recruiting

Building a talent pipeline allows you to create a pool of qualified candidates ready to fill a position. These candidates can be internal prospects ready for advancement within your organization or outside talent that is partially or fully qualified to take a position when it opens.

The primary benefit of building a talent pipeline before you start recruiting for a position is immediate access to qualified candidates who share your cultural and organizational needs and preferences. Especially since top talent is off the job market in ten days.

Here are some best practices to consider when building your talent pipeline:

• Focus on talent with hard-to-place skills or skills that your organization frequently needs.
• Pre-screen top performers before placing them in your talent pipeline, confirming they’re the right fit for your company.
• Stay top of mind by posting company updates on social media or reaching out to your pipeline regularly.
• Measure your progress when placing candidates from your pipeline into active positions.

2. Prioritize Your Job Descriptions

By prioritizing your job descriptions, you’re leaving nothing to chance early on in the recruitment process. Here’s how.

Effective job descriptions should:

• Give the job candidate all the information they need about the position, helping them determine if they are a good fit and if they should apply. This also eliminates the need to sift through unqualified candidates while increasing your hiring time for qualified candidates.
• Use inclusive language, encouraging all qualified candidates to apply while not isolating some by reinforcing stereotypes. This helps you attract the right talent.
• Be concise, helping to streamline your hiring process.

3. Use Assessments to Reduce Time to Hire

Skills assessments are a critical recruiting tool that reduces time to hire. These assessments can test for many skills – from difficult-to-find hard skills to in-demand soft skills.

These pre-hire assessments also help you to screen candidates objectively, identifying the right job seeker without unintentional biases. This allows hiring professionals to focus on the right applicant to succeed in the advertised position. 

With 35 percent of job candidates saying they didn’t accept an offer because the hiring manager was too slow and they accepted another offer, you won’t waste time when recruiting and hiring top candidates.

4. Communicate with Candidates Frequently

One thing that hasn’t changed in the workplace? Communication. 

Communication continues to be an integral strategy to reduce time to hire. Today’s job candidate demands frequent communication tailored to them and the position. 

Hiring professionals must keep this in mind before and during the hiring process. Personalized and frequent communication can reduce hiring time by keeping top talent engaged while improving their overall candidate experience – getting you closer to the job acceptance stage. 

Using automated talent management solutions can make your HR job more efficient. Through talent screening and hiring solutions, you can not only trim unnecessary hours out of your recruiting process, but you can ensure you’re hiring the right person the first time.

Looking for more ways to streamline your hiring process while reducing your time to hire? Cangrade can help.