High-volume hiring has always been difficult for organizations, but the current job market has made mass hiring even more difficult. Companies needing to fill 1-2 job openings may have success in this market, but high-volume recruitment still faces some of the same old challenges – and a few new ones!
At TalentReef, we’ve mastered the art of high-volume recruiting, making it possible for companies to build evergreen high-volume recruiting strategies and fill their pipelines with suitable candidates for roles of all kinds. To learn more about TalentReef and how our applicant tracking system can help you fill your open positions, schedule a demo now.
Define your ideal candidate
The first step in effective high-volume hiring is to define your ideal candidate. This means assessing what skills, experience, and attributes are required for each role you’re looking to fill. You may have a quality candidate profile already developed, or you may need to make one up. To do this, start by analyzing the job description you’ve historically used and identifying key competencies the candidates must have.
You want to include essential skills that might not be in that description but you tend to look for when hiring. Consider hard skills – such as technical knowledge or specific qualifications that make sense for the job – and soft skills like communication or leadership abilities. Understanding the non-negotiables will help you identify which candidates are a good fit.
Additionally, it’s essential to consider your company culture when defining your ideal candidate. Ask yourself these questions:
- What makes up your company culture?
- What goes against it?
- What personality traits work well with current employees?
- What personality traits are missing from your company?
These factors can play an integral role in finding a successful match between employee and organization.
Be flexible in your definition of “ideal” to keep an open mind about unexpected candidates who may bring unique perspectives or skill sets to your team. The goal is ultimately quality hires rather than a slightly different version of the same person. If it comes down to multiple candidates that fit the job description, you may want to go outside your normal hire.
Create a candidate persona
Creating a candidate persona is essential to the success of high-volume hiring. This involves developing a comprehensive profile of your ideal candidate, including their skills, experience, personality traits, and cultural fit. Using a candidate persona makes it easy for your hiring team to see a job seeker and know ASAP that they are “the one.”
To create a compelling candidate persona, analyze data from previous successful hires and identify common characteristics such as education level or work experience. You can also conduct employee surveys or focus groups with current employees to gain insights into what qualities they value in their colleagues. Did they come from a specific job board? Or a particular recruiter?
Once you have gathered this information, compile it into a detailed profile that includes demographic information, job-related skills, and soft skills such as communication style or problem-solving ability. Use this persona to guide your recruitment efforts and tailor your messaging to attract candidates who match your ideal profile.
Creating a well-defined candidate persona can streamline the hiring process by focusing on the most qualified candidates for each role while avoiding wasting time on unqualified applicants. (You also use their time effectively as they are looking for the right job!)
Source candidates using a variety of methods
When it comes to high-volume hiring, finding the right candidates can be a challenge. One of the best practices for sourcing candidates is to use more than the same tired job boards. Candidates are looking there, but where else are they looking?
One effective method is social media recruiting. Platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook allow recruiters to reach a large pool of potential candidates quickly and easily. It’s important to create engaging content showcasing your company culture and values to attract top talent. (More on this in a bit!)
Another approach is using employee referrals. Encourage your current employees to refer their friends, family members, or former colleagues who may be interested in working at your company. Offering incentives for successful hires can help motivate them. This saves you a lot of time in the mass hiring process – someone who knows another employee will offer more candidate engagement than someone who sent out a ton of resumes one night when they were bored.
Even better – reach employees where they always are: they’re cell phones! TalentReef offers chat apply, a feature that allows you to send job postings to candidates on their cell phones. Deliver the information they need, send reminders to complete an application, or alert them about a new job opening. There is so much you can do!
By diversifying your candidate sourcing methods, you increase your chances of finding the best fit for each position while saving time in the process.
Use social media to your advantage
In today’s digital age, social media is a powerful tool that can be used to reach out and engage with potential candidates. With billions of people using various social media platforms, it has become essential to high-volume hiring strategies. We all know that LinkedIn can be used for recruiting, but what about the others?
One effective way to use social media for recruiting is by creating a strong employer brand on different platforms, even ones you wouldn’t think about for recruiting. This means showcasing your company culture, values, and mission through engaging content, such as photos and videos highlighting what makes your organization unique.
Don’t underestimate the power of Facebook groups in finding top talent. Many groups cater to specific industries or skill sets where members share job openings they’ve come across or recommend others who might be a good fit.
But don’t stop there – if your high-volume hiring strategy usually includes talent pools filled with teenagers or college students, look to TikTok or Instagram. It may seem silly to do videos in these styles, but it can be extremely engaging for certain kinds of candidates.
By incorporating these tactics into your recruitment strategy, you’ll not only expand your candidate pool but also build brand awareness among potential employees who may consider applying in the future.
Screen candidates carefully
Screening candidates carefully is a crucial part of the high-volume hiring process. It’s important to ensure that each candidate meets the qualifications and requirements for the position and assess their potential fit with your company culture. With high-volume recruiting, everything moves so quickly that it may seem okay to cut corners, but there are better places to do this than screening. To not cut corners at all, consider scheduling a demo of TalentReef – we’ll help you automate your high volume hiring process so you can be extremely thorough every time you make hiring pools.
One way to screen candidates is by reviewing their resumes and cover letters. Look for relevant experience, education, and skills that match what you’re looking for in an ideal candidate. Additionally, pay attention to any red flags, such as gaps in employment or frequent job hopping.
Another effective screening method is conducting pre-employment assessments or tests relevant to the position. These can help measure a candidate’s aptitude, personality traits, or specific skills needed for the role. If you start running these tests and notice that fewer people are applying, these may be too long. Try to keep things short and sweet.
In addition to traditional screening methods, consider utilizing social media platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook to gain more insight into a candidate’s background and professional presence online.
It’s also important to involve multiple team members in the screening process. By having different perspectives and opinions on candidates, you can ensure that each person hired aligns with your overall company vision and values. Build a hiring team that represents everyone who will interact with the open role daily.
Taking the time to carefully screen candidates will lead to better hires who are more likely to succeed within your organization.
Conduct initial phone interviews
Conducting initial phone interviews is a crucial step in high-volume hiring. This first interaction can determine whether or not the candidate will move on to the next stage of the hiring process. Phone interviews are quicker and are lower stakes for many candidates.
It’s important to establish a comfortable and professional environment for both parties. Make sure you are in a quiet area with good reception, and always introduce yourself and your company at the start of the call.
During the interview, keep things conversational while sticking to your prepared questions. Use this opportunity to get an initial sense of their qualifications, experience, and personality fit for the role.
Be sure to actively listen throughout the call and take detailed notes that can be referenced later when deciding which candidates should move forward.
Bring candidates in for on-site interviews
Inviting candidates for on-site interviews is a crucial step in the high-volume hiring process. It provides an opportunity to assess the candidate’s skills, experience, and overall fit for the role and company culture.
When scheduling on-site interviews, it’s important to communicate clearly with the candidate regarding expectations for the interview day. Details such as who they will meet with, what they should bring, and how long the interview will take can help alleviate potential stress or confusion.
It’s essential to have a structured yet flexible approach during the actual interview. Start with introductions and allow time for small talk before diving into job-related questions. Asking behavioral-based questions can provide insight into how a candidate may handle certain situations on the job.
It’s also essential to give candidates opportunities to ask their own questions about the role and company during the interview. This helps them gain clarity and shows that you value their input and interest in joining your team.
Make sure all necessary follow-up steps are communicated clearly at the end of each on-site interview – whether that means providing the next steps or timelines for when candidates can expect to hear back from you.
Make sure your hiring managers are on board
Having the involvement and buy-in from your hiring managers is crucial to ensuring a successful high-volume hiring process. It’s important to ensure that they understand and support the goals of the recruitment effort and their individual role in it.
Firstly, ensure your hiring managers clearly understand what you’re looking for in candidates. This can be accomplished by defining and sharing the ideal candidate persona with them. Encourage feedback from managers on desired skills or traits they believe are essential for department success.
Next, provide training if necessary to ensure all involved parties are familiar with recruiting best practices and company-specific guidelines. They should know how to evaluate resumes, conduct interviews effectively while avoiding biases, and follow EEOC guidelines properly, among others.
Communication is key throughout the entire process. Keep your hiring managers informed about progress updates, including new hires onboarded thus far or areas where improvements could be made within this workflow so everyone stays aligned towards this initiative’s end goal, achieving an effective high-volume recruitment strategy together!
Check references thoroughly
Checking references is a critical step in the high-volume hiring process. It provides valuable insights into candidates’ work history, personality, and skills. When you conduct reference checks, ask open-ended questions that allow the reference to provide detailed responses.
Start by verifying the candidate’s employment history and job titles. Ask about their previous roles and responsibilities, accomplishments, and areas for improvement. Then move on to more personal inquiries, such as how they worked with colleagues, handled conflicts, or dealt with stress.
It is important to speak with at least two or three professional references who have worked directly with the candidate in the past. This can include supervisors, peers, or clients who have witnessed their work firsthand.
When checking references, be aware of any red flags, such as negative comments about attitude or performance issues that were not disclosed during the interview process. While dismissing them as isolated incidents may be tempting, it could indicate a larger problem.
Remember that while checking references does take time and effort, it can prevent costly mistakes down the line, like employee turnover, which will affect your company culture negatively. By taking this step seriously in your hiring process, you’ll increase your chances of finding top talent for your organization!
Offer the job to the best candidate
After following the 10 best practices for high-volume hiring, you should now have a pool of qualified candidates that could be great additions to your team. At this point, it’s time to make an offer to the best candidate.
When making an offer, ensure that you’ve researched market rates thoroughly and are offering a competitive salary and benefits package. This will help increase the chances of your top candidate accepting the job offer.
Also, don’t forget about the importance of communication during this stage. Be transparent with your top choice regarding their role in the company, expectations, and any potential challenges they may face in their new position.
By following these essential steps, from defining your ideal candidate all through making an offer, you’ll be able to streamline your high-volume hiring process effectively while keeping quality hires at its core. With time and practice implementing these tactics into regular HR processes like talent acquisition or recruitment drives can lead to improved business outcomes, including increased retention rates and better employee satisfaction levels overall!