24 hours to fill? Accelerate your hiring speed like never before!

The key to filling urgent roles fast? Going on a 24-hours hiring spree. (Yes! No kidding) The best way to speed up your hiring process is to challenge yourself to recruit within a tight deadline.

And we say, set it to 24 hours!

Why? Because-

“The job market is swift, no debate.
You either speed up or lose your ideal candidate.
Remember- the competition is fierce, and the stakes are high;
your hiring speed will determine if your talent stays or slip by.”

Take up the ‘24-hour hiring spree’ challenge! (Yes! Challenge yourself to recruit with a tight deadline.) If you succeed, YOU SUCCEED! If you fail, YOU WILL LEARN!

In this article, you will discover exactly how to accelerate your hiring speed without compromising the quality of your hires. So, buckle up, recruiters; it’s time to get started!

Connect With Your Client

Before you start with your hiring process, the foremost step is to be sure of your client’s expectations. 

Since time is limited, you can’t afford to make any mistakes and return to fix them from scratch. 

Sit with your client, discuss what attributes they want in their ideal candidate, and write your job description accordingly. 

Also, ensure that your team members have a clear understanding of every procedure and requirement so none of them is left in the lurch. 

💡 Must Do: 

Keep your client involved in the hiring process right from the beginning to avoid candidates getting grilled between your and clients’ different hiring decisions.

Decide Who’s Running the Show

So, now you and your team members know exactly what kind of candidates they need to search for, but who will do what? There is nothing more frustrating than the lack of leadership in the search.

Determine who will be on the front line: monitoring the search, conducting initial interviews, reviewing scorecards, reaching out to clients whenever necessary, etc. 

The earlier you delegate the roles to each team member, the better their productivity will be throughout the process. 

This doesn’t even need to be very formal. Just announce who will manage what part of the search- from marketing to reviewing resumes, scheduling and participating in interviews, etc. 

This will make your hiring process a well-oiled machine and prevent any unnecessary chaos down the road. 

💡 Remember:

It’s a candidate-centered job market. Your dream hire will not wait while you play “pass the decision” through a long chain of command.  

Ensure Everyone is On-Board

Time is ticking fast. You only have 24 hours to fill the role, but you can’t do everything alone. (We know you would love to, but can you?)

Having everyone (your team members, colleagues, interns, hiring managers, etc.) riled up for a “24-hour hiring spree” will work in your favor. You can get most done in the shortest amount of time.

💡 Caution:

Even a single clueless crew member can capsize the swiftest ship. So follow Tip No. 2. Ensure each member knows exactly what to do and how. 

Skim Your ATS Database

The best source to find potential candidates quickly is your ATS database. 

Since your ATS already contains tons of resumes and candidate information from your past hiring cycles, you can easily identify profiles that match your current requirements and reach out to them. 

This eliminates the need to start your search from scratch and is highly cost-effective. (A clear sign to leverage it if you aren’t doing so already!)

💡 Pro Tip: 

Use advanced search filters and boolean search operators to find your potential candidate fast.

Ask for Quick Referrals

“Candidates that are referred by current employees are 55% faster to hire”-  HR Technologist. 

The employees at your client’s company already have a strong understanding of their work environment and culture. So, asking for a quick referral can pace up your hiring speed. 

But before anything, share your ideal candidate persona with them, so they have a clear understanding of what kind of candidate you are looking for. 

It will give you faster access to culturally fit candidates. 

💡 To Do: 

Reward the referrer. They have done you a service by helping you scout the right candidate. (Don’t worry! You can do it after the 24-hour challenge ends.) 

Select Candidates from Reskilling Program (If Any)

If your client’s company employs reskilling or upskilling program, it can be an asset for you.

Since these employees are getting trained to take on new responsibilities or level up their current positions, you can check if their profiles match your current job requirements. 

Yes, this won’t count as hiring a new candidate, but either way, you are filling the position within 24 hours. (Cheat to win!)

💡 Don’t Forget:

The pandemic has given birth to many moonlighters. Such employees may not be part of the reskilling program but hold relevant experience for the position you are hiring for. Don’t sleep on them.

Reach Out to Candidates With Real-Experience

When you have only 24 hours to fill the position, you should not waste your time on inexperienced candidates as they don’t hold any “guarantee” to prove their competencies.

Always target the “Past Experience” section of your resume first. If the applicant doesn’t have relevant experience, move on. 

💡 Must Do: 

If you find the perfect candidate with the perfect resume, ensure that you double-check the information by contacting their references before passing the profile to your client.

Write a Better Job Description

Depending on your luck, branding, and the quality of your job description, you can attract a few potential candidates from job boards pretty quickly. (Sounds like a joke? No, it isn’t.)

Hiring Platforms like Indeed, Internshala, and LinkedIn receive a significant amount of traffic every day, so it probably won’t be hard gaining some attention to your job post. 

By leveraging sponsored ad features, you can ensure that your ad is seen by job seekers and expect some quality applications in return.

That being said, here are some tips for writing better job descriptions:

• Replace decade-old headers like “Responsibilities” and “Requirements” with something more creative and engaging like, “You will succeed in this role if you possess…”
• Give a clear picture of your client company’s culture. You can include the link to their social profiles and website for better understanding.
• Keep it short but relevant. 
• Use inclusive language. 
• Mention attractive salary packages and compensation offers. 

💡 To Do:

Use the applications received after the challenge ends to widen your talent pool. Don’t let those resumes go to waste.

Visit Platforms Specially Meant for Particular Niche

Though most hiring platforms work for every kind of job role, some are specially curated for a particular niche. 

For instance, you can find the best designers on Behance and developers on GitHub, vice-versa is practically impossible till a developer is also an artist.  

If you want to increase your hiring speed, first, learn to target the hiring platform that could serve your needs quickly. 

💡 Don’t Forget:

Social Media platforms can help you attract “global” candidates. If you have an active social media following, leverage them. 

Ensure You’re in Ballpark with Compensation Offers

You can not create a perfect job description in a bubble, but you can at least get one thing right- the salary package (till you forget to mention it altogether!).

Do a quick research on what your competitor is paying its candidates for the same position you are hiring for, and try to come up with an even more attractive offer. 

💡 Remember: 

If you want to hire a candidate real quick, a good salary, promotion tracks, compensation packages, and other perks can be your life savior.  

Use Recruitment Tracking Software

Hiring opportunities should be a chance for recruiters to get away from the insulation of their desks, their office, and their team—and get outside!

And the best way to do so is to let technology take control! 

Your recruitment tracking software can help you wrap up your “24-hour hiring spree” quickly by automating all your time-consuming manual tasks. 

💡 Caution: 

Recruiting is all about people. So, don’t depend on ATS for making every hiring decision. It may take a toll on candidate experience and quality of hire. Human Touch is vital for successful hiring.

How Can Recruit CRM Help You Speed Up Your Hiring Process?

Time Bound Pre-Screening Test

Most companies assign pre-assessment tests to their applicants to evaluate their skills better.
For instance, companies hiring “content writers” give them a short article writing test with a set deadline. 

Recruiters looking for candidates to fill “urgent” roles should level up and test their candidates in real-time; as soon as the candidate clicks on “Give Test,” time starts ticking automatically. 

This will save a lot of time and ensure that only the best candidate is hired. 

💡 Caution:

Most candidates use google or online tools like ChatGPT to complete their test. To avoid this, you can ask them to switch their cameras while they give a test or employ “warnings” whenever they attempt to change the screen.  

Interview Once But in the Best Way Possible

With only 24 hours in hand (now even lesser), you can not afford to take multiple interviews and screening tests of candidates. So, now the question is: what can you do to make the most out of the one-time interview?

Unfortunately, there is no definite answer. It depends on the role you are hiring for, if the candidate you are interviewing is from the past hiring cycle or someone fresh, etc. 

Whatever the case is, asking open-ended questions will give you real insights into the candidates’ thought processes. 

Also, ensure that you invite someone with “veto power” to interview candidates. This will ensure that you don’t lose candidates because of unconscious bias. 

💡 Must Do: 

Use AI-proctored video interviewing tools to pace up your hiring speed. These online assessment tools can help you analyze a candidate’s core behavioral traits, which may go unnoticed otherwise.

Speed Up Your Response Time

If you want to pace up your hiring speed, you must ensure that your response time is at par. Why do we say so? 

First, most good candidates are already busy being awesome in their current jobs, so they don’t have enough time (or no time) for job hunting. 

Second, even if they are actively searching for a job, they aren’t putting all their eggs into your basket. You have to compete with ten other recruiters to hire them. 

So, if you aren’t constantly being responsive, it’s easy for your messages to get lost in the swarm and buzz of candidates’ inboxes. 

💡 To Do:  

Employ AI chatbots to keep candidates in a communication loop throughout the hiring process. These bots can schedule follow-up reminders, solve basic queries and send out automated emails to candidates about their application status. 

Prepare Your Candidate

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse”- If you have seen The Godfather Trilogy, there is no way you don’t know this dialogue. 

What if we say you have to do the same? 

Pitch the candidate in a way your client can’t refuse. And for that, prepare your candidate in a way they are worth hitting the jackpot. Need Guidance? Read 

💡 Remember:

A well-prepared candidate is more likely to get hired. You have spent hours sourcing and evaluating an ideal candidate. Don’t let them appear in front of your client unprepared.  

If Failed- Cover or Analyze

Now that you have finally presented the best possible talents to your client for a final hiring decision, you can look back and ponder upon your performance. 

Were you able to complete the challenge within 24 hours? If yes, what can you improve next time?

If not, and you are short on time now, cover it by hiring a temporary freelancer. (You have no other choice, do you?) You can find one on sites like Freelancer, Upwork, etc.

💡 Remember  

Time-to-Hire= Day the candidate accepted the offer – Day the candidate entered the pipeline.

The Smaller the difference, the greater the hiring speed

Before You Go- 

Whether you succeeded or failed in the “24-Hours Hiring Spree” challenge, don’t forget all the candidates you interacted with throughout the day. 

It’s time to send them a little “follow-up” message. After all, they can be part of your talent pipeline, so it is better not to lose them. 

And…

UNTIL WE MEET NEXT TIME, remember that recruiting is a process, not a project, and has to be designed into the DNA of your recruitment agency. Yes, the more your hiring speed will be, the better, but never compromise on the quality of your hires. 

That being said, keep recruiting. We will see you soon with yet another interesting topic! Ciao~