10 Effective Ways to Reduce Time to Hire in 2024

Keeping your hiring process short and efficient is one of the most common challenges hiring managers face right now, along with salary misalignment, little flexibility or a lack of agility in the hiring process. Miscommunication between clients and recruitment consultants adds more issues to already lengthy recruitment processes, increasing candidate dropout rates. Join us as we discuss different ways companies can reduce time to hire and improve their hiring processes to attract the best talent.

What does “time to hire” really mean?

Although “time to hire” and “time to fill” are often used indistinctly, time to fill usually refers to the period from the moment the job ad is published to the day the candidate accepts the offer, from the point of view of the client hiring, whereas “time to hire” also includes the candidate’s experience.

As a 360º recruitment consultancy, our grasp of “time to hire” extends from the initial client consultation until the candidate’s onboarding process begins.

We often start to work on a role right after the briefing call with our client. There is no time to lose. The sooner we source the right candidates, the sooner they can start their jobs, and our clients can focus on growing their businesses.

Nick Derham, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Adria Solutions

Ten great ways to keep your hiring process short and efficient to attract the best talent

In today’s highly competitive recruitment landscape, a prolonged hiring process can result in losing top-tier candidates to faster-moving competitors. Companies must streamline their hiring procedures to attract and secure the best talent. Here are ten effective strategies to reduce time to hire in 2024:

1.- Write accurate job descriptions for your technical roles:

Craft clear, compelling job descriptions accurately reflecting the role and requirements: what are the must-have skills and the nice-to-have skills required for the role? Do they need to have working knowledge of any particular software? Will they be offered specific training? Writing clear job descriptions and summarising daily duties helps attract qualified candidates and speeds up the screening process.

IT professionals often ask us loads of questions about the technologies and the opportunities for learning and professional development, so we therefore ask our clients to list all the main technologies they use.

Nick Derham, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Adria Solutions

2.- Be specific about the job perks and the hiring process

It is essential to be as specific as possible about the job benefits; this is what is expected from the candidate, but also what are the benefits: a competitive salary and other financial benefits, such as productivity bonuses, company shares, enhanced paternity leave or life insurance, and company health and wellbeing benefits, such as private medical or dental insurance, extended holiday allowance or volunteering days.

Special mention to the working arrangements. Does your company offer flexible hours, hybrid working or remote work options? Whether your company is looking for a candidate to join remotely or in the office, you must double-check that the job advert is specific about what is expected from the candidate. E.g. three days in the office and two days working from home for hybrid roles or one day a month in the office for remote roles.

3.- Implement an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Time to hire metrics drastically reduce when you use a robust Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to track the journey from the moment the candidate applies until the moment the candidate accepts the job offer and gets ready to start the job. ATS tools manage and track the entire recruitment process in a centralised system, which is why they enhance the overall efficiency of your hiring workflow.

4.- Implement AI tools

Leverage artificial intelligence for initial candidate screenings, such as AI-enhanced direct marketing tools, to search passive candidates. AI can quickly sift through resumes, social media profiles on LinkedIn, Github profiles and online databases, highlighting the most promising candidates and allowing your team to reach more candidates in less time.

5.- Niche job boards

Job seekers prefer one or other job board depending on their seniority, niche industry or location, so this is something to keep in mind before you waste your money advertising your job postings on the wrong platform. Choosing the appropriate job boards tailored to your niche expedites the hiring process. It is a strategic move to ensure your roles reach potential candidates with the precise skills and expertise your industry demands.

6.- Improve cross-team collaboration

Collaborating across departments and teams is essential to filling your job openings efficiently, saving time and money. Agile recruitment processes foster collaboration between HR, hiring managers, marketing, other relevant departments, and your recruitment partners. Streamlining communication and decision-making can significantly reduce the overall time to hire.

7.- Simplify the candidate screening and job interview process

Personality tests, campaign presentations for marketing roles, technical tests for IT and Digital, several rounds of interviews with all the decision-makers and different teams… are you sure your job interviewing process is too long and complicated?

At Adria Solutions, we advise our clients to conduct efficient, structured interviews to gain insights into a candidate’s skills and cultural fit. Implementing panel interviews or video interview technology can significantly speed up the interviewing process and accelerate decision-making.

8.- Offer real-time candidate feedback

Traditionally, recruitment consultants receive feedback at the very end of the candidate screening process. However, we reckon it is more efficient to have a system to offer real-time candidate feedback to your recruitment consultants. For instance, if we believe one candidate would be ideal for the role, but we know they are interviewing for different roles, we can speed up the process to ensure your company interviews the candidate before a competitor produces a job offer.

9.- Keep the candidates well-informed and engaged

It is essential to keep your candidates well-informed and engaged throughout the process. Timely communication builds trust and prevents top talent from losing interest due to a lack of updates. This is the main reason why we always recommend our clients offer post-interview feedback as soon as possible and avoid delays when hiring.

10.- Negotiate effectively

Once you identify the ideal candidate, move swiftly to negotiate and finalise the offer. Delays in extending and negotiating the final offer often lead to candidates accepting offers elsewhere. If you have partnered with a trusted recruitment consultancy, they can act as intermediaries and offer expert advice at this crucial stage.

Shortening time to hire can have a real positive impact on your candidate journey

Implementing these strategies will reduce time to hire and position your company as an attractive destination for top talent in 2024. Remember, a streamlined process saves time and enhances the candidate experience, contributing to long-term success.

Adria Solutions can help you reduce time to hire. Contact our experienced team to discuss your hiring needs and put together a plan to improve your hiring process.