Top engineers can be in and out of your company before you can say “churn”. And your time to hire might be the deciding factor in whether you win the best people or lose them to competitors – especially when an engineer has multiple job offers, as many now do.
So how can you speed up your time to hire and make sure you don’t lose out?
Define your candidate profile
Describe the perfect candidate for your role – in detail. Before you put an ad out, you should know exactly who you’re looking for and which skills and qualifications you’re willing to be flexible on. This will help you quickly identify promising candidates and avoid wasting time interviewing people who aren’t right.
Get your job descriptions right
Do your job descriptions sound enticing? Are they clear? Do they give a full picture of what the role involves? Don’t fudge the details in your eagerness to make it sound amazing – be specific about what’s needed so you narrow down applicants to people who can actually do the job.
Offer attractive career paths
Can candidates see a clear path to promotion and growth if they apply for your role? This is often one of the biggest deciding factors for engineers. Most leave their previous role in search of experience and career development. Make sure your hiring managers and recruiters are clear about the opportunities for advancement you offer.
Trim the fluff from your application process
Have you checked how long your application process takes to complete? An overly long application process will drive people away. Cut out things that are irrelevant (or can be picked up later, like references). Test it to make sure it’s user-friendly too – both on desktop and on mobile.
Use recruiters
In a market like this, you can’t afford to do all your recruiting in-house, especially when it comes to key roles. You’ll lose out every time to companies that work with a recruitment partner. They’ll have a shortlist of qualified candidates while you’re still trawling through CVs, and be at the offer stage while you’re still on your first round of interviews.
Offer referral bonuses
According to LinkedIn, 82% of employers rate employee referrals as having one of the best ROIs of any job search method. Offer a hefty cash incentive to your existing employees to refer their friends and professional contacts to you.
Shorten your interview process
If your interview process takes too long, you’ll lose talent. Make sure you have a dedicated interview team with a clear idea of the ideal candidate and of where they’re willing to compromise. Set days and times aside for interviews and for quick post-interview feedback and scheduling of next steps.
Communicate with candidates
Keeping the flow of conversations going with your candidates will help to ensure they won’t be tempted by competitors. Being noncommunicative won’t reflect well on you and your company.
Get your offer in fast
Good recruiters will make sure you know your candidates’ salary expectations from the word go. So when you find a candidate you like, pause the interview process and make an offer as soon as possible, preferably on the day of the interview. Keep your other candidates and/or recruitment partner in the loop (remember, lack of communication will lose you talent).
Every day counts in the hiring process, especially when you’re looking for strong engineers who can hit the ground running and start adding value as soon as possible. Shorten your time to hire and you’ll put yourself in the best position to win the top talent.
Working with a recruiter is the easiest way to shorten your hiring process and source untapped pools of talent at the same time. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.