Top 4 tips to trim recruitment time frames

Waiting for things sucks. Just ask anyone whose train has been delayed by more than five minutes.

It's the same with recruitment. If applicants have to wait ages for a response or the next stage of the process, they're going to get antsy and disengage. They may even get snapped up by a competitor that moves faster. Ouch!

What's bad for your candidates is bad for you, so you really need to get your act together and cut that recruitment time frame to the bone.

But how? Luckily we have a few tricks up our sleeve. Take a look:

4 ways to cut down on recruitment time

In an effort to nab the best candidates, 46% of employers have reduced the length of their hiring process. You can do the same by...

1. Sending out shorter application forms

A survey from Software Advice confirms that 90% of candidates hate long/complex application forms.

Another from Career Builder says that nine out of ten candidates feel that application forms should take fewer than ten minutes to fill out.

So, shorter applications are the name of the game. They're great for recruiters too as they take less time to review. It's a win-win!

However, you could be bold and say "no application forms at all". Just rely on a CV and cover letter (and some handy recruitment tools to analyse them) and you'll have made a huge dent in your recruitment time frame.

2. Automating communications

Sending messages out automatically doesn't only save you time, it makes your candidates feel warm and fuzzy. (No, really!)

Chatbots are a great way to speed things up. They respond to applicants almost immediately and some can even ask initial interview questions.

Once human recruiters make a decision, the chatbot will tell everyone automatically. Fast, simple and to the point!

3. Vetting candidates earlier

Many candidates aren't vetted until they get to the interview stage. But this stretches out the time between interview and decision, so will really get on the candidate's wick.

Vet earlier so you can make an informed decision, and not waste anyone's time with an interview if they've failed your checks.

Here are a few methods you can use:

• Personality testing – 25% of employers use this to ensure a candidate fits within their company. But we suggest stepping away from Myers-Briggs.
• Social media screening – Quickly find out what candidates are really thinking.
• References – An old recruiter fave, but ask for them when accepting the interview so you don't waste time later on.
• Shortlisting tools – Use job postings with job matching features (e.g. LinkedIn) to make sure your candidates meet your criteria. Some will even rank them for you to speed up the process.

4. Having just one interview

Many employers stretch the interview process out to include three or four meetings. This is ridiculous when 49% of hiring managers know if they'll hire a candidate within the first five minutes of meeting them and 87% know within 15.

Be more picky when selecting those candidates to interview too. Your vetting process will tie into this.

To really speed things up, conduct interviews on Skype. It's immediate, and just as good as face-to-face interviews.