Hiring should be simple: post a job, review applications, interview, then hire. But, despite sounding easy, it's anything but. From delays to missed opportunities to sheer frustration, recruitment quickly becomes overwhelming and complicated. A messy hiring process isn't just annoying, it costs time, money and sometimes even the perfect candidate. Simplification makes things easier and less stressful for you, and fairer for the candidates applying for a role. So how can you make things less messy?
Complicated Processes
A complicated process wastes time. Multiple interview rounds, endless approval loops and redundant paperwork turns something simple into something very complicated. Evaluating the necessity of each step is important. Whether it's unnecessary stakeholder sign off, a useless skills test or a 100th interview, creating the simplest path is in the best interest of you and your applicants. Flair.hr suggests the average time-to-fill sits at 28 days, but for around 40% of companies, that number sits closer to 40 (SHRM). Messiness comes in wasting time.
The Difficulty of Finding Early-Career Talent
It becomes even more difficult when you are looking for early-career talent. These candidates have lots of potential and are essential to companies to stop 'job-lock' from happening. Sourcing early-career talent comes with two places for complication. Firstly, finding them in the first place. Several companies struggle to find candidates beginning their career, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Careers fairs are great, as are job ads, but not having a strategy in place to attract all candidates is a recipe for disarray. Secondly, Toggl reports that 62% of employers prioritise potential over experience, but the majority find it difficult to identify. If businesses do not have a set way of ensuring that all candidates are screened in the same way for their potential, using strategies for them to show their individuality and skills, they are creating more chance for unfairness, and, you guessed it, messiness.
Sourcing and Verifying Talent
If finding early career talent is difficult, making sure they're the right fit is another. A 2024 Totaljobs report found that 68% if recruiters waste time on unqualified candidates. But this is not the fault of candidates, but rather of recruiters themselves, who are vague with their job postings and outdated with their sourcing methods. It's time to be clear and concise when describing roles. This will ensure you find the right talent who will want/ be able to work at your company. Also, bad hires can occur when talent aren't verified. CVs are outdated, and don't ensure that candidates have the skills they need. Without a solid, strategic system for sourcing and verifying candidates, each hire is a gamble.
Untangling the Knots
Enter Recruitment as a Service (RaaS). The unsung hero that can simplify your recruitment process in minutes. RaaS is a tech-led approach that can help in de-cluttering all the steps where things get messy. Matching you with talent based on skills, verifying strengths and skills, and connecting you with a diverse talent pool at your fingertips, RaaS helps you hire simply. Totaljobs 2024 Hiring Trends Index adds that AI-driven recruitment cuts down on time-to-hire by up to 30%, boosting accuracy too. It's not a tool here to take you job- it's a tool to take the mess out of the manual, boring processes that get messy. In turn, this helps you focus on what matters, like building relationships with your applicants, helping you put people first.
Actionable Tips to Clean Up the Mess
Ready to tame the chaos? Try these five steps:
- Simplify Your Workflow: Audit your process. Make sure to cut redundant interviews or approvals. Aim for a lean timeline under 21 days.
- Target Early-Career Talent: Partner with universities or use platforms like Day One to reach fresh talent; focus on aptitude, not just experience.
- Sharpen Job Descriptions: Be specific about skills and expectations to filter out noise and attract serious applicants fast.
- Adopt RaaS Tech: Leverage AI tools to automate sourcing and verification.
- Test Before You Trust: Use quick, practical assessments to confirm skills early and avoid costly mis-hires.
Conclusion
The hiring process doesn't have to be messy. It becomes so when complexity, outdated methods and guesswork come together. Leaving tech to do the tasks where things become complicated allows you to make the right hire, every time. With 85 million jobs potentially unfilled by 2030 due to talent shortages (Toggl), tightening up your hiring process isn't just a nice to have, it's essential.
