The interviewing and hiring process can be streamlined in a variety of ways, including through the use of new technology. Companies may choose to implement rapid hiring if they’re quickly ramping up or starting a new initiative or department.
And now, the high rate of people quitting their jobs has given employers another reason to try this strategy. In the U.S., a record-breaking number of people quit their jobs each month in 2021. Several factors contributed to the Great Resignation, including issues related to the pandemic, low wages, and the need for greater work-life balance. But a number of remedies are also available for companies to manage this mass exodus, including rapid hiring.
Home Depot is using this method in an effort to increase hires by 25% this spring and fill 100,000 full- and part-time positions. The home-improvement giant is likely using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to schedule interviews and ask questions. Here we explore what rapid hiring is, how it works, and how your company may be able to use it to replace employees who have left.
Find the Right Technology
AI tools can play a part in rapid hiring. Paradox AI uses a conversational AI assistant to ask qualifying questions and receive answers, schedule interviews, and send interview reminders to candidates. Another platform, Emi, uses chat-based functionality to perform similar tasks and provide reports on how well the hiring process is working. Tools like these can considerably reduce the hiring time.
Additionally, according to a recent Forbes Human Resources Council post, companies that implement AI-powered hiring technology can use it to analyze past candidate data and other information to discover hidden gems in former applicants or employees, find new markets to mine for candidates, and improve communication with candidates.
Build in Efficiency
The more detail you can add to your job descriptions, the better, because you can more easily filter out those who are definitely not qualified for the position. Be specific about what candidates need to demonstrate in terms of areas of expertise, knowledge level, and years of experience. To cut down on preparation time, create a job description template that hiring managers can complete for each available position. The following video shares more tips for creating a successful job description.
You should also create interview kits. Consistency in the hiring process is important for presenting a positive face to candidates in an age of easy ways to share their experience with many others. It also enables hiring managers to be efficient with their time because they don’t have to reinvent the wheel for every interview.
The interview kits should include high-level company questions that should be asked no matter which position the candidate is applying for. Hiring managers can fill in additional questions related to specific knowledge, but even these queries should be consistent across teams.
Interview kits should also include a checklist of items for interviewers to review prior to the interview, such as the candidate’s resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, as well as the job description and interview questions. Finally, the kits should include a scorecard for interviewers to fill out following each interview. Compiling the scores of all candidates can help companies promptly and objectively arrive at a decision for each open position.
Remove Unnecessary Steps
To keep the “rapid” in rapid hiring, examine each stage of the process and remove unnecessary steps. For example, consider the unorthodox step of putting the offer up front. Let candidates know the salary and benefits of the position, plus the expectations. You can rule out many candidates, and eliminate the steps of gathering qualifications, if you know up front they’re on board with what you have to offer. This step also cuts down on the time it takes for candidates to make a decision if you offer them a position.
Another element you can remove is any candidate search effort that you know doesn’t pay off. For example, if you continue to participate in job fairs and find few good candidates there, you’re wasting your time. You might like the idea of attending job fairs and giving candidates the opportunity to get to know you but use objective data to determine where you typically find the people you actually hire and focus your efforts there.
Finally, consider eliminating most of the interviewing steps entirely and instead auditioning candidates. A QuickBooks blog post explains that at least one company “has largely done away with traditional interviews. Instead, the company pays prospective employees to work in the positions they’ve applied for.”
Other Critical Steps for Recovery
Rapid hiring serves a certain purpose, but it’s not the only strategy that will help your company recover from the Great Resignation. You must also take steps to retain current employees and give potential team members good reasons to join you. Many employees report wanting the following elements in their work lives:
- Appropriate COVID precautions. For many workers, going to an environment each day in which their health isn’t taken into consideration just doesn’t make sense.
- Better pay and benefits. Paying workers less than what they’re worth is ultimately counterproductive since it costs more to replace team members who took a better offer.
- Remote work options. Team members want to be able to work in a style that suits their needs, including at home, at another location, in the office, or a combination of all.
- High quality of life. Employees want to pursue true work-life balance that includes plenty of time off for vacations and personal matters.
- Respect. Many workers are tired of being treated poorly by those in positions of power within their companies.
- Career path. Team members want to see a clear path for advancement and help in learning what they need to know to move up if they choose.
Want more ideas? Ask your current employees what makes them stay.
