We all saw THAT article from the BBC where one job received almost 1,000 applicants in one day. With so many qualified candidates out there looking for roles, how can recruiters help clients to ensure they select the best candidates for the role, without adding hours and hours (AND HOURS) of work to already busy workloads?
As a team of experienced ex-recruiters, we asked the Hinterview team to give us their top tips on maximising efficiency when faced with a high number of qualified candidates for one role.
1. Work with clients on exclusion criteria
It might seem obvious, but this is a great starting point to save you time further down the line. Always work with your client to put together a list of experience-based exclusion criterion to reduce the number of candidates down to around 20 to 30.
2. Differentiate candidates based on soft skills
Once you’re down to a more manageable number of CVs, you can start to differentiate based on soft skills. And guess what? Using video interviewing software, like Hinterview, is a perfect way to do just that.
Rather than spending hours and hours trying to figure out from words on a page whether someone is a good listener, or a brilliant presenter, you can record a Hintro (one-way video of your candidate talking through their CV, or answering set questions) or a Hinterview (two-way interview with you and your candidate) to more accurately and more efficiently assess and demonstrate those skills.
3. Get the right tech
Remote work is here to stay (at least in some capacity), so getting the right tech is more important than ever before. There’s no denying that tech can help to streamline all sorts of processes from day-to-day admin, data analysis and communication. Not having the right tech will result in an overly lengthy process, resulting in candidate fatigue, candidate drop out and ultimately a reduction in recruitment quality.
Video interviewing software helps to streamline the entire recruitment process, ultimately cutting time to hire by half! By keeping candidates engaged with video, you’re also less likely to experience candidate drop-out, and more likely to secure the very best talent, in half the time it would normally take.
4. Send out pre-assessments
Benchmarking candidates based on performance in a pre-assessment is a great way to select the top candidates for the next round. This exercise also helps to eliminate unreliable candidates who aren't that interested in the positions (as they won't complete the testing) and reduces the number of CVs to initially screen.
5. Set scenario-based questions
Like the pre-assessment, setting scenario-based questions with a deadline is a great way to filter down to only the best candidates. Some candidates will self-select themselves out of the process if they do not want to answer the questions or if they do not come back within the given time frame. Those who respond promptly will demonstrate their desire for the position, their ability to perform against your benchmarks and reduce the number of applications to review! Scenario-based questions can be set over video, using a tool like Hinterview’s Campaign feature, to further streamline the process.
6. Don’t forget to acknowledge EVERY application!
Possibly the most important point of all for your reputation and long-term business. Don’t fall into the trap of not acknowledging applications and giving feedback. It’s tough out there, and everyone deserves to be heard. Applications can take a huge amount of time, and it can be extremely debilitating if you don’t even get a thank you. It may be more time consuming than you would like but put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel in their situation?
If you’re seriously pressed for time, you can at least automate a response. Some form of recognition, even in the simplest form, is a basic human courtesy and is well worth your time in the long run.
Interested in a demo?
If you’d like to learn more about how Hinterview can help improve efficiency in your recruitment business, we’d love to show you around the platform. Simply book a demo below and we’ll get back to you ASAP!
