If you’re battling applications left and right, don’t worry. We’ve been in the trenches of high-volume hiring, too. And today, we’ll show you the top 5 innovative high-volume hiring strategies you can use to recruit for success.
What Does High-Volume Hiring (Really) Mean?
If a part of your daily duties is recruiting for multiple positions and filtering through hundreds of applications, congratulations!
You’re in the thick of high-volume hiring.
The Most Common Challenges Of High-Volume Hiring
Even the best recruitment agency professionals struggle with constant multi-tasking, filtering through applications with the right lens (different for every client), communication with candidates, and administrative work.
Fortunately, high-volume hiring doesn’t have to be so stressful.
How To Manage High-Volume Hiring (Without Getting A Migraine)
The challenges you’re experiencing are expected but a sign that you need to optimise your high-volume hiring process.
Even in the midst of the chaos, take a deep breath and review your foundations:
- Tasks
- Processes
- Technology
Identify problem areas. Are you dealing with tasks you could easily automate? Are you duplicating steps? Does your technology help you match candidates faster and focus on what only you can do?
For example, you may still be performing tasks like resume formatting manually. A few hours every week takes up a significant chunk of your time; the time you could spend focusing on the candidates. You can easily automate it away with a resume formatting tool like Allsorter.
Similarly, if you have to go back to the clients for multiple check-ins, it may be a sign that you need to strengthen your intake process.
First, identify the problem. Then, let’s solve it!
5 High-Volume Hiring Strategies To Use To Recruit In 2022
Automate Away The Mundane Hiring Tasks
Ruthlessly cut items from your schedule if you can automate them.
Lean on your IT team to find the best solutions for your problem areas; be that migrating to a different ATS or finding a new tool for candidate matching or resume formatting.
Make sure your tools support you in quickly reviewing your pipeline, knowing how many great candidates you have, and giving you a simple way to export information for the client.
If your tools aren’t making your work easier, they’re not the tools you need. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new technology; this year, 55% of HR professionals will invest even more in HR tech.
Identify & Get Rid Of Your High-Volume Hiring Bottlenecks
Which parts of the process do you struggle the most with?
Identify them (we like to use metrics such as the time-to-hire and conversion rates at every stage) and then put your Sherlock Holmes glasses on to find the core cause.
In our experience, bottlenecks (lack of candidates, disinterested candidates, clients who have chosen to take permanent residence on the fence) come from unintuitive recruitment processes:
- Are you appearing on the channels your ideal candidates use? (Many are passive job seekers.)
- Are your clients confident in your ability to match them with the right person? (Get briefed extensively on hard and soft skills that fit the client’s company culture.)
- Is your process pushing candidates away? (Make it as frictionless as possible and communicate. Even if the client doesn’t hire them, keep them in your talent pipeline.)
Data is crucial. For example, LinkedIn discovered that 90% of the candidates who scored highly on the phone screen always made it to the hiring manager. They ended up removing the second interview round.
Take a look at your internal productivity data, as well. If your time-to-hire is caused by significant dwelling in the candidate screening process, you’ll know you need a better way to keep things moving.
Know Which Is The Best Hiring Source
Sure, you can cast a wide net. But what use is it if it results in low-quality candidates?
Look at your conversion and client satisfaction rate per channel.
Do you find that candidates from LinkedIn and the client’s job page typically perform better, or do you have more luck sourcing through TikTok?
You might be surprised by what you find out.
Once you have clear winners, double down on them and invest in new channels.
A Note On Talent Rediscovery
- Made it to the final interview rounds
- Had the right qualifications but accepted a different position
- Came highly recommended
Yes, we’re talking about the case where you were 100% sure the candidate was perfect for the client, but something didn’t work out. Bookmark them, and then set up your ATS to reach out to the previously engaged candidates whenever you start a new search.
What Platforms Do Star Recruiters Use To Find A High Number Of Candidates?
You know that recruiter – the pro who’s always got the best person for the job. They’re your friend, and perhaps you even envy them a bit.
(Either way, you definitely read all their LinkedIn posts.)
They’re not perfect. They just use the right high-volume hiring platforms:
- Applicant tracking & communication tools – Your central HQ. Think tools like Workable, which allow you to share job postings across multiple channels, set up automated replies to candidates, and coordinate efforts between your agency and the clients.
- Filtering & matching intelligence tools – Tools with enhanced algorithms to help you find the right person for the job, even when you’re drowning in the sea of applications. Think Ideal.
- Practical tools – Why do it yourself when a robot can do it instead? Think Allsorter, which speeds up resume formatting and gets rid of bias in the hiring process.
- Knock-it-out-of-the-park tools – Give your candidates a “Wow” experience with brief introductory videos from you or the client, personalise emails for the shortlisted people, and more. Every innovation gives your agency more credibility. Think Traitify.
Speed Up The Sourcing And Screening To Provide Stellar Candidate Experience
High-volume hiring would be a piece of cake if it didn’t often mean candidates have a terrible time.
You can’t provide a white-glove candidate experience to everyone but your star candidates? You don’t want them suddenly dropping out because a different agency was faster.
Ruthlessly optimise your sourcing, filtering and screening processes to personalise and automate your communication with the shortlisted candidates. (Even if they don’t get hired, you’ll have them in your ATS.)
You may be working for the client, but the candidates are your customers, too.
Are You Ready To Change Your High-Volume Hiring?
Remember the fundamentals: processes, technology, and tasks. Optimise every step, keep an eye on your metrics, automate everything you can, and focus on your candidates.
And with tools like Allsorter that automate tasks like resume formatting, you’ll be able to find gems even among thousands of applications.
Did you enjoy this post? Here are some more recruitment topics you might be interested in:
- How to reduce time to hire
- How to address biases in recruitment
- Top 5 high-volume hiring strategies
- Recruitment compliance guide
- ATS resume template guide
- Sales techniques for recruiters
- Business development strategies for recruiters