This article is part of the Hiring Process Guide. Read our related articles on improving the hiring process and how to create a hiring process timeline.
We continue our series dedicated to the Hiring Process with an important aspect: the hiring process timeline.
Hiring Process Timeline Basics
What is it?
The hiring process timeline is the period and set of activities you do between opening and closing a role.
According to the Society of Human Resource Management, the average hiring process is 42 days long. However, remember that this is just an estimate and not set in stone.
Why is it important to have a clear timeline?
Having a clear hiring timeline brings structure and predictability to how you do things. Moreover, it is an excellent communication and tracking tool for the people involved in the hiring process. Having a structured timeline increases transparency and ensures everybody involved is on the same page and can plan their time accordingly.
Hiring Process Flowchart
If you are looking into ways of making the timeline and hiring process appealing and easier to understand, consider creating a flowchart.
A hiring process flowchart is a visual layout of how your company plans to recruit talent. It can be a simple drawing or create a customized design.
How to create a hiring process timeline
If creating a timeline sounds like a good idea to you, let’s dive deep into how you can create one:
Step 1: Set a deadline
Start with the end date and plan backward. What does this mean? Set a specific deadline for when you need to onboard the new talent. Based on that end date, think about what things should be done to achieve it.
Pro Tip: Get back to your previous recruitment processes and identify how long each stage of the process t
Step 2: Set a target number of applicants
The thing with the hiring process is that it might seem ongoing. That’s why it is important to decide what is the number of candidates that you plan on interviewing to be able to close the position on time.
Step 3: Schedule interviews
Once you have the deadline and target of applicants, you can think of a timeframe to schedule interviews. Although we recommend you be flexible when setting the interviews, you should also consider setting some ferm boundaries and time limits.
Step 4: Set time aside for reviews
Not setting time aside for reviews is one of the common mistakes of HR professionals. When planning the timeline, make sure you include a period dedicated to the hiring approval process.
Speeding up the hiring process
We know what you think. Indeed there are a lot of things to put in place to ensure you have an efficient hiring process.
We come to the rescue, and we want to share with you three tips that you can use to speed up the hiring process:
Tip #1 Use Social Media
Everybody is now on Social Media and is much easier to reach them than the old recruitment methods. Make sure your company has a constant online presence and use the recruitment tools that you have available. You can also use LinkMatch integration with LinkedIn to make your life easier.
Tip #2 Hire for attitude
Skills are necessary, but the attitude should be the deal breaker. Hiring someone with a great attitude means they will be open to learning and can adapt to different circumstances.
Tip #3 Practice your interviews
Practice makes things perfect. Although when thinking about interviews, we mostly think about the candidate, it’s important to consider the recruiter as well. You can do some role play and practice the interview flow with your colleagues or HR Manager. You can identify the blind spots and how to make things better.
Please check our latest blog posts if you are looking for more relevant information related to the Hiring Process.
Hiring Process Timeline FAQ
How long should the hiring process be?
It usually takes up to 42 days. You can adapt the timeline based on your industry, resources, and project.
How long are candidates typically on the market?
Some studies confirmed that the best talent is off the market in 10 days and even lower.