Tech Recruitment Mistakes - Speed

I cannot stress this point enough. The speed in which you are able to go through your recruitment process and having a process that is streamlined as possible is the key ingredient to securing people you want. Hands down, not being fast enough in your recruitment process is the most common mistake you can make. If you hear people say ‘Recruitment is tough’, 'there's a war for talent’ or ‘no-one accepts our job offers’ then I can tell you that they are most likely excuses for a poor process that just takes too damn long.

It’s a proven fact that people's motivation levels drop the longer they wait to hear back from something. This is also a crucial point to consider when giving feedback or making an offer, timing it just right and making an offer at the point when motivation levels are at it’s highest is the best time to secure someone. The below graph outlines the motivation levels of a candidate as they go through the recruitment process;

During week1 and week2, the motivation is climbing all the time, which is usually during the interview stages. Once complete the following weeks show how someone's motivation levels drop significantly.

Believe me, I’ve worked for many companies over the years. Time & time again we have introduced good candidates to clients and lost them in the process due to another business reacting faster and getting through their process more efficiently. I’ve had the example of sending a CV and the manager taking two weeks to respond. By that time the candidate has had x4 other processes going on, received two job offers and accepted his next position. all done in two weeks. On, then off the market, just like that. The manager was like; ‘what? how can they be gone already you only just sent the CV to me?’

Ultimately, A-player talent does not hang around. Companies that recognise this end up securing the people they want. Look at your own process; do you have too many steps? Do you take too long to give feedback? Do you need to wait for too many internal people to be available to meet this person? Do you respond quickly enough to applications?

With the shortage of tech talent available & the number of tech jobs out there increasing this will only become harder and that’s why beating your competition with a well thought out and streamlined process is the best way to secure people. If you can trim the amount of time from application to offer down, you will be able to secure more of the people you want.

By Paul Turner - Director / Co-Founder - DigiTech Search