I often talk about the “hiring process.” But THE hiring process is really made up of many hiring subprocesses. And if you can’t name, measure and optimize all these hiring subprocesses, they can kill your candidate experience and your overall recruiting effectiveness.
A simple hiring process, for example, would be: Attract job seekers, source job seekers, convert them to applicants, screen them, interview them, evaluate them, extend an offer, and repeat. Each of these process steps can be broken down into subprocesses that may or may not seem obvious.
Simple sourcing, for example, would include identifying search characteristics, acquiring data from various sources, drafting and sending invitations to apply, evaluating and forwarding candidates, etc. Interviewing would include drafting and sending invitations, scheduling, welcoming candidates, conducting meetings, evaluating interviews, communicating results, etc.
In addition to these hiring subprocesses, there are also parallel processes. Internal hiring, for example, might have a similar but more streamlined process with its own unique subprocesses. There may be separate processes and subprocesses for hourly hiring or seasonal hiring as well.
Subprocesses Often Hidden
The hiring process involves many subprocesses, like candidate screening or applicant assessment, that are often invisible to talent acquisition teams. For example, online assessments, often powered by artificial intelligence, may be administered without insight into the candidate’s experience of accessing or completing them.
Poor experiences can reduce completion rates, shrinking the talent pool and impacting recruitment plan effectiveness. Similarly, job advertising may attract candidates, but if sourcing subprocesses, like agency outreach, lack clear communication, candidates’ perceptions suffer, reducing applicant quality.
Gaining Visibility Through Feedback
The best way to understand hidden subprocesses is to ask candidates about their experiences. Real-time feedback on job description clarity, assessment usability, or interview scheduling reveals what works and what doesn’t.
For example, candidates can flag confusing job board postings, helping answer: How can job seekers identify a fake job posting on online job boards? By ensuring clear, legitimate postings, organizations avoid job board scams that deter applicants. This feedback-driven approach optimizes subprocesses, ensuring a smoother hiring process and better candidate experience.
Protecting Candidates and Enhancing Processes
What are the risks of falling for a job board scam? Candidates may face identity theft or wasted time, damaging trust in the employer. Asking: How can job seekers protect their accounts on job board platforms? Secure platforms with strong verification processes help.
During candidate screening, a background check ensures legitimacy, protecting both parties. Feedback also highlights issues in onboarding, ensuring new hires transition smoothly. Collecting insights from all candidates, internal, external, hourly, or exempt, in real time, provides actionable data to refine each subprocess.
Driving Recruitment Success
By measuring and optimizing hiring subprocesses, organizations unlock hidden potential. An analytics-driven approach, using feedback from assessments or onboarding, allows talent acquisition teams to manage data-driven experiences at scale.
This ensures the recruitment plan delivers high-quality hires efficiently, enhancing overall effectiveness. Download the free whitepaper “The Data Driven Candidate Experience Maturity Model” to learn more about managing subprocesses for a stellar candidate experience.
You need to ask ALL your candidates. And you need to ask the internal candidates different questions than the external candidates.
And the hourly candidates different questions than the exempt candidates. And don’t ask them after the requisition has closed, because they won’t remember and they will no longer have an incentive to respond to you. Ask them the right questions in real time as they finish each process and subprocess.
The answers you get will allow you to actively manage and optimize your TA efforts in ways never before possible. This approach is called managing data driven experiences at scale and it can unlock huge hidden potential in your hiring process (and subprocesses!). For more about how to measure and manage hiring subprocesses, download the free whitepaper “The Data Driven Candidate Experience Maturity Model.”
FAQs
What are the risks of falling for a job board scam?
Risks include identity theft, financial loss, or wasted time, undermining trust in the hiring process.
How can job seekers protect their accounts on job board platforms?
Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication to safeguard personal information during talent sourcing.
How does artificial intelligence improve applicant assessment?
AI streamlines candidate screening by analyzing qualifications efficiently, enhancing recruitment plan accuracy.
Why is onboarding critical to the hiring process?
Effective onboarding ensures new hires integrate smoothly, boosting retention and overall recruitment success.
