How to Improve Process Efficiency in Volume Hiring

High-volume recruiting campaigns can be riddled with inefficiencies without HR teams even realizing. This is usually because in-house recruitment processes gradually evolve. Consequently, a certain lack of efficiency is accepted as the norm. 

Often, high-volume recruitment drives are just scaled-up versions of manual hiring processes initially intended for fewer roles and smaller businesses. As a result, lots of organizations are missing out on the many ways their recruitment operations could change for the better.

Then, Covid-19 came along. The pandemic forced many such organizations to convert to a digital hiring process. It was time to leave a century-old history of manual hiring practices behind, for which many weren’t prepared for, and therefore, did so without a clear strategy.

The solution?

We need to go back to the drawing board to make the most out of volume hiring in the digital age. First, organizations need to understand what their hiring process requires and what it should look like. Then, with these foundations laid, they can start building a more efficient process.

What causes inefficiencies in the volume hiring process?

For years companies with volume hiring requirements have used digital tools. Often, each platform was added to the existing tech stack one by one to patch a new problem. Unfortunately, this typically leads to fragmentation and poor integration. As a result, some manual tasks are eliminated, while others are created. 

These new and tedious tasks often center around navigating the multitude of tools. 

For example:

• Switching between systems
• Maintaining multiple platforms
• Having to interpret assessment results manually
• Unstructured data collection and visualization
• Compiling up-to-date information in one synchronized place

Another side-effect of this model is that recruiters are forced to work around the system. They don’t work inside of it.

For instance, individual analytics tools are oftentimes in place to make up for the lack of visibility into the recruitment metrics. However, recruiters still have to pull in information from all their tools and analyze data in Excel spreadsheets. Or, there might be assessment tools, but recruiters have to interpret the results manually.

This doesn’t just slow down the process. It also reintroduces unnecessary human bias.

Improving process efficiency in volume recruitment

Now that we’ve covered the problems let’s turn our attention to how the volume hiring process can be improved.

Simplify your recruitment tech stack

The first step is to cut out as many unnecessary systems as possible. The goal isn’t to lose functionality but instead to accomplish the same tasks with fewer tools. There are several software solutions on the market that can combine multiple processes into one.

Sourcing, for example, can be taken over by programmatic advertising. For the remainder of the recruitment process, you can use recruitment software that enables you to manage candidates from application to hire. 

Harver, for example, is purpose-built for volume hiring. It’s an end-to-end digital hiring platform that automates your full recruitment process while providing candidates with an engaging experience and ensuring streamlined data collection and processing. 

In short, with an end-to-end hiring solution, your team can stop navigating from one tool to the next. Not only does this make day-to-day operations slicker, but it also cuts down on training time too. After all, recruitment staff only have to learn how to use one intuitive tool – and learn it well. They don’t risk getting confused by different interfaces with different processes.

Automate tasks that don’t require real-time human input

The most consistent way of making volume hiring more efficient is to identify tedious and repetitive tasks that can be automated using AI. This is especially true of jobs that don’t require human judgment to run effectively, such as screening and assessing candidates. 

While the ultimate hiring decision requires a human touch, early-stage pre-screening usually comes down to basic numeric requirements. In addition, technology can interpret most pre-employment assessments, making it easy to identify high-performing candidates. That same automation software can then push candidates through to the next phase of your recruitment funnel.

Other easily automated tasks include scheduling interviews, data collection, and reporting on recruitment KPIs.

Platforms like Harver, built for volume hiring, automate all these tasks, creating a fast and enjoyable digital experience for candidates and recruiters alike. 

What about the value of human interaction?

Many recruiters are afraid to embrace automation for fear of losing the human component. 

However, automating ‘behind-the-scenes’ steps like moving candidates from one column to another bears no weight on the candidate experience. Nor does it matter whether a computer or a human assesses numeric results.

In fact, automating these kinds of steps can provide a smoother candidate experience as well. Namely, because it leaves recruiters with more time to focus their efforts on the human side of recruitment. I.e., providing valuable feedback, responding promptly to queries and questions, etc. 

Even if you adopt a fully automated recruitment process, recruiters can still introduce a human component through recorded video interviews. These allow recruiters to see the candidates and vice-versa. In addition, organizations can further incorporate videos throughout that recruitment funnel that showcase their workplace culture and environment.

Here’s an example of an applicant journey from Albert Heijn. As you can see, there are multiple options for interacting with candidates throughout the process, even if most of the steps are automated.