The Challenge: Despite a high number of applicants, hiring remains difficult. What's the cause?
What is a Healthy Recruitment Funnel?
The concept of a funnel is applicable to the recruitment process, representing the numbers associated with candidates at each stage. A healthy recruitment funnel is defined by the percentage of candidates reaching the final stage of employment. According to our practices, out of 10 interested candidates, only 1 is typically hired.
So, why, despite engaging with 30 or even 40 candidates in the recruitment process, does hiring not materialize?
The Issue of a Dense Recruitment Sieve
Typically, the recruiter is pointed out as the person responsible for a high rejection rate. However, the truth is that they don't have the final say in the decision-making process. The hiring manager and the candidate make the ultimate selection based on fundamental criteria related to job conditions, cultural fit, and competencies.
As is often the case, employer expectations of candidates are unrealistically high - the so-called "unicorn hunting." Simultaneously, candidates, having multiple offers to choose from, raise their expectations regarding working conditions.
What Are the Consequences of a Dense Recruitment Sieve?
Firstly, highly qualified candidates are rejected because they lack knowledge of relatively simple tools to learn.
Secondly, candidates who meet the criteria but set conditions such as hybrid work, to which the employer does not agree, exit the process.
The sum of conditions set by the employer and candidates leads to a situation where the pool of potentially suitable candidates is severely limited. In such a scenario, increasing the budget for activities like advertisements, promotions, or hiring additional sourcers will not be effective if the candidate pool is too small, and candidates who do not meet a few less critical criteria are consistently rejected.
What's the Solution? Loosen the Recruitment Sieve.
In the first instance, it is best to remove criteria of lesser importance. More realistic expectations of candidates and greater flexibility in offered working conditions will automatically increase the pool of potential candidates.
How to Loosen the Recruitment Sieve?
We typically recommend adjusting the profile of the desired candidate and simplifying the recruitment process. Before proposing any changes, we take essential steps such as analyzing the recruitment funnel, identifying reasons for candidate attrition, examining the talent pool based on the specified criteria, and pinpointing any bottlenecks. Additionally, we conduct an audit of the recruitment process to uncover areas for improvement that can enhance its overall effectiveness.
In Summary
If you find yourself in a situation where you have had multiple conversations with candidates, but no offer has been made, or the offer has been consistently rejected, it is important to consider whether you are dealing with a "dense sieve" problem. This means that your recruitment process may not be efficient enough to attract and retain the right candidates. To address this issue, you should analyze the entire recruitment process and data. If you find that your recruitment sieve is too dense, consider implementing changes to improve your recruitment process and successfully close the recruitment process.