A vacant post costs money every day: extra workload for the team, delayed projects, candidates who accept offers elsewhere.
Shortening the process does not mean rushing the selection, but rather eliminating downtime.
Why does slowness cost so much?
The best candidates are rarely available for long. A process that drags on for several weeks, with late follow-ups or interview feedback that never arrives, sends a negative signal about the company’s organisation. Conversely, a well-managed timeline improves the acceptance rate of job offers and the employer’s image among candidates, even those who are not selected.
Step one: identify where time is being wasted
Before changing anything, you need to map out the actual journey of a recent recruitment process, from the moment the vacancy is advertised to the signing of the contract. It is almost always the case that time is not lost during the interviews themselves, but between the stages: budget approval, drafting the job advert, waiting for feedback from managers, and scheduling appointments.
A few key indicators are enough to get started:
• Time-to-hire: the number of days between the first contact with the successful candidate and their acceptance of the offer.
• Time-to-fill: the number of days between the vacancy being advertised and the candidate signing the contract, including the time taken for internal approval.
• Offer acceptance rate: a low rate often indicates a process that is too lengthy or an offer that is poorly tailored.
• Conversion rates at each stage: from application to interview, from interview to offer, and from offer to signing the contract.
• Hiring quality: performance and retention at 6 and 12 months, to ensure that speed does not compromise the selection process.
Ways to save time
Define the requirement clearly from the outset. A clear job description, approved by the manager and HR before being advertised, avoids back-and-forth communication. It is useful to distinguish between what is essential and what is desirable: an overly long list of criteria artificially reduces the pool of candidates.
Diversify and target your sourcing. Rather than posting the vacancy in numerous places, it is better to identify the two or three channels that actually lead to hires: professional networks, universities or trade associations, a pool of candidates you have already met, and employee referrals.
Speed up the shortlisting process. A brief initial telephone conversation, using a standardised set of questions, allows candidates to be quickly ruled out or shortlisted. The screening criteria must remain objective and directly linked to the role: the Labour Code prohibits any discrimination in recruitment, and the information requested from the candidate must be directly relevant to the role on offer.
Streamline the interview process. Bringing all stakeholders together for a single half-day session, or limiting the process to two clearly defined stages, reduces delays without compromising the decision-making process. A simple internal commitment, such as providing feedback within 48 hours, is often more effective than any tool.
Pay close attention to the offer and the finalisation. A prompt offer, accompanied by a direct discussion with the prospective manager, minimises the risk of a counter-offer. Planning negotiation margins in advance avoids the need to go through an internal approval process again.