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In this article, we are highlighting actionable recruiter interview processes and best practices as part of your overall recruitment funnel optimization strategy.
You have a strong list of qualified candidates for your recent job posting. Now what?
It’s time to begin reviewing and submitting candidates to your client, and get those interviews scheduled. With top qualified candidates at a premium, there is no time to waste.
Optimization helps minimize time and maximize efforts.
Having a process in place for reviewing submissions with your clients and scheduling interviews is the first step to better recruiter interview processes.
Next, ensure there are clear expectations, timelines, and actionable items for your clients so they understand the process.
Check out our first three posts in the series about optimizing your Job Posting, finding qualified talent through Candidate Sourcing, and Applicant Engagement.
If you read our previous three posts, you’re ready to take your list of qualified candidates and present them to the client to begin scheduling successful interviews.
But before we get into how we can create efficiencies, let’s look at some quick facts about interviewing from a 2020 Recruiters Survey:
- Recruiters’ #1 interview scheduling challenge is finding a time that works for everyone.
- 67% of respondents say it takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours to schedule a single interview.
- On average, recruiters are spending ⅔ of their overall hiring time on the interview process.
- 56% of companies have a dedicated person on their recruiting team who is responsible for scheduling interviews.
Those numbers are worrying when you’re eating up that much time on interviewing alone and needing to hire a full-time individual just to keep on top of scheduling!
How to Optimize (Make It Better) the Submission Process
Step 1: Standard Your Process for Client Submission
Whether starting from scratch or using a preferred and proven template, you want to ensure that all recruiters are using a standard process for submitting candidates to clients.
This means using a proven timeline, outreach schedule, and email (and text) templates to help your recruiters move a candidate through the submission process with a client.
Using templates and standard processes not only helps facilitate a successful and efficient workflow, it also ensures that all emails and communications are setup according to your branding and business standards.
Step 2: Create a Sequence for Client Submission
Sequences are workflows that allow recruiters to create unique, intuitive, and targeted communication plans for specific scenarios and standard processes.
Similar to our applicant engagement post and creating sequences for candidates, they are also perfect for creating communication with clients to review the shortlist of candidates.
Tracker offers several features to help streamline the submission process for your recruiters.
Resume Sends is one of those features.
Sending Resumes is a fundamental part of the recruitment process and one of key focus in Tracker’s process workflow.
With support for both Document and Video Resume Sends and by either traditional Email or using the Online Client Portal, the consultant can be flexible to the individual needs of each client and candidate.
We distinguish between original resumes that are sent by Candidates and “Agency Resumes” that are typically reformatted by the recruiters and have a consistent branded appearance with headers and footers.
With our Resume Sends, these can be created at the point of registration or within the Shortlist. With as little as 4 clicks, an existing Candidate resume can be standardized, reformatted in any number of designs and placed within your branded Word document or PDF template, ready to send instantly.
We also recommend using Short Lists.
Candidates can be Shortlisted with a single click and with our traffic light system on both lists, everyone can be clear on the status of each Candidate at anytime. Personalized template emails or texts can be bulk sent from either list making the engagement with both prospective and in-process Candidates simple to track.
Our desire to ensure that every aspect of the recruitment process can be actioned directly within the Shortlist, be that reformatting resumes, sending interview confirmations to all parties or sending offer/placement confirmations, this is one of the most productive aspects of Tracker.
Another helpful feature is Task Boards.
Using our Task Boards feature, users and clients alike can create personal or group tasks, such as sending our creating sequences. Think about it like your virtual assistant keeping you on track with your priorities so nothing slips through the cracks.
Key Features & Time-Savers:
- Sequences
- Resume Sends
- Short List
- Task Boards
“I like everything about this program, it makes it very easy for workflow and process. It is very user-friendly I can easily pick up where I left off and the email functionality is awesome, now that I am using it.” – Lisa from Knowledge Builders Inc.
How to Optimize (Make It Better) the Interview Process
Step 1: Standardize Process for Interviewing
The interview is such a critical part of the recruitment process. Every individual has different comfort levels and every client may have different preferences, which is why Tracker supports all the essential interview functions without the need for third party applications.
When it comes to your recruitment team or firm’s interview process, you want to ensure that all recruiters are using a standard and proven process for requesting and scheduling interviews between clients and candidates.
This means using a proven timeline, outreach schedule, and email (and text) templates to help your recruiters move a candidate through the interview process with a client.
Using templates and standard processes not only helps facilitate a successful and efficient workflow, it also ensures that all emails and communications are setup according to your branding and business standards.
Step 2: Create a Sequence for Client Interview Scheduling
Interview sequences are workflows that allow recruiters to create unique, intuitive, and targeted communication and scheduling plans for your defined interview process.
From in-person and phone call to 1- or 2-way video interviewing, we make it simple and easy to schedule and record interviews.
Tracker offers several features to help build the sequence for your interview scheduling process.
Video Interviews is one of those features.
Using our Video Interviews feature you can tailor unlimited interview questions and send out to candidates to record on their own time, on any device! No more finding the best time for both parties, worrying about having the right app or device! And all submitted video interviews can be instantly reviewed by you and your clients. We estimate you can save over 60% of your current interviewing time using this unique feature.
But you not only reduce the amount of time, you also reduce costs by eliminating third party applications. Every interview is tracked and organized in one spot in Tracker for easy access for candidate history – no matter how many placement phases the candidate has completed.
But don’t worry, if you still want to use your current systems like Zoom, Hangouts, or Teams, you still can! You can organize from within our Tracker system and include the meeting link and information directly into the invites.
Bonus Points: Using our video interviewing feature, you can also bulk arrange interviews, attaching important information, all from one screen for multiple candidates! No more duplicating emails over and over again.
Key Features & Time-Savers:
- Interview Sequence (aka Drip Campaign)
- Video Interviews
“Having used several other video interviewing tools, we have found Tracker’s Video Interviews to be the fore runner when it comes to stability and ease of use. There is no lag, and our Candidates can record them wherever they are on their phones which for us means our business can respond quickly. We love that it is integrated so within just 4 clicks a video interview is out the door and with the Candidate. It really could not be simpler!” – Dan Barfoot, CMD Recruitment
Bonus Points for Interviewing Process
Video Resumes is a unique feature at Tracker that allows you to send individual or bulk email requests to candidates with a specific set of questions or topics you want to hear about.
Candidates can record on any device and send as many as they want, which can then be stored and accessed on Tracker by you AND your client through the client portal.
The video resume, along with their written resume, can give your client an all-around impression of each candidate to assist in their decision making. The client can even rate, hire, reject, or request an interview from the client portal based on these submissions.
Building Better Recruiter Interview Processes (and More)
Tracker offers intuitive and time-saving features to support your recruitment team in sourcing the most qualified candidates efficiently. Our multitude of candidate sourcing features allow you and your team to work smarter, not harder for all around success.
Want to see how much time our Submission and Interview Scheduling features can save your recruitment team? Contact us to book a demo.
About Tracker
Tracker helps recruiting and staffing firms build better processes, workflows, and revenue every day. Over the last 15+ years, we have developed Tracker into a leading cloud-based Recruitment, Applicant Tracking and CRM Software provider serving staffing and recruiting firms across the globe.
