In a normal market, finding a qualified candidate is often comparable to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. With unemployment nearing 10% today, it is more like finding a needle in a hail storm. Recruiters are relentlessly pelted with inbound requests from desperate job seekers, many of whom have been on the market for close to twelve months. It’s hard to concentrate when the phone keeps ringing with people checking on their status.
With one of our clients, we started to do some benchmarking. How many inbound calls were they receiving of the “where am I in the process” variety? The numbers were staggering. At this 20 person staffing and recruiting firm they have a reputation for a high-level of candidate communication. The founders have ingrained the mantra “every single candidate gets a call back” into the very fabric of the firm. Considering that a significant portion of their business is light industrial, the candidate pool in this current recession has shot up dramatically. What may have been possible in the 80s-90s just isn’t working today.
So, here are the numbers:
· 300 inbound calls per day for the light industrial positions (“Where am I in the process” variety)
· 5 minutes per recruiter to respond or call back
· 25 hours per day talking with candidates
· Over $150K in annual spend (FTE=$24/hour)
Over 10% of each recruiters day is dedicated to telling candidates that a decision hasn’t been made yet. Is that level of personal touch worth $150K/year?
Imagine if the receptionist could ask a simple question: “Have you received an email from us?”
If yes, then “that email will outline where you are in the process.” If no, “You should be receiving an email from us shortly.” No reason to transfer the call to the recruiter. The receptionist is able to run interference in a way that leaves the candidate whole and the recruiter undisturbed.
The $150K saved can be put towards technology, such as upgrading an Applicant Tracking System, candidate assessment tools or even VoiceScreener (had to get that in!). Any of these technologies could help address this issue in part. However, a simple change in the workflow – just answering the phone differently – could save not just time but cold hard cash. And in this economy, who doesn’t want to save some money?
This article was filed under Interview Advice & Tips and given the following tags: candidate call back, candidate communication, email reply, harqen ceo, Kelly Fitzsimmons, recruiting efficiency, recruiting follow up, recruiting process, staffing, VoiceScreener, where am i in the process, workflow.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. I’m already seeing our Technical Recruiters beginning to ask BETTER QUESTIONS through the written and verbal tools within VoiceScreener. The tool is forcing them to ask better questions. For example, rather than the standard, “How many years of experience to you have with BASIS,” they are now asking, “From a general BASIS perspective what would say your strengths are: Performance Tuning, New System Installs, Upgrades? Transport Management, Security?”
A HUGE upgrade in our quality of questions…which should lead to the MOST QUALIFIED applicant!
That’s a great example, Chris! I’d love to see if there is a way to benchmark the impact of better questions… I am sure improvements in questions will impact the quality of submittals and result in an uptick in placements. The key will be determining how best to tease apart the data to determine the most successful drivers, as question quality is one of many variables.