High volume recruiting is no easy task for every company. Dealing with a gigantic amount of applicants is really time-consuming, and if you’re not careful, you might fail to meet the deadline and fail to ensure the candidates’ experience. With hundreds of positions to fill and thousands of applications to screen, you have to make extra effort to stay organized and keep track of all of them.
While job seekers have the freedom to access all the data they need about you from your sites, social media, and online reviews, you don’t necessarily have their essential information. In other words, we can all agree on the need to develop a proper high volume recruiting strategy.
But Before We Start, What is High Volume Recruiting?
High volume recruiting is, in essence, recruiting a large quantity of candidates to fill a lot of positions in a short period. The number of job openings might vary based on your business’s scale. For instance, Amazon once had up to 50,000 positions to fill in 2017.
There are 3 types of businesses that are most likely to enter a high volume recruiting scenario: Gig companies hiring gig workers like Uber, TaskRabbit, Grab, etc. Retail businesses like Amazon and Alibaba and staffing firms headhunting for their clients.
Expected Challenges When Conducting High Volume Recruiting
Managing a Staggering Amount of Applications
High volume hiring often puts an overwhelming number of applications on your table, creating a significant time crunch for reviewing and assessing candidates. Without a streamlined process, valuable time and resources can be wasted sifting through a sea of resumes.
Best Practices:
- Utilize applicant tracking systems (ATS) or event or career fair recruiting solutions like Rakuna to automate initial screenings and prioritize top candidates.
- Implement pre-screening assessments or video interviews to efficiently filter applicants.
- Establish clear criteria in your recruiting team for candidate evaluation to streamline the review process.
- Train hiring teams on effective resume-scanning techniques and arm them with resume-capturing solutions to identify key qualifications quickly.
- Regularly review and refine screening criteria to ensure alignment with hiring needs and company culture.
Maintaining Consistent Employer Branding
Consistent and compelling employer branding is crucial for attracting top talent, yet high volume hiring efforts can strain brand consistency and integrity. Inconsistencies or negative perceptions can deter potential candidates, impacting recruitment efforts and overall company reputation.
Best Practices:
- Ensure consistent messaging across all communication channels, from job postings to social media presence.
- Encourage employee advocacy by showcasing testimonials and experiences to reinforce a positive brand image.
- Actively engage with candidates through personalized communication to demonstrate the company’s commitment to candidate experience.
- Monitor and manage online reviews and feedback to address any concerns and maintain a positive employer reputation.
Delivering Exceptional Candidate Experiences
Providing a top-notch candidate experience amidst the volume of applications is essential for attracting and retaining top talent. However, it can be challenging to prioritize personalized interactions and timely communication while managing multiple applicants simultaneously.
Best Practices:
- Automate routine tasks such as application status updates and interview scheduling to free up time for personalized interactions.
- Personalize communication with candidates to make them feel valued and engaged throughout the hiring process.
- Provide clear and transparent communication about the recruitment timeline and next steps to manage candidate expectations.
- Solicit feedback from candidates post-application or interview to identify areas for improvement and enhance the candidate experience.
- Continuously evaluate and optimize the recruitment process to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in delivering exceptional candidate experiences.
Managing Stakeholder Expectations and Resources
High volume hiring requires coordination and collaboration across various stakeholders, including hiring managers, HR teams, and department heads. Balancing the expectations and resources of these stakeholders can be challenging, especially when timelines are tight and resources are limited.
Best Practices:
- Conduct regular communication and alignment meetings with stakeholders to set expectations and prioritize hiring needs.
- Develop a clear and transparent recruitment process, including defined roles and responsibilities for each stakeholder involved.
- Provide training and support for hiring managers to participate in the recruitment process and provide timely feedback effectively.
- Utilize data and analytics to demonstrate the impact of high volume hiring efforts and justify resource allocation decisions.
- Foster a collaborative and supportive culture where stakeholders feel empowered to contribute to the recruitment process and work together towards common goals.
Ensuring Diversity and Inclusion in High Volume Hiring
Maintaining diversity and inclusion in high volume hiring can be challenging, as the sheer volume of applicants may inadvertently lead to unconscious biases in the selection process. Without intentional efforts to promote diversity, recruitment teams risk perpetuating homogeneity within the workforce, which can negatively impact innovation and employee satisfaction.
Best Practices:
- Implement blind resume screening techniques to mitigate unconscious biases during the initial screening process.
- Incorporate diversity training for hiring managers to raise awareness of biases and promote inclusive hiring practices.
- Use targeted recruitment strategies to reach underrepresented candidate pools and ensure a diverse applicant pool.
- Establish diversity goals and metrics to track progress and hold the recruitment team accountable for diversity initiatives.
- Foster a culture of inclusion within the organization to attract and retain diverse talent, emphasizing the value of different perspectives and backgrounds.
High Volume Recruiting Best Practices and Strategies
Before you get to the savvy stuff, you must have all the basics in mind. A high volume recruiting strategy, no matter how complicated and original, cannot succeed without the bedrock to support
1. Assemble a Team Set for Success
Building a high performing team is the cornerstone of successful high volume hiring. With hundreds of applications pouring in for each open position, having a capable team in place is crucial for efficiently managing the recruitment process. Without the right people, the team may struggle to handle the influx of resumes effectively, leading to missed opportunities and potential setbacks in the hiring process.
Tips for Success:
- Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of each team member involved in the hiring process to ensure accountability and efficiency.
- Recruit Diverse Skill Sets: Assemble a diverse team with complementary skills and expertise to address various aspects of high volume hiring, from screening resumes to conducting interviews.
- Provide Training and Support: Offer training and ongoing support to equip team members with the necessary tools and knowledge to excel in their roles and adapt to the demands of high volume hiring.
- Leverage Technology: Invest in recruitment technology and tools, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) or a centralized digital workplace to streamline processes and alleviate the burden on your team.
- Promote Collaboration: Foster a collaborative environment where team members can share insights, collaborate on decision-making, and support each other throughout the recruitment journey, enhancing overall effectiveness and morale.
2. Align with Hiring Managers
Effective collaboration between recruitment teams and hiring managers is essential for success in high volume recruiting. With the high volume of applicants, miscommunication or lack of alignment between the two can lead to costly delays and missed opportunities. Setting clear objectives and expectations ensures that everyone is on the same page and working towards common goals.
Tips for Success:
- Establish Clear Communication Channels: Schedule regular meetings and check-ins between recruitment teams and hiring managers to discuss objectives, progress, and any challenges encountered during the hiring process.
- Define Ideal Candidate Profiles: Work collaboratively with hiring managers to develop detailed profiles outlining the specific skills, qualifications, and attributes required for each position. This ensures that recruitment efforts are targeted and focused on sourcing candidates who meet the organization’s needs.
- Set Realistic Goals and Expectations: Align realistic timelines, hiring targets, and expectations for the recruitment process to avoid misunderstandings and ensure accountability from both sides.
- Encourage Feedback and Collaboration: Foster an environment where hiring managers feel comfortable providing feedback and insights based on their interactions with candidates. This feedback loop helps refine candidate profiles and improve the overall recruitment strategy.
- Document and Track Progress: Maintain clear documentation of hiring requirements, candidate profiles, and progress updates to maintain transparency and accountability throughout the recruitment process. Utilize technology tools such as shared project management platforms or collaborative document editing to streamline communication and tracking.
3. Make Sure The Branding Game is on Point
High volume recruiting requires a plethora of applicants, which cannot be achieved without attracting a good amount of job seekers. And remember, branding is a never-ending task, appealing to a certain audience whose tastes and needs change rapidly.
Being the first step in any recruitment funnel, attraction requires certain attributes to be effective. It poses the big question: “Why should a candidate want to work for you?” and your job is to answer it. So how can you do it?
Tips for Success:
Step 1: Figure Out Your Identity as a Company
- Define Your Mission and Values: Clearly articulate what your company stands for and why it exists. Communicate your mission and values to potential candidates to attract those who align with your organizational culture.
- Showcase Your Workplace Culture: Provide insights into your company culture and work environment to give candidates a glimpse of what it’s like to work for you. Highlight employee perks, benefits, and development opportunities to attract top talent.
Step 2: Broadcast Your Image as a Business
- Harness the Power of Social Media: Utilize social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to showcase your employer brand and engage with potential candidates. Share employee testimonials, behind-the-scenes content, and company updates to humanize your brand and build connections with job seekers.
- Leverage word-of-mouth Marketing: Encourage employee advocacy and referrals to amplify your employer brand. Positive word-of-mouth can significantly impact candidate perceptions and credibility. Incentivize employees to share job openings with their networks and celebrate successful hires.
- In high volume recruiting, your employer brand is a powerful tool for attracting top talent and standing out in a crowded marketplace. By authentically showcasing your company culture, values, and opportunities, you can attract candidates who are not only qualified but also aligned with your organization’s mission and vision.
4. Improve Your Career Page
Your company’s career page serves as the gateway for potential candidates to learn more about your organization and available opportunities. In high volume recruiting, optimizing your career page is crucial for attracting and engaging many job seekers. 63% of job seekers go to a company’s career page after learning about a job opening. And it takes an average of 177.20 visits to a career site to make one hire. So to achieve a good reach for high volume recruiting, your career site should be as on-point as possible.
Tips for Success:
- Pay Attention to Visual Appeal:
When optimizing your career page, focus on creating a visually appealing experience that captivates job seekers. Opt for a clean and minimalist design with easy-to-read fonts, ensuring a seamless navigation experience. You can then enhance the page with engaging multimedia content, such as photos and videos that showcase your workplace culture and team dynamics. By incorporating visual elements effectively, you can make your career page more engaging and memorable, leaving a positive impression on potential candidates.
- Implement “Quick Apply” Functionality
Simplify the application process on your career page by offering a “Quick Apply” option, allowing candidates to submit their applications with minimal effort. When conducting high volume recruiting, recognize that not all job seekers have a polished CV or the time to complete lengthy application forms. By offering a quick and convenient application process, you demonstrate your commitment to candidate convenience and accessibility.
5. Keep the Application Short
In high volume recruiting, it’s crucial to prioritize efficiency and minimize barriers to entry for potential candidates. Research shows that 92% of applicants would give up on an online application form if it took 15 minutes or more to complete, and 10% would quit the process entirely just after 5 minutes.
To optimize your recruitment process, keep the application brief and focused, avoiding redundant questions already covered in resumes. While creativity is encouraged, save elaborate elements for the interview stage and ensure the application remains concise and straightforward.
6. Define Categories
High volume recruiting poses a vast amount of positions to be filled, with a variety of job types and required skill sets. The recruiter’s job becomes a lot more complicated and more prone to mistakes, while for the job seekers, it becomes time-consuming and less intuitive to browse for job openings. If your career site isn’t organized, many positions will be missed, and so will a big number of talents available.
To smooth the process, the job descriptions should be sorted into categories with which the job seekers can look for jobs that fit their requirements. It should be as intuitive as shopping online, but instead of searching by brand and price, you’re searching by type of work, level, and salary range.
Tips for Success:
- Categorize by Job Type and Level: Group job listings into categories based on job type (e.g., sales, marketing, engineering) and level (e.g., entry-level, mid-level, senior-level) to facilitate easy navigation for job seekers.
- Include Salary Range Information: Provide salary range information for each job listing to give candidates a clear understanding of the compensation package associated with the position.
- Utilize Customization Filters: Implement customization filters similar to those found in online shopping websites, allowing candidates to refine their search based on criteria such as job category, location, and salary range. One perfect example of this method can be seen on Foot Locker’s career page. Their job lists resemble a site of a footwear shop list (they sell footwear, in case you haven’t noticed). Candidates search for jobs just like how they would buy sneakers – by customizing, they can choose what category they want to work in, the job type, the brand, and the specific location.
- Regularly Update and Maintain Categories: Ensure job categories are periodically updated and maintained to reflect organizational needs and changes in market trends. Remove outdated categories and add new ones as needed to keep the career site current and relevant.
7. Take Down Listings When Positions are Filled
It’s simple: when a role has been filled, do away with it. You don’t want more people applying for it than necessary; it wastes their time and yours and costs you money. So, since you won’t employ them anyway, why not spare them the trouble of applying and getting rejected?
This is also a reminder for every other aspect of your business: just try to keep everything up to date.
8. Widen The Pool by Offering Training
In high volume recruiting, many job seekers may hesitate to apply for positions due to perceived skill gaps or lack of experience. This reluctance can limit the pool of potential candidates and hinder diversity and inclusion efforts. Skills are undeniably crucial in an employee, but so are their mindset and commitment. You can never know what you’re missing out on if you let your company come across as exclusive.
However, by offering training opportunities for roles that require minimal experience, recruiters can broaden the talent pool and provide opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds to enter the workforce.
Tips for Success:
- Identify Entry-Level Positions: Identify roles within your organization that require minimal experience or specific technical skills and are suitable for on-the-job training.
- Develop Training Programs: Create training programs or initiatives tailored to the needs of entry-level candidates, focusing on essential skills and competencies required for the role.
- Promote Opportunities for Growth: Highlight the training opportunities available to candidates in job postings and recruitment materials to attract individuals who may be hesitant to apply due to lack of experience.
- Partner with Educational Institutions or Nonprofits: Collaborate with educational institutions, vocational training programs, or nonprofit organizations to identify potential candidates and provide access to training resources.
- Offer Mentorship and Support: Pair entry-level employees with experienced mentors or coaches who can provide guidance, support, and feedback as they navigate their roles and develop their skills.
By offering training opportunities for entry-level positions, recruiters can expand the talent pool, promote diversity and inclusion, and provide pathways for career advancement, ultimately benefiting both candidates and the organization.
Contact Past Candidates
Maintaining connections with past candidates is a valuable practice in high volume recruiting. While candidates may not have been the right fit for previous roles, they could possess the skills and qualifications needed for future opportunities within the organization. By nurturing relationships with past candidates, recruiters can tap into a pool of potential talent and build a robust pipeline for future hiring needs.
Tips for Success:
- Build and Maintain a Candidate Database: Create a centralized database with Rakuna Recruiting CRM to store candidate information and track interactions, including past applications, interviews, and feedback.
- Regularly Communicate with Past Candidates: Keep in touch with past candidates through periodic updates, newsletters, or personalized messages to stay top-of-mind and maintain engagement.
- Personalize Outreach: When contacting past candidates about new opportunities, personalize your communications to demonstrate genuine interest and consideration for their career goals and interests.
- Provide Value-Added Content: Offer resources, industry insights, or professional development opportunities to provide value to past candidates and keep them engaged with your organization.
- Re-Engage Talent Pools: Leverage past candidate data to proactively source talent for specific roles or initiatives, saving time and resources on recruitment efforts.
By proactively reaching out to past candidates and nurturing these relationships over time, recruiters can establish a reliable talent pipeline and ensure a steady supply of qualified candidates for future hiring needs.
Provide a Great Candidate Experience
Positive candidate experience goes hand-in-hand with positive employer brand and application quality. Every candidate, be it qualified or disqualified talent, should have an attentive and positive recruitment experience. The alternative is dealing with potential backlash and negative reviews toward your organization.
While managing large volumes of candidates may seem daunting, strategic planning and attention to detail can make it achievable.
Key Strategies:
- Communication Transparency: Keep candidates informed about the recruitment process every step of the way. Provide clear timelines, expectations, and next steps to manage their expectations and reduce uncertainty.
- Timely Updates: Regularly communicate with candidates to provide updates on their application status. Even a simple acknowledgment of receipt or a quick update can go a long way in keeping candidates engaged and informed.
- Constructive Feedback: Offer constructive feedback to candidates post-interview, regardless of the outcome. Providing specific insights on areas of strength and areas for improvement demonstrates respect for their efforts and helps them grow professionally.
Benefits:
- Enhanced Employer Brand: A positive candidate experience reflects well on your company and enhances your employer brand. Candidates who feel valued and respected are more likely to speak positively about their experience, attracting other top talent to your organization.
- Better-Quality Applications: A reputation for providing a great candidate experience can lead to an increase in high-quality applications in the future. Candidates with positive experience are more likely to apply for future opportunities and recommend your company to others.
5 Important Recruitment Metrics to Track
Interview-to-Hire Ratio:
The interview-to-hire ratio measures the number of interviews conducted relative to the number of hires made. In high volume recruiting, efficiency is crucial, and tracking this ratio provides insights into the effectiveness of the interview process and selection criteria. A high ratio may indicate a need for process refinement, while a low ratio may suggest overly stringent screening. Monitoring this metric helps optimize the interview process over time.
Quality of Hire:
Evaluating the performance and impact of candidates hired through the recruitment process is essential for long-term success. This metric considers factors like job performance, productivity, cultural fit, and retention rates. By tracking the quality of hires, recruiters can assess the effectiveness of their selection criteria, sourcing channels, and candidate assessment methods.
Time to Fill a Position:
The time taken to fill a position directly impacts recruitment efficiency and costs. Measuring time-to-fill helps assess the effectiveness of recruitment methods and streamline the hiring process. Reducing time-to-fill ensures prompt placement of top talent, minimizing disruptions to team productivity and maintaining a competitive edge.
Source of Hire:
Identifying the platforms that generate the most applications provides valuable insights for recruitment strategy. By investing resources in the most effective sourcing channels, recruiters can optimize their efforts and reduce costs. Understanding the source of hires helps allocate resources strategically and maximize recruitment ROI.
Cost per Hire:
The cost-per-hire metric evaluates the effectiveness of the recruiting process by analyzing recruitment expenses relative to the number of hires. Regularly examining cost per hire by department and position enables strategic planning to optimize recruitment spending. By identifying areas for cost optimization, recruiters can improve efficiency and allocate resources more effectively.
Further Reading: 28 Vital Event Recruiting Statistics & Elements To Monitor
Tools Required to Master High Volume Recruiting
Applicant Tracking System (ATS):
An ATS is essential for managing the high volume of applicants efficiently. It automates various aspects of the recruitment process, such as sourcing candidates, parsing resumes, scheduling interviews, and tracking candidate progress. Choose an ATS that aligns with your agency’s needs and provides insightful data on performance.
AI-Powered Chatbots:
AI-powered chatbots can streamline the initial screening process by answering common candidate queries and gauging their interest levels. Chatbots equipped with advanced AI technology can provide personalized responses and enhance candidate engagement, ultimately saving time for recruiters and applicants alike.
Social Recruiting Tools:
Platforms like LinkedIn Recruiter and Twitter offer potent tools for sourcing talent and building employer brand visibility. LinkedIn Recruiter allows recruiters to perform advanced searches and target candidates based on specific criteria, while Twitter enables the showcasing of company culture and the engagement of potential candidates through strategic hashtag strategies.
Rakuna’s Candidate Relationship Management Solution
Rakuna Recruiting CRM automates and scales the process of reaching out to qualified candidates who may not be actively job searching. Recruiting CRM facilitates personalized email campaigns, sends timely follow-ups, tracks engagement metrics, and prevents overwhelming recipients with too many emails simultaneously, ensuring efficient communication with potential candidates.
Want to see Recruiting CRM in action? Book a FREE Demo with Rakuna!
Rakuna’s Interview Scheduling Solution
Another dreaded prospect of high-volume recruiting is scheduling a staggering amount of interviews (That is if you are doing it manually). That’s where Rakuna’s Interview Scheduling Software comes in.
Serving as a centralized hub for recruiters, it efficiently automates the entire scheduling workflow. Acting as an intelligent secretary, the software suggests optimal interview times based on recruiters’ calendars while also providing candidates the flexibility of self-scheduling.
Want to see Interview Scheduling in action? Book a FREE Demo with Rakuna!
Advanced AI-Powered Search Engines:
AI-powered search engines like ContactOut can significantly expedite candidate sourcing efforts by quickly retrieving candidates’ information from various sources. These tools leverage AI technology to streamline resume scanning and communication processes, ultimately enhancing efficiency in high-volume recruiting endeavors.
Conclusion
While high-volume recruiting is quite a challenge, it can be done beautifully with the right strategies. By clarifying the criteria for open positions, keeping the process short and up-to-date, polishing your brand, and maintaining great relationships with your candidates, you can rest assured your plan is fail-proof. And with further implementation of strategies and practices, you are going to crush high-volume recruiting, no matter how high your goals are.
