If you’ve ever been part of the hiring process at your promo company, you know it can take a while. While it varies by position and company, the typical hiring process takes about 42 days. The longer, more drawn-out the process, the greater the risk of losing high-quality candidates to other opportunities.

Jaune Little, the director of recruiting services for Insperity, says it’s more important than ever to stand out in today’s job market — beginning with a faster interview process.

She says top talent is looking for things like flexible schedules and considerate communication. In other words, they’d like some options for interviewing, whether it’s after work or a video interview instead of a face-to-face meeting. They also appreciate interview details, timely follow-up and personalized feedback after the interview. Candidates don’t want to be ghosted or left wondering about next steps.

In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we discuss Little’s strategies for creating a quick and positive interview experience that can help you land those coveted top performers.

  • Interview fewer candidates altogether. To speed up the interview process, cut back on the number of people you interview. Little recommends spending more time in applicant screening, which can improve the interview experience for your top 3 to 5 candidates.
  • Be prepared to make an offer before you start interviewing. Know how much you can offer your candidates and get the budget approved. This allows you to make a quick offer when you find the ideal person for your role.
  • Consolidate interviews. This might mean conducting a panel interview or blocking off time for back-to-back interviews with candidates. Little says you could also ask the candidate if you can share a recorded video interview with all stakeholders. All these strategies can speed up the process. 
  • Scale back your list of interview questions. The idea is to use your time wisely with each candidate. Decide which questions you truly need to ask and what responses you need to hear in order to make the best choice, Little says. Then, cut any questions that aren’t truly necessary.
  • Gather info about candidates’ other options. Find out if the jobseekers have other offers on the table or if they’re in the final round for other positions. Little says some candidates aren’t comfortable sharing these details, but many will fill you in — especially if they’re interested enough in your opportunity. This information can help you understand their timelines better.
  • Bypass unnecessary hiring steps. Consider eliminating steps like pre-employment assessments or reference checks. Little says candidates choose references they know will say positive things about them, so you could save time by cutting this out.

If you’re looking to add the best and brightest to your promo team, consider the tips above. Speeding up the interview process can get you the talent you need faster and prevent exceptional promo pros from getting snapped up by another company.  

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Jaune Little is the director of recruiting services for Insperity.