Speed Up

By Frank Mulligan - Recruit China

A HR Manager(HRM) in a big city in China has a candidate that is interested in a her position. The candidate is interviewed and assessed, and the HRM thinks they are a good fit.

The line manager interviews the candidate for technical skills and he thinks the candidate is suitable as well. So they offer this person a position in their company.

All goes well. The candidate accepts the offer and the story ends well, right?

Unfortunately, no. The process has already taken 5 weeks and in the meantime two other companies have indicated interest in talking to the candidate.

The Big Decision
Back in the candidateís world some doubts begin. Moving jobs, leaving friends, moving city, changing industries, all the issues whirl around in their head. The process inside the hiring company is quite long so they think there is still time to consider.

No rush
The candidate goes for drinks with friends who are of the opinion that there are definitely better offers out there. The candidateís family think that moving city would not be good for the family. The other two companies organise first interviews quickly.

Finally, the dealís off. The candidate takes back their acceptance of the offer and looks at the new companies for his job.

Speed Wins
So does online hiring help here?. The simple answer is yes, and itís all based on SPEED.

Online systems work instantly and they prompt Recruiters and line managers to do the things that need to be done or to follow up on the hiring process. So they are fast and integrated, and they have workflow that ensures things get done.

With offline systems, it can take weeks to get through the hiring process but online system respond immediately. A well run online hiring system can get an application in front of a recruiter 15 minutes after the application has been posted by the candidate. The system can generate an automatic reply thanking them for their application and the Recruiter can invite that candidate to interview the same afternoon.

At interview the Recruiter can ask the candidate to do a technical test and see the results immediately after the candidate has answered all the questions. If the candidate scores high she can invite the line manager to join her at the interview and close things faster.

Within a very short time an offer can be in the candidateís hand, sometimes less only 3 days after his or her initial application. This is often not enough time for the candidate to think it over and change their mind.

So, donít give candidates in China time to think it over. They have
too many choices and you will be beaten to the tape by the Recruiter with the faster process.

Even if your job is the best opportunity for the candidate.

Email frank.mulligan@recruit-china.com
Frank Mulliganís blog - english.talent-software.com