What’s the best way to tackle wastage in the hiring process?

In an age when we have such intelligent technology that algorithms that can decide whether we’re eligible for a mortgage, it seems unfathomable that there is so much wastage in the hiring process, as a report this week by Alexander Mann Solutions points out.

The company’s research found that three quarters of candidates sourced for a job do not meet role requirements, and around 282 candidates were considered for every role – made worse by lots of speculative applications through social media. Seventy-two percent of these candidates were discarded at an early stage, it found.

As Social Talent CEO Jonathan Campbell points out, this is happening despite the fact that recruiters have discovered many new techniques for attracting a wider talent pool – what now needs to be done is to refine this process.

Perhaps the issue is that recruiters are bombarded with routes to find candidates now – avenues are as diverse as LinkedIn to Snapchat and Instagram, so it’s hardly surprising that we can’t keep on top of the volume of potential recruits. Add to that recruitment ‘FOMO’ – fear of missing out (on candidates) – and it’s a scramble to ensure you’re getting leads from every possible source, even if those people end up being completely unsuitable.

Arguably we need to be applying technology to measure what’s happening when the recruitment process is lean, streamlined, and most importantly successful. Where are the best leads coming from? Is it a waste of time if we spend hours on Snapchat trying to source accountancy graduates that aren’t there? Which routes deliver the fastest time-to-hire or the recruits who stay the longest with their new employer?

The answers to these questions are there if we apply some intelligent analytics, and keep measuring as we go along. Recruiters used to be accused of ‘throwing as much mud at the wall to see what sticks’, so don’t be tempted to do the 21st century equivalent. Refine the sourcing process, streamline the hiring side, and keep on measuring progress. We might not eliminate every single wasted candidate, but we’ll be on our way.