Full-cycle recruiting isn’t really a new concept in today’s world of human resource management. Yet, some people might still be confused about what it is exactly.
That’s why, in this article, we will explain full-cycle recruiting, explain how it works, and how it may benefit you and your company.
Full–Cycle Recruiting in a Nutshell
As the name implies, full-cycle recruiting refers to the whole recruitment process in a company. The entire procedure begins when a firm decides to fill a position and finishes when a new worker fills in and takes on that role.
The full-cycle recruiting procedure often includes numerous phases: preparation, receiving applications, screening, selection, hiring, and onboarding. Of course, different companies may employ other processes, but these are the most typical.
Aside from that, the number of staff required to complete the entire procedure will vary depending on the company. The company’s size usually determines how many people are involved in a full-cycle recruiting process.
In larger organizations, each step is usually overseen by a different person. That’s because it’s critical that they carefully delegate these duties so that their workflow is not affected.
On the other hand, small businesses may have only a few people sharing tasks or possibly just one person running the whole recruitment cycle. Companies and recruitment professionals usually label this position as the “hiring manager.”
Some businesses prefer to use a third party for their recruitment procedure. This trend is picking up steam, especially now that corporations have recognized its affordability and efficiency.
Nonetheless, organizations that emphasize confidentiality in their hiring policies typically avoid the practice.
The Six Steps in Full–Cycle Recruiting
Now that you know what full-cycle recruiting is, let’s move on to discuss the different stages of the process. In this case, there are six steps you need to familiarize yourself with.
Each stage of a full-cycle recruitment process is equally crucial and cannot be skipped. After all, it’s critical to be thorough while reviewing each application to find the right candidate for the position.
With that said, here are the six steps in full-cycle recruiting.
- Preparation
In this initial phase, a hiring manager must decide who the ideal applicant is. It’s critical to determine the abilities, credentials, and expertise the ideal candidate must possess.
It’s also helpful if hiring managers can define what kind of education and professional background applicants should have at this stage. Knowing such factors ahead of time can assist a hiring manager in sorting out applicants who are inappropriate for the role.
In many cases, defining the ideal applicant serves as the cornerstone for your whole life cycle recruiting process. In fact, you should note that this phase will impact all subsequent decisions.
That’s why it’s worthwhile to take the time to do things correctly in this phase. After all, a lack of clear criteria for candidates might cost the company a lot of money. For example, companies typically waste around $14,900 on average for every failed hiring.
During this step, a recruiting manager must also talk with the employer regarding how high a salary they want to offer someone in this capacity. Explaining the salary range will benefit both the recruiting manager and the applicants.
Of course, the number may vary based on how close applicants are to the condition you have defined. Following that, you shouldn’t forget to create a job description that provides an overview of the role, duties, incentives, and other company information.
- Receiving Applications
The next step is to begin the receiving applications phase. For this, hiring managers can use various techniques to discover qualified candidates for open positions.
Listing the position on job boards or career portals is the most commonly used tactic. Meanwhile, others may opt to find applicants by sharing the job posting on social media or the company’s website.
Trying to find talent within the organization is also a viable alternative. This is because existing personnel may be qualified for the role and are usually faster to onboard.
To find recruits, some larger companies use an employee recommendation scheme. This is the point at which employers approach current workers to see if they know someone who might be a good fit for the role.
According to studies, this approach can result in better success rates in terms of employee acquisition. This is because it’s generally easier for applicants to connect with their prospective employers.
You should know that only 30% of job seekers are actively looking for work. Thus, it may be helpful to get out there and proactively ask prospects if they are interested in the available position. LinkedIn is usually the most preferred channel for hiring managers when using this technique.
- Screening
Once a hiring manager has a list of applicants, the next step is to narrow it down to the most promising candidates. Many businesses are now adopting ATS or CRMS platforms to help recruit managers in organizing candidate lists.
Having access to such a system can help hiring managers save a significant amount of time when going through hundreds and even thousands of entries. That’s because the system will be the one to analyze resumes for keywords and other critical details, and it may also evaluate whether or not the candidates are qualified.
Still, regardless of the technique a hiring manager uses, the goal of screening these materials is to identify applicants whose abilities, qualifications, and background are most aligned with the post. Therefore, this step is critical in determining the applicant who best meets your needs.
A recruiting manager can start conducting interviews with the prospects with the final names in hand. A remote interview is now the most common method. The most recent data reveals there was a 135% growth in remote recruitment processes.
- Selection
Usually, the first interview isn’t enough to determine whether a candidate is the best match for the position. This is why hiring managers must conduct in-person interviews with candidates.
A hiring manager has the chance to ask more in-depth topics during this encounter. Moreover, the primary purpose of this interview is to learn further about their professional expertise.
A hiring manager may also use other assessments, such as essay writing or having applicants complete a set of activities. These tests aim to determine whether or not they are a perfect fit for the job.
Aside from assessing the candidates’ background and qualifications, a hiring manager should also consider if the prospects match the company’s culture. In fact, according to 84% of recruiters, the concept of cultural fit has become an essential element in recruiting.
This is also when a hiring manager may start reviewing the candidate’s contacts or request a background investigation.
- Hiring
The fifth stage is the hiring process. At this point, a hiring manager must execute two critical measures: offering and negotiation. During this stage, you’ll need to discuss wages and benefits with the applicant so that you can find a plan that suits everybody.
With that said, the candidate can accept the offer, negotiate the employment terms, or decline the offer. Sometimes, an applicant will not accept a job offer right away.
The hiring stage is completed after everyone has agreed on the terms of employment. This is when the candidate decides when to join the company and begin the onboarding process.
- Onboarding
We have arrived at the final stage of a full-cycle recruiting process: onboarding. This is the time during which the employee begins to familiarize themself with the company’s routine and atmosphere.
Typically, at this step, the employee fills out paperwork, learns more about the company’s values, and undergoes basic training for their position. The hiring manager’s role here is to ensure that the candidate fits in with the company’s culture and environment.
How Companies Can Benefit from the Full Cycle Recruiting Process
You now understand the fundamentals of full-cycle recruiting. However, what makes the entire process so critical to a business? What are the advantages of implementing the complete cycle recruitment approach for business owners?
One of the most prevalent reasons for firms to embrace the practice is that it improves the effectiveness of the recruitment process. It unifies the whole process into a single entity, whether it’s the HR team or a recruiting manager.
The next reason is that it increases the HR department’s accountability. Full-cycle recruiting ensures everyone understands who is in charge of the next stage and makes it easy to discover mistakes or inconsistencies. Such improvements can significantly enhance the whole workflow’s performance.
Full-cycle recruiting also brings vision and strategy together. After all, it’s easier to maintain a centralized recruitment method since the same entity handles the hiring process from start to end.
Still, more crucially, it generally makes it more effortless for the recruiter to tie hiring criteria into bigger corporate goals. The recruiting process may also be easily monitored by the company’s owner or another relevant official.
Lastly, it enhances the applicant experience. Because an applicant is transferred from one recruiter to the next, a traditional hiring technique might sometimes feel impersonal. On the other hand, full-cycle recruiting leads to a more personalized feeling.
Rather than being handed from one desk to the next, applicants have a contact person throughout the process. It certainly boosts a new employee’s sense of belongingness, potentially minimizing turnover and enhancing performance.
The Dos and Don’ts of Full Cycle Recruiting
Full-cycle recruiting indeed has a lot of advantages for a company. However, it also entails that the recruiting process puts a far heavier burden on the recruiter’s shoulders. As a result, the recruiter must be well-versed in the intricacies of the recruitment process.
The first piece of advice is to employ technology to assist recruiters in their work. According to research, only 55% of recruiting professionals make the best use of technology.
There are plenty of recruitment technologies available. So, having a training session for recruitment staff might be a good strategy for maximizing the benefits of those functional platforms.
More importantly, it would be best not to wait for the ideal prospect to reveal itself. The most strategic recruiters go ahead and explore the talent pool for qualified applicants for open positions.
Other recruiters are constantly on the lookout for the top candidates. So, it’s not that surprising that the most promising prospects might be off the market in a matter of days.
Also, it’s best if you try to reply to applicants as soon as possible. You’re most likely not the only employer receiving applications. People commonly apply for many jobs at the same time. Thus, it’s critical that a hiring manager responds to an application quickly.
You should also keep an eye on the onboarding process. This step might be the difference between having to waste all of that time and work finding another person and keeping the outstanding prospect you hired in the first place. As a recruiting manager, you should be as helpful as possible during this stage.
A hiring manager must realize that they are the functioning “face” of the company in the eyes of the candidates. As a result, a friendly and communicative recruiter might increase a candidate’s motivation to join a workplace.
The last thing to remember is to prioritize the needs of the candidate. In this case, you should consider which aspects appeal to different groups and leverage them to pitch your institution to a broader workforce. Doing so will make it easier for you to find the best prospects.
The Takeaway
Knowing the organization’s and applicants’ needs goes a long way in full-cycle recruiting. Whether you work as a recruiter for a small local firm or a large multinational corporation, time must be spent carefully to maximize the process whenever possible.
With that said, executing full-cycle recruiting in a company is not simple and might be challenging. Nonetheless, a competent recruiter will have in place all of the components of a solid recruiting machine: the skills, the tools, and the expertise.
When done correctly, full-cycle recruiting will attract high-quality personnel to a company. Not only that, but it also streamlines recruitment procedures, improves applicant hiring experiences, and reduces staff turnover.
Overall, by implementing an efficient and disciplined strategy, your recruiting effort will perform significantly better. If you own a business, using a complete life cycle recruiting approach may save you a lot of time and resources.
Finally, a recruiting manager should always be on the lookout for innovative ideas and technologies in the recruitment sector.
With that said, hopefully, the information provided above will help you better understand full-cycle recruiting.
