In this article, we will explore how to build an effective and efficient recruitment funnel, with tips and expert advice from HR professionals.
A recruitment funnel is a visual representation of the recruitment process, outlining the steps a candidate takes from initial awareness of the company to final selection for the job. The funnel serves as a roadmap for HR professionals, helping them understand where potential candidates are in the process and what needs to be done to move them to the next stage.
Here is a sample recruitment funnel that we have created for you:
The first step in the recruitment funnel is attracting candidates. This involves creating a strong employer brand, establishing an online presence, and using job postings and other recruitment marketing tools to reach potential candidates.
Creating a strong employer brand highlights the company's culture, values, and mission through online content such as company videos, employee testimonials, and social media posts.
Establishing an online presence can be done through websites, career pages, and social media platforms that should be regularly updated to ensure potential candidates have access to the latest information about the company.
In addition, job postings and other recruitment marketing tools such as advertisements and social media reach a wide audience of potential candidates. It is important to ensure that job postings are well written with a clear description of the role and company culture and posted on a variety of relevant job boards and social media platforms.
Once potential candidates have been attracted, it’s time to screen them. This involves reviewing resumes, conducting preliminary interviews, and using psychometric assessments to determine if the candidate is a good fit for the role and the company. Online psychometrics also have the advantage of greatly speeding up the short-listing process, saving the HR team from hundreds of hours’ worth of interviewing.
Psychometric assessments can provide valuable insights into a candidate’s work preferences, personality traits, and cognitive abilities, helping HR professionals to identify individuals who are likely to be a good fit for the role and the company. By short-listing based on psychometric assessments, organisations can also significantly improve the fairness and objectivity of their selection processes. Naturally, human beings are vulnerable to conscious and unconscious biases, hindering the effectiveness of D&I initiatives.
"Psychometrics however, automates the screening process, reducing the impact of unconscious bias during shortlisting."
- Ben Schwencke
However, it is important to choose a reputable provider and ensure that the assessments are valid and reliable. Additionally, it is essential to use assessments in conjunction with other selection tools, such as interviews and reference checks, to gain a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s suitability for the role.
The next step is to conduct face-to-face interviews. This allows HR professionals to further assess a candidate’s skills, experience, and cultural fit, and to determine if they are a good match for the role.
It is important to prepare a list of interview questions in advance, and to ensure that the interview process is consistent and fair for all candidates.
Research shows that structured interviews i.e. questions with a fixed set of questions, tend to outperform unstructured interviews when predicting job performance. Consequently, HR practitioners and hiring managers should always take the time to plan out their interviews, drafting question and additional probing questions beforehand.
Once the interview process is complete, it is time to select the candidate who is the best fit for the role. This decision should be based on a combination of factors, including the candidate’s skills, experience, cultural fit, and the results of the psychometric assessments. By combining all of these information sources, organisations can maximise the probability of making good hires, selecting the best candidates from the recruitment funnel.
The concepts of a recruitment funnel helps visualise the nature of the selection process. Initially, a large number of applicants express an interest, but only a few are progressed to the next stage. This process continues until a very concise list of successful applicants are selected, following the shape of a funnel. By thinking of recruitment in these terms, HR practitioners can address each stage within the recruitment funnel appropriately, with the express aim of condensing a large applicant pool into a small subset of high-potential applicants quickly, effectively, and efficiently.
Discover why thousands of companies love our modern assessment platform. Fresh new assessments built with the latest science.
Ben is responsible for client delivery work at Test Partnership and usually serves as the main client of contact. He holds an MSc in Occupational Psychology and is a registered test user of ability and personality testing.
