High volume recruiting is no easy task for every company. Dealing with a gigantic amount of applicants is really time-consuming, and if you’re not careful, you might fail to meet the deadline and fail to ensure the candidates’ experience. With hundreds of positions to fill and thousands of applications to screen, you have to make extra effort to stay organized and keep track of all of them.
According to the “Employ Recruiter Nation Report 2024,” 33% of 1200 Talent Acquisition decision-makers and recruiters in North America reported that one of the most significant challenges businesses face is not having enough people to fill open positions, while 26% are on the opposite spectrum – Too many candidates for open positions.
While job seekers have the freedom to access all the data they need about you from your sites, social media, and online reviews, you don’t necessarily have their essential information. In other words, we can all agree on the need to develop a proper high volume recruiting strategy.
But Before We Start, What is High Volume Recruiting?
High volume recruiting is, in essence, recruiting a large quantity of candidates to fill a lot of positions in a short period. The number of job openings might vary based on your business’s scale. For instance, Amazon once had up to 50,000 positions to fill in 2017.
There are 3 types of businesses that are most likely to enter a high volume recruiting scenario: Gig companies hiring gig workers like Uber, TaskRabbit, Grab, etc. Retail businesses like Amazon and Alibaba and staffing firms headhunting for their clients.
Expected Challenges When Conducting High Volume Recruiting
Managing a Staggering Amount of Applications
High volume hiring often puts an overwhelming number of applications on your table, creating a significant time crunch for reviewing and assessing candidates. Without a streamlined process, valuable time and resources can be wasted sifting through a sea of resumes.
HOW TO MANAGE A HIGH VOLUME OF JOB APPLICATIONS EFFECTIVELY?
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Leverage Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Utilize ATS platforms or career fair recruiting tools like Rakuna to automate initial screenings, prioritize top candidates, and maintain an organized applicant pool.
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Incorporate Pre-Screening Tools: Implement pre-screening assessments or video interviews to quickly identify qualified candidates, saving time and improving efficiency in your hiring process.
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Define Clear Evaluation Criteria: Establish well-defined evaluation standards for your recruiting team to ensure a consistent and streamlined review process. Align these criteria with your organization’s core values and hiring needs.
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Enhance Resume Review Techniques: Provide your hiring team with targeted training on effective resume scanning. Equip them with advanced resume-capturing tools to identify key skills and qualifications swiftly.
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Continuously Refine Screening Processes: Regularly review and update your screening criteria to adapt to evolving hiring requirements and better reflect your company culture and priorities.
Maintaining Consistent Employer Branding
Consistent and compelling employer branding is crucial for attracting top talent, yet high volume hiring efforts can strain brand consistency and integrity. Inconsistencies or negative perceptions can deter potential candidates, impacting recruitment efforts and overall company reputation.
HOW TO STRENGTHEN EMPLOYER BRANDING AND CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE?
- Maintain Consistency Across Channels: Ensure your messaging aligns seamlessly across all platforms, from job postings and social media updates to company websites and email communications. Consistency builds trust and strengthens your brand identity.
- Leverage Employee Advocacy: Encourage your team to share authentic testimonials and experiences. Highlighting employee stories fosters trust and reinforces a positive image of your organization.
- Foster Personalized Candidate Engagement: Build meaningful connections by tailoring your communication with candidates. A personalized approach demonstrates your dedication to their experience and sets your company apart.
- Proactively Manage Online Reputation: Regularly monitor online reviews and feedback on platforms like Glassdoor, LinkedIn, or Indeed. Address concerns promptly and transparently to build credibility and showcase your commitment to continuous improvement.
Delivering Exceptional Candidate Experiences
Providing a top-notch candidate experience amidst the volume of applications is essential for attracting and retaining top talent. However, it can be challenging to prioritize personalized interactions and timely communication while managing multiple applicants simultaneously.
Here’s a case of exceptional candidate experience wins the day in high-volume recruiting:
McKesson, a leading medical distributor serving over 40,000 healthcare-related organizations, faced the challenge of high-volume hiring for critical warehouse roles in its distribution centers. To address this, McKesson partnered with Cielo Talent to streamline the recruitment process.
They focused on enhancing the candidate experience by removing unnecessary hurdles, such as requiring candidates to create a personal profile before even accessing details about the position. This improvement reduced the high drop-off rates typically associated with clunky online application systems.
HOW TO IMPROVE THE CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE?
- Streamline Processes Through Automation: Leverage recruitment automation tools to handle repetitive tasks such as application status updates and interview scheduling. By minimizing administrative burdens, your team can focus on building meaningful, personalized connections with candidates.
- Prioritize Personalization in Candidate Communication: Tailor interactions to each candidate’s unique profile and journey to demonstrate that you value them as individuals. Personalized messaging fosters stronger engagement and leaves a lasting positive impression throughout the hiring process.
- Maintain Transparency and Set Clear Expectations: Clearly outline the recruitment timeline, provide regular updates, and communicate the next steps effectively. Transparency not only manages candidate expectations but also builds trust and reinforces your organization’s commitment to open communication.
- Actively Seek Candidate Feedback: Post-application and interview feedback surveys can reveal actionable insights into candidates’ experiences. Use this data to address pain points, enhance your hiring process, and signal your dedication to continuous improvement.
- Commit to Ongoing Process Optimization: Regularly assess the effectiveness of your recruitment strategies and workflows. Embrace technology, monitor key metrics, and solicit team input to refine processes and consistently deliver an exceptional candidate experience.
Managing Stakeholder Expectations and Resources
High volume hiring requires coordination and collaboration across various stakeholders, including hiring managers, HR teams, and department heads. Balancing the expectations and resources of these stakeholders can be challenging, especially when timelines are tight and resources are limited.
HOW TO MASTER EFFECTIVE STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT?
- Facilitate Regular Communication and Alignment Meetings: Schedule consistent touchpoints with stakeholders to ensure hiring needs are aligned with organizational goals. Use these meetings to set clear expectations, prioritize roles, and address any potential challenges collaboratively.
- Establish a Transparent Recruitment Framework: Define a clear and standardized recruitment process with well-outlined roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders. Transparency ensures accountability and fosters seamless collaboration throughout the hiring journey.
- Empower Hiring Managers Through Training and Support: Equip hiring managers with the tools and knowledge they need to actively and effectively engage in the recruitment process. Training on providing timely, constructive feedback is crucial to maintaining momentum and ensuring candidate engagement.
- Leverage Data to Drive Decision-Making: Utilize analytics to showcase the results of high-volume hiring efforts and demonstrate their impact on organizational objectives. Data-driven insights can help justify resource allocation and guide stakeholders toward informed decisions.
- Cultivate a Collaborative Culture: Foster an environment where stakeholders feel empowered and valued as contributors to the recruitment process. Encouraging teamwork and shared ownership of hiring goals ensures alignment and drives successful outcomes.
Ensuring Diversity and Inclusion in High Volume Hiring
Maintaining diversity and inclusion in high volume hiring can be challenging, as the sheer volume of applicants may inadvertently lead to unconscious biases in the selection process. Without intentional efforts to promote diversity, recruitment teams risk perpetuating homogeneity within the workforce, which can negatively impact innovation and employee satisfaction.
HOW TO CHAMPION DEI IN HIGH VOLUME RECRUITING
- Adopt Blind Resume Screening: Remove identifying details from resumes to reduce unconscious bias during initial candidate evaluations.
- Provide Diversity Training for Hiring Managers: Equip hiring managers with tools and knowledge to identify biases and make more inclusive hiring decisions.
- Target Underrepresented Talent Pools: Use strategic outreach efforts to connect with diverse candidate groups and broaden the applicant pool.
- Set Clear Diversity Goals and Metrics: Establish measurable diversity objectives and regularly track progress to ensure accountability.
- Foster an Inclusive Workplace Culture: Promote inclusivity by valuing diverse perspectives and creating an environment where all employees feel supported and valued.
High Volume Recruiting Best Practices and Strategies
Before you get to the tech-savvy stuff, you must have all the basics in mind. A high volume recruiting strategy, no matter how complicated and original, cannot succeed without the bedrock to support
1. Assemble a Team Set for Success
Building a high performing team is the cornerstone of successful high volume hiring. With hundreds of applications pouring in for each open position, having a capable team in place is crucial for efficiently managing the recruitment process. Without the right people, the team may struggle to handle the influx of resumes effectively, leading to missed opportunities and potential setbacks in the hiring process.
Tips for Success
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Clearly Define Roles and Responsibilities
Establish well-defined roles for each team member in the hiring process to streamline operations and ensure accountability. -
Build a Diverse Team
Assemble a team with a range of skills and expertise to effectively manage different aspects of recruitment, from sourcing to interviewing. -
Invest in Training and Support
Provide team members with comprehensive training and ongoing support to equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to handle high volume hiring challenges. -
Leverage Recruitment Technology
Use applicant tracking systems (ATS) or centralized digital platforms to automate repetitive tasks and improve overall efficiency. -
Encourage Collaboration
Promote open communication and teamwork, enabling your recruitment team to share insights, make informed decisions collectively, and maintain high morale.
2. Align with Hiring Managers
Effective collaboration between recruitment teams and hiring managers is essential for success in high volume recruiting. With the high volume of applicants, miscommunication or lack of alignment between the two can lead to costly delays and missed opportunities. Setting clear objectives and expectations ensures that everyone is on the same page and working towards common goals.
Tips for Success
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Establish Clear Communication Channels
Schedule regular meetings and check-ins between recruiters and hiring managers to align on objectives, progress, and challenges. Clear communication reduces misunderstandings and enhances efficiency. -
Define Ideal Candidate Profiles
Collaborate with hiring managers to create detailed profiles for each role, specifying required skills, qualifications, and attributes. This targeted approach ensures recruitment efforts focus on finding candidates who truly fit organizational needs. -
Set Realistic Goals and Expectations
Agree on achievable timelines, hiring targets, and milestones to ensure accountability and avoid delays or unrealistic demands. -
Encourage Feedback and Collaboration
Create an open environment where hiring managers can share candidate feedback and insights. Use this input to fine-tune candidate profiles and improve recruitment strategies. -
Document and Track Progress
Keep comprehensive records of hiring requirements, candidate profiles, and progress updates. Leverage technology such as shared project management platforms or collaborative tools to streamline tracking and maintain transparency.
3. Make Sure The Branding Game is on Point
High volume recruiting requires a plethora of applicants, which cannot be achieved without attracting a good amount of job seekers. And remember, branding is a never-ending task, appealing to a certain audience whose tastes and needs change rapidly.
Being the first step in any recruitment funnel, attraction requires certain attributes to be effective. It poses the big question: “Why should a candidate want to work for you?” and your job is to answer it. So how can you do it?
Tips for Success
Step 1: Define Your Identity as a Company
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Articulate Your Mission and Values
Clearly define what your company stands for and its purpose. Share your mission and values in all candidate-facing communication to attract individuals who resonate with your organizational culture. -
Highlight Your Workplace Culture
Provide a transparent look at your work environment by showcasing employee perks, benefits, and growth opportunities. Use real stories and examples to give candidates a sense of what it’s like to be part of your team.
Step 2: Build and Broadcast Your Employer Brand
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Leverage Social Media Effectively
Maximize platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to display your employer brand. Share employee testimonials, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and company updates to create a relatable and engaging presence that appeals to job seekers. -
Capitalize on Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Empower your employees to advocate for your company. Incentivize referrals and encourage them to share job opportunities within their networks. Genuine endorsements from employees can significantly enhance your credibility and attract quality candidates.
4. Improve Your Career Page
Your company’s career page serves as the gateway for potential candidates to learn more about your organization and available opportunities. In high volume recruiting, optimizing your career page is crucial for attracting and engaging many job seekers.
63% of job seekers go to a company’s career page after learning about a job opening. And it takes an average of 177.20 visits to a career site to make one hire. So to achieve a good reach for high volume recruiting, your career site should be as on-point as possible.
Tips for Success
5. Keep the Application Short
lengthy or complicated application can deter top candidates, according to SHRM, 92% of applicants abandon forms taking 15 minutes or more to complete, and 10% exit after just 5 minutes.
To streamline your process, focus on essential information and avoid redundant questions that repeat what’s already in resumes. While creativity has its place, reserve more detailed assessments for later stages, like interviews. By keeping the application concise and user-friendly, you reduce drop-off rates and ensure a smoother experience for both candidates and your recruitment team.
6. Define Clear Job Categories
High-volume recruiting often involves managing a wide range of roles and skill requirements. Without proper organization, recruiters risk overlooking qualified candidates, and job seekers face unnecessary frustration navigating unstructured listings.
To enhance the experience for both parties, categorize job postings on your career site effectively. Sort roles by clear criteria such as job type, experience level, and salary range. This approach simplifies browsing, mirrors the ease of online shopping, and ensures candidates can quickly find roles that align with their needs. An intuitive structure reduces missed opportunities and maximizes your talent pool.
Tips for Success:
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Categorize by Job Type and Level
Organize job listings into clear categories based on job type (e.g., sales, engineering, marketing) and professional level (e.g., entry-level, mid-level, senior-level). This structure ensures job seekers can quickly locate positions that match their qualifications and career stage. -
Provide Salary Transparency
Include salary ranges in job listings to offer candidates clarity about the compensation package. Transparency not only builds trust but also attracts candidates who are serious about the role, reducing mismatched expectations. -
Implement Advanced Search Filters
Equip your career site with customizable filters similar to e-commerce platforms. Allow candidates to refine searches by job category, location, salary range, or specific qualifications. For instance, Foot Locker’s career page effectively uses filters, mimicking a shopping experience where candidates can “browse” roles as they would shop for products, creating a seamless and intuitive interface. -
Ensure Regular Updates
Maintain the relevance of your job categories by frequently updating them. Remove outdated roles, introduce new categories aligned with market trends, and ensure descriptions remain accurate. An updated platform signals that your organization is dynamic and responsive to change. -
Highlight Key Features
Make it easy for job seekers to see why your organization stands out. Consider adding visual cues, such as badges for high-priority roles or “new” labels for recently added positions, to draw attention and improve user engagement.
7. Remove Listings for Filled Positions
When a role has been filled, promptly take down its listing from your career site. Allowing outdated postings to remain active wastes time for both candidates and recruiters, leads to unnecessary applications, and creates confusion. Additionally, leaving old listings up may tarnish your company’s credibility, giving the impression of poor organization or lack of communication.
Keeping your job postings current is not just about efficiency—it reflects professionalism and respect for potential candidates. Extend this principle to all aspects of your business operations to maintain a reputation for reliability and accuracy.
8. Broaden the Talent Pool with Training Opportunities
In high-volume recruiting, perceived skill gaps often deter potential candidates from applying, limiting your reach and impacting diversity efforts. To counter this, consider offering training programs for roles that require minimal experience. This approach allows you to tap into a larger pool of candidates while fostering inclusivity by encouraging applications from individuals with varied backgrounds.
Prioritizing mindset, adaptability, and commitment alongside technical skills can help you identify high-potential hires who may otherwise be overlooked. Offering training also positions your organization as one that invests in its employees, enhancing your employer brand and attracting motivated candidates seeking growth opportunities.
Tips for Success
- Spot Suitable Entry-Level Roles: Pinpoint roles in your organization that don’t demand extensive prior experience and can accommodate on-the-job learning.
- Tailor Training Initiatives: Design programs that teach essential skills and competencies required for these roles, ensuring new hires can contribute effectively.
- Highlight Growth Potential: Clearly communicate training and career progression opportunities in job descriptions and promotional materials to attract candidates who may lack confidence in their qualifications.
- Build Strategic Partnerships: Work with educational institutions, training centers, or nonprofit organizations to source candidates and expand training access.
- Integrate Mentorship Programs: Connect entry-level hires with seasoned employees who can offer personalized guidance, constructive feedback, and career advice.
9. Contact Past Candidates
Maintaining connections with past candidates is a valuable practice in high volume recruiting. While they may not have been the right fit initially, they could align with future roles as organizational needs evolve. By maintaining these connections, recruiters can:
- Create a Ready-to-Go Talent Pool: Past candidates who are already familiar with your company can quickly transition into open roles, saving time and resources.
- Enhance Employer Branding: Staying connected demonstrates that your organization values candidates, even if they weren’t hired, leaving a positive impression.
- Reduce Time-to-Fill: Engaging with pre-screened candidates accelerates the recruitment process when suitable opportunities arise.
- Tap into Their Networks: Former candidates may also refer others in their network, broadening your talent pipeline.
Building and nurturing these relationships ensures a proactive approach to talent acquisition
Tips for Success
1. Build and Maintain a Candidate Database:
Utilize a centralized system like Rakuna Recruiting CRM to organize and store candidate profiles, past interactions, and feedback. This ensures you have easy access to qualified talent for future openings.
2. Regularly Communicate with Past Candidates:
Stay in touch through periodic updates, such as newsletters or personalized emails. Share news about company growth, hiring plans, or relevant industry trends to maintain engagement.
3. Personalize Outreach:
When reaching out to past candidates, tailor your communication to reflect their unique skills, career aspirations, and past interactions with your organization. A personalized approach fosters trust and shows genuine interest.
4. Provide Value-Added Content:
Offer professional resources like industry insights, career advice, or training opportunities. This positions your company as an ally in their professional growth, increasing their likelihood of re-engaging with your brand.
5. Re-Engage Talent Pools:
Use data from past candidates to identify and reach out to individuals who align with new openings. Proactively source from this pool to reduce recruitment timelines and tap into a pre-vetted talent base.
5 Important Recruitment Metrics to Track
1. Interview-to-Hire Ratio
The interview-to-hire ratio evaluates the number of interviews conducted relative to the hires made.
- Why it matters: High-volume recruiting demands efficiency. This metric highlights the effectiveness of your interview process and selection criteria.
- Actionable insights:
- A high ratio may indicate inefficiencies or poorly aligned candidates. Consider refining your pre-screening process.
- A low ratio could mean overly stringent criteria—review job requirements for flexibility.
2. Quality of Hire
This metric assesses the long-term impact of new hires on your organization.
- Why it matters: Tracking job performance, cultural fit, and retention rates helps evaluate recruitment effectiveness and predict future success.
- Actionable insights:
- Use performance reviews and 360-degree feedback to measure job impact.
- Align sourcing channels and assessment methods with top-performing employees.
3. Time to Fill a Position
This measures the time taken to fill a role from job posting to hire.
- Why it matters: Delays in hiring can disrupt productivity and increase operational costs.
- Actionable insights:
- Track bottlenecks in sourcing, screening, or decision-making processes.
- Leverage automation tools like Rakuna Recruiting CRM to streamline repetitive tasks.
4. Source of Hire
Tracks which platforms and channels generate the most successful candidates.
- Why it matters: Understanding your best-performing channels helps optimize resource allocation.
- Actionable insights:
- Identify top sources (e.g., job boards, referrals, career fairs).
- Prioritize investment in high-performing platforms to boost ROI.
5. Cost per Hire
Analyzes recruitment expenses in relation to the number of hires made.
- Why it matters: Controlling costs without compromising quality is crucial for sustainable recruitment.
- Actionable insights:
- Break down costs by department and position to identify areas for savings.
- Evaluate the cost-efficiency of different sourcing and advertising methods.
Conclusion
While high-volume recruiting is quite a challenge, it can be done beautifully with the right strategies. By clarifying the criteria for open positions, keeping the process short and up-to-date, polishing your brand, and maintaining great relationships with your candidates, you can rest assured your plan is fail-proof. And with further implementation of strategies and practices, you are going to crush high-volume recruiting, no matter how high your goals are.
