Also, the very best candidates are always in high demand and are likely to receive multiple offers, so if your hiring process is taking too long, you might lose out to your competitors.

Here are 5 tips on how you can make you hiring process faster and more efficient:

1. Prepare a long-term talent plan

Assume that each employee may leave the company within one year of hiring. This means that before it happens, you have to be ready with a replacement right away.

Usually, applicant search begins when the current employee has already left and the company has an open position. It will take at least a month to fill this position, and for some companies, 30 days is just way too long.

Cut down your hiring time by holding informational interviews with prospective candidates for different areas within the company – in anticipation of a job opening. This helps to build a talent pipeline and can even eliminate the first-round HR screening process that delays the hiring process.

2. Be clear on the job description

Be specific with the skills and experience that are needed for the position to help you identify good candidates faster.

Differentiate the skills that are “must-have” from “good-to-have,” so there won’t be any confusion for the applicant. Avoid using jargons that are difficult to understand, and be clear and concise on your job description.

3. Select interviewees wisely

Before you invite a candidate for an interview, make sure they are the best options possible. Interviews are the most time-consuming part of the hiring process so you might want to have a fairly rigorous resume screening process before moving on to the interview part.

By thoroughly reviewing each applicant’s resume, you can eliminate hours of potentially wasted time for you and the hiring team.

4. Ask for references at the start

Many companies only ask for references once they’ve decided to offer a position to a candidate. Imagine if it takes a day or two for the prospective employee to get the references to you and then another day or two to contact those references, this can add up to a week to your hiring process.

Go ahead and ask for references along with the candidate’s cover letter and resume.

5. Utilize your internal network

Your current employees can help you make the hiring process a lot faster. When a position opens up, notify existing employees, so that those who want to make a lateral move or change jobs within the company have a  chance to apply.

If you have an employee referral program, your current team can also refer people in their own professional networks to apply for the job, in exchange for some form of incentive. Candidates hired through referrals have proven to be faster to onboard than talents found through another source.

A long and winding hiring process can cost your company money in lost wages and administrative time. With these tips, you can get high performing people hired and ready to work as quickly as possible, leading to a successful and thriving company.

Looking to start an employee referral program? Visit www.firstbird.com to get to know our referral program.