Talent acquisition managers are regularly looking to create an efficient process that will drive forward the company’s success. Commonly, the first place that they look to improve is the overall recruiting process. Recruiters often explore ways to screen better, hire faster and have effective candidate assessments. But, there’s a more impactful solution that is often overlooked, namely focusing on introducing better candidates from the top of the funnel.
What is Top of the Funnel Recruiting?
The idea is pretty straightforward - if someone wants to prepare a gourmet meal, they should use the best ingredients. Imagine what that would look like for the recruiting process. With better candidates entering the hiring process from the top of the funnel comes the increased likelihood of having better hiring results.
While that sounds like a utopia, what are the ways of improving the quality of candidates to the top of the funnel?
Source from new channels - The first thing would be to look at the changes in the market. With an astonishing 65% of former employees not returning to the same industries, you can look at a whole new pool of candidates. These job seekers never considered your company’s industry before, but they now serve as great potential candidates for you, even if they lack traditional experience. Plan for a solution that can help you reach to these employees and grow your pool of candidates with it.
Establish partnerships with value - Explore your near community. For example, collaborating with NGOs is a great way to reach an untapped pool of candidates while also possibly increasing your organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) along the way. These non-profit organizations usually hold a considerable amount of job seekers who have seemingly underqualified resumes and face a difficult time landing jobs that match their competencies. With an equitable process that overlooks resumes, you can welcome plenty of excellent working hands into your company.
Offer a more engaging application process - Being transparent is the path to engagement. The sooner you can disclose details about the position, the better. When candidates are told what they are expected to do, and how their work environment is going to look and feel like, the more engaged they will be during the recruiting process. Engaged candidates make committed and successful employees.
The strong correlation between top of the funnel recruitment and the final result is undeniable. When candidates’ qualifications come into focus at the start of the process, and the recruiter sets their gaze to the top of the funnel, everyone will benefitץ
As a result, more successful hirings will be within reach, and the life of the recruiter will become much easier. The company will be able to hire more efficiently and attract well-suited employees. In turn, this aligned pool of talent will be more likely to stay with the organization longer as they will feel engaged and excited about their role.