The Six Steps of Full Cycle Recruiting

Talent acquisition is a dynamic process. It has so many moving parts, from gathering and reviewing resumes to reviewing and issuing offers. You might have an external agency posting positions and sourcing candidates while an internal staffer screens candidates before passing them off yet again to the hiring manager. If this process isn’t tightly managed, it can quickly become overwhelming, not to mention costly and ineffective for your human resourcesdepartment.

But what if there was a better way to structure and manage the entire recruiting process? That’s where full cycle recruiting comes in.

Full cycle recruiting is a comprehensive process that considers all stages of the hiring process. It will help you find, assess, qualify, and hire the best talent for your team. 

What is Full Cycle Recruiting?

Full cycle recruiting is the process of managing the entire hiring lifecycle, from identifying the need for a new employee to onboarding that person into the organization. The goal is to source, attract, and hire top talent quickly at minimal cost.

How this is handled at an organization often depends on company size. At a small organization, one or two HR representatives may handle everything from writing the job description to onboarding a new hire. In this case, they function as full cycle recruiters, executing the process end-to-end. A larger organization may have team members assigned to each step of talent acquisitionbased on individual expertise.

Full cycle recruiting is a valuable tool for organizations of all sizes. Its benefits include:

• Identifying potential candidates quickly, reducing costs.
• Increasing efficiency in the hiring process by streamlining all stages of recruitment.
• Reducing time to hire, resulting in less impact on productivity levels.
• Enhanced candidate satisfaction with the hiring process.

The Six Steps of the Full Cycle Recruiting Process

Full cycle recruiting can be broken down into six steps: preparing, sourcing, screening, selecting, hiring, and onboarding. Each step requires careful consideration to ensure you execute it in a manner that best fits your organization.

1. Preparing

The first step in full cycle recruiting is preparation. This involves researching and understanding the job for which you’re hiring. 

Actions taken at this stage include:

• Establishing clear criteria (skills, qualifications, and experience) that will be used to identify qualified candidates.
• Writing a robust job description that attracts the right candidates.
• Strategizinghow to effectively market the job.
• Reviewing current or previous recruitment strategies to identify valuable sources and areas that need improvement.
• Preparing answers to questions about the job, the company, compensation, or benefits package.

At this stage, recruiters also plan out the recruitment timeline and set goals for each step of the process. This includes outlining how long it should take to source suitable candidates, how quickly those candidates can be screened and interviewed, and when onboarding should be completed so that new hires can start their roles promptly. The name of the game is to develop the most efficient approach to drawing in qualified applicants.

2. Sourcing

Sourcingis the act of locating candidates who meet the criteria outlined in the preparation stage. It can be done through job boards, social media platforms, employee referrals, internal databases, and more. 

It’s important to use a combination of techniques to cast a wide net and reach a healthy range of candidates. At the same time, it’s also essential to be efficient and intentional with your time, budget, and other resources. Tracking your sources’ quality can prevent you from trying to acquire candidates from unfruitful channels.

Successful sourcing can quickly produce a shortlist of qualified applicants that match your hiring needs.

3. Screening

The screening stage is where you compare the applications and resumes you’ve received to your predetermined criteria.

Screening tasks can range from reading resumes and conducting initial phone interviews to running background checks, verifying certifications, and reference checks. It’s important to ensure that each candidate is evaluated fairly according to their qualifications and skill set outlined for the role.

Recruiters can use automated technologies like applicant tracking systems (ATS) or machine learning algorithms (MLAs)to expedite this process. These are especially beneficial if you have many applications coming in or when looking for specialized talent. MLAs analyze vast datasets quickly to find the best matches. This can help you allocate staff time to only highly relevant candidates.

4. Selecting

During the selection step, recruiters narrow down a pool of qualified applicants to identify the one best fit for the role. This is done by conducting face interviews, assessing candidate skills and qualifications, and evaluating how they match the criteria outlined in the preparation stage. 

At this stage, you’ll get a better sense of each candidate’s potential. Besides evaluating qualifications for the job, consider discussing factors such as company culture alignment, personality traits, and long-term potential.

To ensure accuracy in the process, recruiters can use tools like automated assessmentsto evaluate an applicant’s relevant knowledge and skills. Or they can use psychometric testing to assess how an individual behaves in different situations or how they approach tasks.

Additionally, using AI-based technologiessuch as Natural Language Processing (NLP)can help recruiters better understand each candidate’s personality traits by analyzing their resumes more effectively. It’s important to note that these tools should always be used to support assessments made by your recruitment team, not in place of human judgment. 

5. Hiring

The hiring step is crucial to the life cycle recruiting process. This is where the final decision is made and an offer extended. 

Once a suitable candidate has been identified, the hiring manager can make the candidate a job offer. At this point, the potential new hire may decide to negotiate their salary, start date, or other terms like vacation timeand wellness benefits. Before an offer letter is signed, all relevant details — such as job titles, responsibilities, and expectations — must be discussed and agreed upon. The aim is to set both sides up for success by ensuring everyone knows what to expect from one another once the recruitment process concludes.

6. Onboarding

Onboarding stepis the final step of helping new hires feel comfortable and welcome in their new roles.

Onboarding includes training, resources, and tools to help the new hire adjust to their new job and environment. This could consist of a tour of the office space, introductions to different teams or departments, setting up accounts, and familiarizing them with processes and procedures. Additionally, it’s also beneficial for managers to provide feedback on performance throughout this period and define goals that need to be met within specific timelines.

Ensuring that your organization has a thorough onboarding process can make a great first impression on your new hire, setting the tone for a successful long-term relationship.

Keep New Recruits Happy

Starting a new position is often overwhelming. And human resources plays a major role in helping new hires overcome hurdles and as they race toward success! 

Creating space for them to tend to their wellbeing is a major part of this process. You don’t want new teammates to become overwhelmed and start down the road to burnout day one. Wellness initiatives – like meditation breaks or gym memberships — can help them take care of their health as they adjust to their new position.

Doing this successfully can help improve your retention, as support systems help foster employee satisfaction. To hear how Wellhub can enhance your wellness program, speak to a wellbeing specialist today!

References 

• Background Checks. SHRM. Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/pages/background-checks.aspx. 
• How to Create a Recruiting Strategy: Buy, Build, and Borrow. (May 11, 2018). SHRM. Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/how-to-create-a-recruiting-strategy.aspx. 
• Machine learning in recruitment: a deep dive. (September 7, 2022). HeroHunt. Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://www.herohunt.ai/blog/machine-learning-in-recruitment-a-deep-dive. 
• Recruiting 101: 5 Tips for Better Interviews. (July 19, 2022). SHRM. Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/5-tips-for-better-interviews.aspx. 
• Resume Validation and Filtration using Natural Language Processing. (2021). IEEE Xplore. Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9689075. 
• Screening by Means of Pre-Employment Testing. SHRM. Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/screeningbymeansofpreemploymenttesting.aspx. 
• Tips for Making Confident Job Offers. (February 2016). SHRM. Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/tips-making-job-offers.aspx.