What is a recruitment life cycle, and how can you ensure you’re doing it right?

Knowing what a recruitment life cycle is and ensuring you’re doing it correctly can make a big difference to your recruitment efforts.

A well executed recruitment life cycle can result in better candidate selection, improved hiring process efficiency, and increased overall satisfaction.

In this article, we’ll define what the recruitment life cycle is and discuss the various stages of the process. We’ll also provide tips on optimising each step for maximum effectiveness.

Let’s get to it.

What is a recruitment life cycle?

A recruitment life cycle is a term used to describe a holistic recruitment process.

In this process, a recruiter gets involved in every step.

To improve one’s recruitment strategy, a recruitment life cycle involves six main stages:

• Preparing
• Sourcing 
• Screening
• Selecting 
• Hiring 
• Onboarding.

Let’s explore each stage of the recruitment life cycle in more detail:

Preparing

The first stage of the recruitment life cycle is preparing. This involves understanding the job or role, researching potential candidates, and setting up a recruitment timeline. It’s essential to take time to properly define the role and identify critical skills and qualities required for the position. This will help you narrow your search and find qualified candidates who are a good fit for the organisation.

Sourcing

Once you have prepared, the next step is sourcing. This could involve using a variety of  methods such as job postings on external websites, referrals from current employees, social media campaigns, and attending industry events to identify potential candidates that meet your qualifications and criteria. Having a great ‘work for us’ page on your website is also a good way of driving organic applicants to your inbox.

Screening

Once you’ve sourced potential candidates, the next stage is screening. This involves conducting initial interviews and assessments to determine which candidates are suitable for further consideration. It’s essential to have an organised and consistent approach to ensure that each candidate receives an equal opportunity regardless of background or experience.

Using the right pre-hire assessment provider can help you efficiently assess potential hires and find the best fit for your organisation.

Selecting

The selection stage requires a more thorough assessment of each candidate to identify those who could be the best fit for the job. This may involve holding additional interviews or tests, researching previous work experience, and evaluating other qualities such as communication skills,aptitude, problem-solving abilities, etc.

A provider like Thrivemap can help you build the best selection strategy by providing data-driven insights into a candidate’s fit for the role, including qualifications and skills.

Hiring

Once you’ve selected your preferred candidate(s), it’s time to move on to the hiring stage.This involves making a job offer, confirming the details of the role, and finalising the terms & conditions of employment.

Onboarding

The final stage is onboarding. It is time to welcome your new employee to the organisation. It’s essential to provide a smooth transition for your new hire by setting up orientation sessions, providing resources on company policies, introducing them to colleagues, and helping them settle into their roles.

By following these steps in a recruitment life cycle, you can ensure that you find qualified candidates who are well-suited for the position and will be an asset to your organisation.

What are the benefits of the recruitment life cycle?

Here are some top benefits to consider :

Boosting productivity

A recruitment life cycle model can help speed up the process and reduce time-to-hire, thereby boosting productivity. It can also help to ensure that you find good quality candidates with the skills and qualifications needed for the job.

Ensuring legal compliance

By following a structured recruitment process, you can make sure that your organisation is compliant with all relevant laws and regulations related to hiring practices. This will protect your business from costly legal complications down the road.

Improving employee engagement

A recruitment life cycle helps create an organised process for selecting potential employees, leading to more successful hires. When employees feel they went through the proper process and are welcomed into the organisation, they’re more likely to stay long-term and become more engaged in their work. Statistics show that productivity increases by as much as 70% in these situations.

Positioning yourself as an employer of choice

A well-structured recruitment process also helps position your organisation as an employer of choice. Candidates will recognize that you take the selection process seriously and are committed to finding the best talent, which improves your reputation in the job market.

Using a one size fits all approach

Can companies use a one size fits all approach to recruitment?

No. A one size fits all approach to recruitment is not recommended. Identifying each role’s unique needs within every company (along with the different requirements and expectations when it comes to hiring) is important. 

Hence, a generic “one size fits all” approach will likely lead to an ineffective recruitment process that fails to meet the company’s needs. The recruitment process should be tailored to each user’s unique needs and the organisation’s culture and goals.

It’s essential to take time to understand what kind of candidate you are looking for, research potential sources for them, create an effective screening process, and provide onboarding support that ensures your new hire can hit the ground running. 

Adopting a tailored approach to recruitment can ensure that you find the best people for each role. This way, you can ensure that each candidate receives an equal opportunity regardless of background or experience, find qualified candidates who are a good fit for the organisation and have an organised and consistent approach to recruitment.

In addition, using a tool like Thrivemap can help ensure consistency across the recruitment process. Thrivemap allows companies to build a data-driven recruitment process from source through onboarding, enabling them to identify the best candidates for each role and improve their overall hiring performance. This gives you an organised approach to help you find the ideal candidate for each position.

Conclusion

Having a recruitment life cycle is the modern answer to the ever-changing needs of the recruitment process. Its ability to identify the right candidates and provide a cohesive hiring strategy gives organisations the edge they need, to find quality employees and build a successful team. 

By following a structured process, employers are able to identify the weak points in their recruitment strategy and take steps to improve them. From screening, interviewing, and onboarding candidates, a recruitment life cycle ensures that organisations have access to the best talent available while providing a smooth transition into employment. 

Ultimately, a recruitment life cycle provides organisations with a comprehensive solution for finding and hiring quality employees.