Why We Need to Fill Job Vacancies Faster

It’s now taking an average of 25 days to fill jobs in the United States. That’s just an average, with jobs in healthcare taking 45.8 days and government taking 41.3 days to fill. These figures are hard to understand considering that there are more job openings than we’ve seen since 2001, that candidates are voluntarily leaving their jobs for new ones and that there are still millions of unemployed Americans looking for work. Are all these job vacancies too good to be true, or are their requirements too impossible to find in one employee? What gives and what are we losing in this drawn out hiring process?

Why Is It Taking So Long?

Most organizations will cite “skills shortage” as the reason for taking so long to fill a position. While many positions require advanced degrees and years of experience, there are still many viable candidates out there. Perhaps the demanding nature of some job descriptions is what’s causing a delay in hiring. How many times have you looked at a job description, thinking that you were definitely qualified? And then you scrolled down a list of 20 more requirements and became completely discouraged? Companies are looking for top talent, but in some cases they may be asking for too much and putting off great candidates.

Some organizations worry that rushing through the hiring process will result in lower quality hires. But more than likely, they’ll lose the interest of a potentially great hire that may take a timelier offer. Larger organizations will take longer to fill positions, as their departments will be able to pick up some of the slack of a vacancy. But that will take a toll on productivity and the well-being of current employees. So we have to keep asking, why is it still taking so long to fill jobs?

Speeding Things Up with Technology

Technology is an asset when it comes to filling jobs more quickly. Simply having an updated and mobile-friendly career site means that job seekers can apply quickly and frequently. Getting rid of lengthy fill-in forms and asking for a simple resume and cover letter upload, be it through the official job site or even LinkedIn, means applicants won’t be discouraged by the process.

Digital recruitment platforms are another major tool for speeding up the hiring process. Platforms like interviewstream can help an organization tackle interviews in half the time, significantly cutting down vacancy periods. Not only that, but all hiring managers will be able to access the interview, no longer having to deal with the stress of interview scheduling. The same goes for the job applicants – no more emailing back and forth about availability and travel plans. Managers will also be able assess candidates against the same metrics and go back over the responses, making for a fairer and better quality hire.

If you consider the costs of protracted hiring timelines, it’s more than money you’re losing. It’s the top talent that’ll find work elsewhere and the current employees who will become frustrated with their own jobs. Productivity and profitability depend on how quickly you can fill vacancies, so it’s time to start hiring faster.

Interested in learning how interviewstream can streamline your recruitment process? Request a free demo here.

About The Author

Esteban Gomez is a marketing consultant with interviewstream. He loves learning and has a passion for traveling, having visited many countries including China, Colombia, Italy, and Peru.