Oct 26, 2016 | Blog

‘Tis the Season for High Volume Hiring

Acquire the Right Talent
Optimize Your Talent Strategy

The holiday season is approaching. In many retail stores and restaurants, we already see preparation for lots of shopping underway. “Now Hiring Seasonal Workers” banners adorn all the windows. It’s a familiar cycle. Companies ramp up their workforces to meet the seasonal demand and satisfy our insatiable appetite for Black Friday deals and the perfect gift for every person we love.

The association between high volume hiring and the holidays is nearly as strong as the association between pumpkin spice and the arrival of Fall. We all know it’s coming every year. So why do companies still take a reactive approach to a highly anticipated event? Depending on the business or industry, periods of high volume hiring can tax already limited HR resources and place a strain on recruiters and hiring managers as they work to fill large numbers of vacancies.

Though it seems a daunting challenge, it is imperative that talent acquisition professionals maintain a focus on quality over quantity, even when hiring large numbers of individuals. Automated assessments can weed out unqualified talent early, saving time on phone calls and interviews. Additionally, offering self-service options for scheduling interviews or site visits can save you more time. There are countless calendar widgets out there to help you share your availability with a wider audience and allow candidates to choose a time to meet with you that is convenient.

Beyond the logistics of hiring, though, high volume recruiting presents important opportunities for talent acquisition strategists to leverage internal mobility tactics and ease talent pipelines for more permanent positions. A candidate may have applied to a particular position, however their skills might make them more qualified for another position within the enterprise. Not only is it more efficient to find the right candidates for the right positions, but presenting candidates with opportunities to grow and develop within your organization fosters engagement, loyalty, and high performance.

When it comes to business insights, periods of high volume hiring can provide a wealth of data to help you evaluate your sourcing strategies. If you are posting openings on job boards and social media, as well as soliciting referrals, periods of high volume can allow you to look collectively at quantitative and qualitative metrics. How many applications did you receive through each channel? Which channel provided the most qualified candidates? As the season continues, you can further evaluate which channels were the sources of the highest performers.

For more information on this topic, register for the upcoming webcast “Play on Strengths of Tech & Traditional Recruiting for High Volume Hiring Success” on Wednesday, November 9 at 12pm ET. In this presentation, Ajay  Patel, Talent Acquisition Strategy Analyst at PeopleFluent, will share how both traditional recruiting methods and new technologies work together to help you achieve high volume hiring success.