9 Ways To Streamline Your Hiring Journey in 2024

If your people are a company's biggest asset, then the hiring process is one of the most crucial components of any organization, big or small. 

For hiring managers, it's not only a constant challenge to find and secure the right people but also to keep up with ever-evolving technologies like video for recruitment and changing job market trends. Companies and hiring managers need to stay up-to-date with the latest hiring practices, social media trends and tech to attract top and retain top talent. 

In 2024, the hiring journey will be even more competitive, so in this article, we aim to provide insights into the five key stages of the hiring journey, and how you can leverage the latest techniques and technologies to expand your talent pool and secure the perfect people for your positions. 

What is the hiring journey?

The hiring journey is the recruitment process that organizations go through to find, attract, and onboard new employees. 

The hiring journey involves several stages, including promoting your business and positions on channels like LinkedIn and Twitter (to also build your Employer Brand), screening applicants, interviewing potential hires, and making a final decision on the ideal candidate. The ultimate goal is, of course, to build a solid and successful workforce that can contribute to the overall success of the company.

The key to success for employers is having a well-defined and efficient hiring process that attracts the top talent. With a thorough understanding of each stage of the hiring journey; companies can effectively widen their active and passive candidate pool and streamline the entire interview process.

Why is the hiring journey important?

The hiring journey is crucial as it can directly impact the overall success of your company. 

One rockstar hire can turn around entire teams. One bad hire can destroy morale and productivity. If you're a hiring manager, you will know the importance and pressure of building a strong and successful workforce that can drive business growth, innovation, and increase productivity and profitability. 

Onboarding top talent can give your company a substantial competitive advantage in your industry.

The 5 Stages of a successful Hiring Journey

Here are the five key stages of the hiring journey that organizations will go through in 2023:

1. Attracting candidates

The first stage of the hiring journey is attracting potential candidates for your open positions. This can be done through various methods, including traditional job postings, job ads, employee referrals, and social media platforms.

We probably don't need to go into traditional methods too much because most companies already do this.

In 2024, one big differentiator is how you "present" your company to active candidates. The entire candidate journey starts with a talented person falling in love with your company and mission. One way to stand out is to build your employer brand through video. Top companies like Canva, Shopify, Amazon, Dropbox, HubSpot and more leading companies are now creating these employer brand videos with tools like Vouch video and promoting them heavily through social media to attract exceptional people. 

One popular video is "a day in the life" style video, and we are huge fans of the Zappos YouTube channel. To see how top companies are attracting talent these days, watch a few videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@ZapposStories

We have an extensive article here if you are looking to attract higher-quality candidates and widen your candidate pool!

2. Screening applicants

Once you have a pool of potential candidate, the next stage is screening them thoroughly to determine their qualifications and fit for the role. This is also where technology can help your hiring team out, with video tools like Async video that makes screening faster and much simpler across time zones.

In 2024, there will be an ever-increasing focus on using technology to streamline the screening process. For example, AI-powered assessment tools can help identify top candidates based on their skills and qualifications, making it easier for recruiters to make informed decisions.

The best part is that these new tools also improve candidate experience. Most people don't love being put on the spot, and with video tools, you can give your potential candidates the time and space to be themselves - just as they would be in your company once over the nervousness.

3. Interviewing potential hires

After screening and narrowing down your list for the role, the next stage of the hiring journey is conducting in-person interviews with top candidates. These interviews provide an opportunity for employers to assess a candidate's soft skills, cultural fit, and overall suitability for the role.

In step one, we talked about "Employer Branding", and this is where you will see the results of your employer brand efforts. At this stage, almost every short-listed candidate should be eager to work with your company and help you on your mission.

There is no doubt that virtual interviewing tools such as video conferencing platforms will continue to play a significant role in the interview process - especially for remote workers. However, keeping it human here is key. Top talent is looking for a connection to you and your company, so that needs to be at the forefront.

4. Making an informed final decision

One of the trickiest parts of a hiring manager's role is putting forward their A candidate. If you have three strong candidates, it feels terrible not being able to hire the other two. Everyone has their strength and weaknesses, and you can only hope that your choice was the right one. 

The good news is that in 2024, companies can access data-driven insights through technologies like predictive analytics and talent intelligence tools. These tools can provide valuable information to help employers make informed decisions while reducing bias in the hiring process.

5. Onboarding and retention strategies

The final stage of the hiring journey is onboarding and retaining new hires. Employee retention is crucial for companies to reduce turnover costs and maintain a stable workforce. This is compounded in the probation period, where top talent is likely still receiving interviews and offers from other applications. 

Ensuring your new talent has am amazing onboarding experience is everything.

In 2024, the key is to create a seamless onboarding experience to engage new employees from day one, showing them you genuinely care about their growth and development.

Additionally, while trends see more people moving back into an office, for many companies (like tech and SaaS), a remote workforce still makes more sense. In these cases, companies need to develop strategies to foster a sense of belonging and teamwork among virtual teams. This may include using collaboration tools, virtual team-building activities, and providing resources for remote employees that they might not expect. Of course, company get-togethers are always nice, but they might line up for some.
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9 ways to streamline your Hiring Journey in 2024

If you have an established hiring journey or are just starting to build one out, a highly effective hiring journey requires careful planning at every step of the process. Here are some key steps to help organizations create a successful hiring journey in 2024:

1. Define (or refine) your company's culture and values

Before beginning the hiring journey or any recruitment strategy, it is essential to have a clear understanding of your company's culture and values. 

This is in your "Employer Brand", and it will help you attract candidates who align with your organization's mission and vision, leading to better cultural fit and long-term employee satisfaction. Remember, the hiring process is not a short-term investment; you are looking for talented people who can help your company overcome future challenges and drive exponential growth.

Taking the time to define and communicate your company brand and values will also help guide decision-making throughout the hiring process.

2. Make your position descriptions simpler

To find the best candidates for a particular role, it is crucial to make the position description clear and transparent. Companies often get caught up in lengthy job descriptions that can make your company look clunky and complicated from the get-go. Try to keep job descriptions clean, clear and straightforward.

3. Use technology to streamline the hiring process

In today's digital age, technology plays a significant role in streamlining the hiring process. In 2023, organizations will have access to advanced tools and software to automate various aspects of the hiring journey.

By leveraging technology, companies can save time and resources while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their hiring process. For example, resume-screening software can help sift through large volumes of resumes quickly, AI-powered assessment tools can objectively evaluate a candidate's journey, and video conferencing platforms make it easier to conduct remote interviews.

4. Improve diversity and inclusion

Diversity and inclusion are crucial elements of a successful hiring journey. Organizations must strive to create an inclusive workplace by ensuring that their hiring process is fair and free from bias. Incorporating diversity and inclusion into the hiring journey can also attract a diverse pool of candidates, leading to increased innovation, creativity, and overall business success.

5. Continuously evaluate and improve your hiring journey

Creating a compelling hiring journey is an ongoing process. It's essential to continuously review and evaluate each stage of the process to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments.

Collecting feedback from both new hires and current employees can provide valuable insights into how well the hiring journey works and what changes can be made to enhance it.

6. Communicate more transparently throughout the hiring process

If you put yourself in your candidates' shoes, the traditional applicant journey could be a better experience, with long delays between communications and outdated HR questions that you only see in movies. 

Today, clear communication is crucial at every stage of the hiring journey. This not only helps build trust with candidates but also shows that the company values open and transparent communication, which sets a positive candidate experience for future employee-employer relationships.

7. Further personalize the hiring experience

In today's competitive job market, candidates seek a personalized experience throughout the hiring process. Companies can achieve this by tailoring their job posting videos, further personalizing interviews, and making the entire onboarding process a "wow" moment.

8. Provide genuine support for new hires

Once a candidate is hired, it's crucial to provide them with real human support to succeed in their new roles. If you have ever worked for a traditional big corporation, chances are you've experienced a poor onboarding process, with minimal team contact and huge PDFs and procedural guidelines that need to be checked off.

There will always onboarding information and processes, but try to make them easy to digest, like using video to onboard new hires instead of heavy documents. Supporting new hires is critical, and many companies now have a go-to person who helps you onboard. This could be someone in the same or another team who helps the new hire learn the ropes.

9. Continuously gather feedback

Lastly, organizations should be continuously gathering feedback from both candidates and new hires to identify areas of improvement in the hiring journey. This can help companies make necessary adjustments to create a more efficient, inclusive, and overall positive experience for future candidates. Again, this is where video shines, and you can use Vouch to gather employee feedback, too - in fact, it's perfect for this application.
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The importance of social media in the hiring journey

As technology and the way we communicate continues to advance, building your company's profile on social media is becoming increasingly essential. Here's why:

Access to a wider pool of active and passive job seekers

Social media lets companies expand their reach and connect with professionals from different industries and backgrounds. This not only opens up opportunities for open job positions, but it also opens up possibilities for collaborations and potential partnerships that may not have been otherwise obvious.

With the rise of social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter, companies now have access to a vast network of individuals from all over the world, making it easier than ever before to widen your talent pool and attract talent from not only your industry but other industries.

Stay updated on industry trends and advancements

Through social media, your company can stay up on the latest industry trends, statistics and advancements, and the people who contribute and engage with these kinds of social media posts are often some of the best in their fields - and people you can target when an open position comes up. Social media also opens up online communities, where you can access unique groups and talent pools that are otherwise hard to reach.

Build your company brand and authority

Like staying up to date, through social media, you can set industry trends and build your company's authority. Sharing valuable insights and expertise through social media platforms or blogs can establish you as a thought leader in your industry - and this could attract some of the world's best talent, who may not even be looking for an open position.

In today's digital age, social media is a critical company to the hiring journey. 
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How has company cultures changed over the last 5 years?

Over the last five years, driven by COVID-19 in a big part, company culture has undergone significant changes. There's been a massive shift towards remote work or hybrid working, and the rise of millennial and Gen Z employees entering the workforce has been a considerable learning experience for many. These changes have had a considerable impact on how organizations operate and what they value in their company culture.

Here are some key ways that company culture has evolved over the last five years:

Further emphasis on work-life balance:

With technology making it easier for employees to stay connected and work remotely, there has been a growing emphasis on creating a healthy work-life balance within company culture. Employers now understand the importance of allowing employees to disconnect from work and prioritize their personal lives, leading to increased job satisfaction and overall well-being.

Inclusivity and diversity:

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on promoting inclusivity and diversity within company culture. Organizations are recognizing the value of having a diverse workforce that brings unique perspectives and ideas to the table. This has led to efforts towards creating more inclusive hiring practices and fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.

Remote work options:

The rise of technology has also allowed companies to offer remote work options and source talent from around the world, with many teams now being significantly more diverse. The shift towards remote work greatly impacted company cultures, and employers and employees are still catching up. This is why team collab tools are so important. 

Focus on employee well-being:

Organizations are increasingly prioritizing employee well-being in their company culture. This includes initiatives such as mental health support, wellness programs, and promoting a healthy work-life balance. By investing in their employees' well-being, companies are seeing improved job satisfaction, job board, productivity, and retention rates.

Embracing tech advancements:

Lastly, with the rapid advancement of technology over the last five years, companies have had to adapt and embrace these changes within their company culture. This has resulted in increased use of digital tools like Slack for communication and collaboration, providing more efficient ways of working and connecting with colleagues.

Streamlining your Hiring Journey, the conclusion

The hiring journey is an ever-evolving process that organizations must stay up with shifts into more transparent and diverse company cultures. 

The constant challenge is to find the right people while keeping up with ever-evolving technologies and changing job market trends. Companies and hiring managers need to stay up-to-date with the latest hiring practices, social media trends and tech to attract top and retain top talent. 

In 2024, the key is to find the software tools that help your hiring team build a seamless hiring journey that is also easy to manage. Vouch is one such tool that can help you develop your Employee Brand and create Recruitment Videos that make the hiring process simpler. 
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Like to try Vouch?

Loved by companies like Canva, Nike, Cisco, Stryker, HubSpot, Amazon and more, tools like Vouch make leveraging video in your business remarkably easy.

Be sure to book a Vouch demo today and chat with a video content expert.