It is a strange time to be a recruiter. Organizations across all industries report that there is a shortage of talent, which would normally mean that recruiters and hiring managers would be scrambling to attract and hire talented candidates as quickly as possible. Research reveals, however, that the opposite is true. According to Bersin by Deloitte, companies are finding it takes 52 days on average to fill open positions. And for those companies dragging out their hiring processes, 47 percent of declined offers in the second half of 2015 were due to candidates accepting other jobs. Clearly, a speedy hiring process is to be desired. So, what are the common barriers slowing down the hiring process, and what can your firm do to overcome them? Barrier One: Attracting the Wrong Type of Candidates Poorly written job descriptions and confusion as to the type of candidate needed for any given position results in a large number of applications from unqualified or underqualified candidates. So, the first step in speeding the hiring process is to ensure your job descriptions are clear in the first place. Template: Creating Ideal Candidate Personas – Our free persona template will help you improve your talent acquisition by identifying who your ideal candidates are and how best to reach them. Barrier Two: Manual Data Entry of Applications The sheer volume of applications which must be processed for any one position often makes manual data entry an impractical choice. Investing in a robust applicant tracking system and online portal for applicant submission can automate the entry and sorting of applications, saving time and money for organizations with large numbers of applications to process on a regular basis. Barrier Three: Poor Collaboration among Hiring Teams Lag time while various members of the hiring team wait for candidate status reports slows the hiring process considerably. This problem is easily solved with a recruiting solution that provides real-time collaboration opportunities and a global view of your talent pipeline at any given moment. With such a view, collaboration becomes easy and efficient. Barrier Four: Poorly Coordinated Outreach to Qualified Candidates Organizations using talent management software solutions that do not enable seamless communication with candidates throughout the hiring process are missing out on a truly time-saving feature. When comparing talent management solutions, be sure that the one you choose allows for both automated candidate outreach and a more personalized messaging system for top candidates. Barrier Five: Lack of Early Onboarding Processes While onboarding is often considered a step that occurs after hire, the truth is that a robust recruiting system allows hiring managers to begin essential onboarding activities for qualified candidates even before actual hire. This enables a more agile hiring process and helps candidates remain engaged and ready to hit the ground running when the hiring process is completed. The Takeaway Modern recruiting requires a modern approach to talent management. In order to speed up the hiring process while still maintaining a high quality of hire, recruiters must use talent management solutions designed for the realities of today’s candidate environment. Your talent management solution should include robust applicant tracking, collaborative features, a global, real-time view of your talent pipeline, a way to coordinate candidate outreach and onboarding, and strong analytics that keep your entire hiring team on the same page at all times. Thrive TRM is a recruiting solution that offers all this and more. Schedule a demo today and explore for yourself the recruiting advantage Thrive TRM provides.