Process Mapping In Recruitment: How And Why To Do It (+Hiring Process Flowchart)
What do we mean by process mapping in recruitment?
Process mapping is the exercise of examining every step a potential employee goes through when applying for a job with your organisation.
It's an excellent tool that - when done properly - can help your business change how it operates and bring more of the right people on board.
Why is process mapping important in the hiring process?
By investigating all parts of the process, you can identify potential barriers stopping potential candidates from applying to work with you.
In doing so, you have the opportunity to improve how you hire to create a better experience for job candidates, from their first impression of your company to onboarding as a new hire.
Mapping out the full process allows an employer to see things from an applicant's perspective, eliminating any unnecessarily complex processes and opening the door to applications from more high-quality people.
Can you improve your process by mapping it out yourself?
Yes, absolutely!
We've broken it down with a step-by-step guide and recruitment process flowchart you can download to show best practice in recruiting for your business.
Read each step in detail below, and scroll down to see how the handy recruitment process flowchart helps you simplify your process and find the right candidates.
Step 1: visibility: is your job advert easy to find?
The first exercise we encourage employers to do when thinking about process mapping their recruitment process is to pretend you're a candidate wanting to join the company and apply for the role.
Before you even look at the application process, this starts with visibility: how easy is it for an ideal candidate to find your job in the first place?
Visualise your candidate embarking on an online search for that type of job, without having your specific vacancy or company in mind.
For example, they might type 'customer service job Lancashire' into Google.
Does your job come up?
If so, where?
Is it on your website, job boards, or your recruitment agency's website?
Was it easy to find, or did it take some digging?
Would a time-poor candidate have found it?
With job boards updated daily, what can you do to keep your vacancy as visible as possible at this stage?
Step 2: review your ad
Now you've found the job, assess the advert itself to see if it’s designed to attract the right person for the job.
Let's start with the job description on the online job ads you found.
Does it look and sound appealing?
Is it written in a way that's going to entice people to apply?
Step 3: is it easy to apply?
Now, click on the 'apply' button.
What happens next?
How easy is it to apply?
What stages are involved in the process?
Do potential applicants have to fill in an application form?
Are there screening questions?
Do they have to upload a CV?
There are arguments for and against simplifying the application process in recruitment.
For us, it's about making it as easy as possible for applicants to express their interest in working for you.
And the best way they can do that is by applying for an advert.
Bear in mind potential candidates may already be in two minds about applying for a new job anyway.
Faced with a minimum ten-minute process to even express an interest in exploring the opportunity, people in that frame of mind are likely to click off the page before they've had a chance to submit the application.
That's why we're in favour of making it easy for people to apply and do the sifting yourself, especially in today's candidate-driven jobs market.
We think it's reasonable to ask a candidate to submit their CV only - no screening questions, no application forms.
A CV requires an element of commitment from the candidate that they're serious about the application, but it's not overly difficult - most people have a CV ready if they're thinking about looking for a new job.
Top tip: offer a non-CV option
People often look for jobs on their phones - maybe travelling home from work after a horrible day - and they don't always have their CV saved on their phone.
This could mean they don't apply in that moment, then forget about that specific job later when they're at home with their laptop out in the evening.
So: could you offer an option that says something like this?
'We'd love you to upload your CV so we can get a feel for you and your experience, but if you haven't got it handy, don't let that stop you from reaching out - drop us a line and let's arrange a quick chat.'
Instantly, a suitable candidate gets a good feel for your company: you come across as friendly, flexible, and forward-thinking, which does wonders for your employer brand - whether they're successful or not.
Step 4: follow up with all applicants
Once the application has been submitted:
What does the candidate receive in return?
How are they notified as to whether they've got the job or not?
Do they just not hear anything if they haven't got it?
Or are there process steps in place to acknowledge the candidate's application but reject them from the process?
Think about your recruitment funnel for that one single vacancy.
You select one successful candidate, who hopefully has a great impression of your company, but there could've been 50 people at the top of that funnel at one stage.
And to protect your employer brand, every single one of them needs to go away from that process with your business thinking they've had a positive experience.
That's why we believe it's a crucial step to formally reject an applicant.
It can be a simple email saying 'thanks for applying, but you've been unsuccessful this time' - this is a process you can easily automate if you're already familiar with automation tools in your business.
However, if that candidate waits to hear for two weeks and never hears from you again, that has the potential to do serious damage to your employer brand when they start telling friends and family, or even posting online.
Waiting indefinitely isn't nice - we'd all rather know we haven't been selected so we can get on with our lives - so do the right thing and update your candidate accordingly.
Step 5: minimise the stages in your interview process
So your candidate has secured an interview: what are the next steps?
How much initial preparation do they have to do for the first interview?
How many times do they have to be interviewed?
What's the first stage interview?
What's the second stage interview?
For many companies, the act of mapping out their selection process often shocks them: they can't believe how many hoops candidates have to jump through to get to a point where they're offered the job.
Sometimes it can be a telephone interview, a virtual interview over Skype or Zoom, a face to face with the hiring manager, and a face to face with their manager.
Before you know it, you've got a five-stage interview process which is far too long in the current market when candidates only stick around for an average of 10 days before being snapped up.
How many interviews should you do?
Interviewing a candidate is the process of finding out more about each other to see if you're a good fit (remember - this should be a 50:50 conversation with both parties asking questions throughout).
For standard roles, we recommend:
A telephone screening call in response to the application (informal, not an interview)
A two-stage face-to-face or video interviewing process (depending on types of roles and locations).
This isn't asking too much of the candidate, yet it's detailed enough so both parties feel the candidate has been properly assessed for the role.
(If the interview process is too simple, candidates can feel like they're not qualified for the role if they haven't been fully assessed, which can also harm your employer brand).
Another benefit to a two-stage interview process?
It gives the candidate enough time to go away and reflect on the job and the company, considering any reasons they might not want the role.
This way, they have time to think things over and demonstrate their commitment to the recruitment process, without unrealistic demands on their time and headspace.
Also, think about offering to cover expenses for candidates travelling to interview.
As they're taking time off work which costs them money and they're not being paid to come to an interview, what's a reasonable expectation?
Could you offer some travel expenses or passes so they're not out of pocket?
Do they get a free parking pass?
Can you provide a free lunch in your canteen or a nearby cafe to show them more about your organisation and how it operates?
Step 6: the job offer
In terms of your job offer, think about:
Who makes that call to seal the deal?
Do you send the offer letter straight away so the candidate feels comfortable handing their notice in?
What do they receive in between the offer and start date?
At what point do they get the contract detailing the conditions of employment?
Do you keep in touch throughout the process, from them handing notice in to starting the new job?
All of these things need to be considered, especially during long notice periods where it's crucial to keep your candidate engaged and feeling good about the role and company.
How to navigate company non-negotiables
After conducting this kind of business analysis into how an organisation hires, our advice is usually to remove as many steps as possible.
This means the interaction between the candidate and the company is as streamlined as possible and candidates stay engaged - especially vital when there's so much competition out there.
However, we know every company is different, and sometimes our clients embrace our advice yet hit upon non-negotiables in how they hire.
Two recent examples and the workarounds we recommended:
Example 1: The MD wants to meet every new employee before they sign a contract.
Workaround: Make this one of your two interview stages, not an additional third stage.
Example 2: HR needs completed application forms including data for their records.
Workaround: As successful candidates to complete the form post-acceptance. The business gets all the HR data and reference checks they need, without asking every candidate to fill in a lengthy form only for 99% of them to not get the job.
Non-negotiables may initially feel like red flags, but there is often a way around them.
This is where our tailored recruitment programme comes into its own. By working closely with your business, we're able to adapt your recruitment workflow to fit within existing policies and requirements.
This way, everyone wins - people working within the existing business get what they need from the hiring process, while all applicants enjoy a positive experience of your company.
Sourcing candidates - process mapping
The processes detailed above concentrate on the attraction side of your recruitment process, where candidates are already active in the jobs market.
But what about when you - or your recruiter - is seeking out passive candidates who aren't currently seeking new roles?
Think about how they might perceive your company in a step-by-step process, e.g.:
They might get a LinkedIn message from someone in your company or your recruiter
The first thing they're going to do is go and look at your website, careers page, and LinkedIn page - how does it look from their perspective? Is all the information correct and up-to-date?
Say they agree to that chat, what do they get sent as a follow up?
How many meetings do they have to attend?
Is it reasonable to expect them to have more than two stages of interviews when they weren't even actively on the market?
Process mapping flowchart template
We've created a free process mapping flowchart template to give you a visual representation of what a good hiring process looks like.
Is this what your current workflow looks like?
Or is there room for improvement so every stakeholder gets more from the experience?
With more than 30 years' experience, we know for a fact that any recruitment process improvement you can make has a fast-action ripple effect on the quality of people you hire, not to mention your brand image and success.
Recruitment operations shouldn't just be for HR or your recruiter - all individuals working across the business have the power to create positive change.
Using this hiring process flowchart, you can identify each stage in the process and see how you could streamline for better outcomes.
How to create a successful hiring process
Cummins Mellor is here to help you create a successful hiring process using our proven experience as recruiters with three decades under our belt.
For us, recruitment isn't just about filling a job role. It's about developing business processes that unlock opportunities for growth and evolution.
As your recruitment partners, we work closely with you to attract top talent into your company.
Whether you have a full HR team handling the human resource side of your business or not, we're here to elevate your recruiting process then establish and embed best practice so every employee (potential, new, and existing) gets a positive experience of your organisation.
Has this blog left you keen to analyse your hiring process, yet lacking the time to evaluate it fully in-house?
We can handle this for you, offering an end to end solution that sees us map, review, improve, and execute a successful recruitment process that brings the right people into your business at the right time.
Get in touch with our managing director, Katie Mellor, for the latest process mapping advice to elevate your reputation and success as an employer - katie@cumminsmellor.co.uk
