Frontline recruiting helps companies attract, identify, and hire the right talent to meet their business objectives. The recruitment life cycle, also known as the full cycle or complete recruitment process, is the entire process from writing the job description to having an offer accepted by a new employee. 

Let’s explore what the recruitment life cycle is, the main stages involved in the “cycle,” and the importance of holistic recruitment.

What is the recruitment life cycle?

The recruitment life cycle refers to the complete process of finding and hiring new employees, from the job description to the end of the selection process. The cycle consists of several stages, each with its own set of requirements and goals.

The entire recruitment cycle is made up of the following multi-faceted steps:

• Branding and attraction
• Sourcing and screening
• Interviewing and selection
• Onboarding and development

Branding and attraction

The first stage of the recruitment cycle is the smoke before the flame: branding and attraction. This stage involves creating a positive image of your company and improving brand attraction to potential candidates even prior to their interest in employment. It’s essential for organizations to put in the work to build a trusted brand even before it seeks to attract top talent. In fact, Forbes reported that 92% of employees would consider changing jobs with no salary increase if the opportunity was with a company that had an excellent reputation. The company also stated that “ 86% of job seekers say they would not consider working for a company with bad social standing.” 

Areas to focus on when considering the reach of employer branding include creating a positive online presence, showcasing employee testimonials, and offering competitive benefits. Creating a strong employer brand will have a tremendous impact on the quality of candidates the company is able to attract and hire.

Sourcing and screening

The second stage of the recruitment cycle is sourcing and screening. This stage involves identifying potential candidates and screening them based on their qualifications, experience, and fit for the role. The goal of this stage, particularly in high-volume hiring, is to create a continuously flowing pipeline of qualified candidates to move forward to the interview and selection stage.

For talent sourcing, recruiters can use a variety of methods, such as job boards, social media, referrals, and recruitment agencies. Once potential candidates have been identified, they are screened through their resumes, cover letters, and initial interviews. Historically, these elements have all been manual, requiring significant time from recruiters and increasing the cost-per-hire for each role. With recruitment automation though, sourcing and screening steps can be completed in minutes, rather than hours. 

Interviewing and selection

The third stage of the recruitment cycle is interviewing and selection. This stage, at a glance, involves conducting interviews, assessing candidates, and making the final hiring decision. The goal of this stage is to select the best candidate for the role based on their skills, experience, and overall fit.

However, in frontline recruitment, the interview stage is less of a sprint to the finish line and more of a halfway marker in a marathon run. Choosing a candidate to interview might be the beginning of the feat, but actually scheduling the interview, conducting it, and getting to the selection stage can be a monumental task for each candidate. Unfortunately, both recruiters and candidates often get ghosted at this stage. So, it’s essential for frontline hourly employers to automate their processes as much as possible to make the best use of their teams’ time.

But, once an in-person or virtual interview is successfully scheduled, it’s important to note the significance of the meeting itself. The interview is one of the first, if not the first, direct interactions candidates have with the talent acquisition teams. 83% of talent says a negative interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once liked, while 87% of talent says a positive interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once doubted. So, even in high-volume recruitment where recruiters are attempting to fill roles efficiently, it’s essential that talent teams work to earn the favor of the candidate just as the candidate is expected to do with the interviewer.

Interviewing techniques such as behavioral and situational interviews can help assess candidates' skills and experience, while cultural fit interviews can assess their alignment with the company's values and culture.

Onboarding and development

The final stage of the recruitment cycle is onboarding and development. This stage involves integrating the new employee into the company, providing them with the necessary resources and training, and ensuring their success in the role. The goal of this stage is to create a positive experience for the new employee and ensure their long-term success in the company.

Research shows that organizations with strong onboarding processes increase new hire retention by 82% and that employees are 69% more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience a great onboarding process. However, 88% of employees still state that their company doesn’t do a great job onboarding new employees. With onboarding costing, on average, over $1,500 per hourly worker, this isn’t just a conversation about overall employee satisfaction, it’s about managing cost and monitoring ROI.

A successful onboarding process should not only help new employees feel valued, connected to the company culture, and motivated to succeed, but it should also protect the company from attrition later down the road. Additionally, providing ongoing training and development opportunities can help employees grow in their roles and contribute to the company's success.

The importance of holistic recruitment

Holistic recruitment is an approach that takes each step of the entire employee lifecycle into account, from the hiring process to employee development and retention. Meaning that each step of the cycle is not independent but integrated with the next. So, hiring teams are not just meant to focus on the acquisition of talent, but also the long-term retention and satisfaction of the candidates that become employees. Holistic recruitment involves optimizing the candidate experience, developing onboarding programs, providing ongoing training and development opportunities, and creating a positive culture.

Taking this approach to recruiting will undoubtedly strengthen the brand’s reputation as it focuses not just on filling roles but nurturing employee-employer relationships. 

Creating full life cycle recruiting

Understanding how to optimize the recruitment cycle, from branding and attraction to onboarding and development, can help companies create an efficient, effective hiring engine. Additionally, taking a holistic recruitment approach can help companies create a positive employer brand, attract top talent, and retain employees for the long term. Talent acquisitions must understand and implement a comprehensive recruitment process that can help companies stand out in a competitive job market to drive business success.

Automating the recruiting life cycle

If your organization is still relying on manual processes for frontline hiring, leading to candidate ghosting, recruiter burnout, and inflated hiring costs, contact us at Emi.

Emi is the frontline recruitment automation platform that helps companies fill high-volume roles—fast. The largest global brands, like Walmart, Burger King, and Heineken, trust Emi to automatically screen thousands of applications, streamline the interviewing process, and personalize every interaction for a quality candidate experience. Schedule your demo today!

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