Speed recruitment - an essential HR tool in 2021?

Speed recruitment is just one of many examples of the increasing flexibility of the labor market. This applies to both forms of employment, the appearance of offices and recruitment interviews. Increasingly, companies want to conduct them while optimizing time and costs. Candidates also appreciate solutions outside the old, boring canon. 

What is speed recruitment?

The eRecruiter study "Recruitment under the microscope" shows that the most time in the hiring process is spent on meetings with candidates. Modern tools and concepts in the HR industry allow you to shorten this process to a degree that was hard to even imagine before. Speed recruitment - the name says it all.

It is about streamlining the recruitment process, and more specifically the interview stage. It alludes to speed dating - instead of obliging dates, a dozen or so people talk to each other one by one for several minutes and decide on the spot whether they want to get to know each other better.

The most important principles of speed recruitment: 

• the meeting lasts no more than 15 minutes; 
• the atmosphere is less formal in terms of clothes or questions asked; 
• it's an opportunity to get to know the company at ease, talk to someone who already works there; 
• The 'entry threshold' is lower than in the case of a traditional interview. In some companies, speed recruitment is open to any candidate, in others the requirements are minimal. Only if the candidate likes it, is he / she asked for a formal CV. 

If we add the ubiquitous remote work and digital environment to this formula of quick meetings, we get a revolutionary way to recruit an employee and find a new job. 

On-line recruitment - a tool not only for the time of a pandemic

Speed recruitment on-line flourished very quickly due to the dynamically changing the situation in the world (internal communication many companies are largely done remotely). A job interview in the past is formal attire, an office meeting and a rigid set of questions.

During the pandemic, recruitment had to move online. The company director, head of HR and the candidate often connected with their private apartments and houses. This made the whole convention necessarily a lot looser.

Speed recruitment on-line is an amazing way to reduce costs and shorten the recruitment time. Also, the employee himself can have several or a dozen calls a day in this way, without any travel expenses.

The company saves on infrastructure costs because no conference room or office is needed. Initially, the new thing was speed recruitment via Skype. The tool arsenal, however, quickly expanded and now also includes Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. However, Whatsapp or Telegram corresponds even better with the nature of fast, ad-hoc appointments. This is also how potential employers communicate with employees more and more often. 

How to prepare for speed recruitment?

Although speed recruitment means fewer barriers and a looser atmosphere, it is still worth using ready-made schemes in the recruitment process. Thanks to this, despite the innovative formula, each meeting will be somewhat similar.

There can be even a dozen or so questions as an example, which will introduce an element of personalization and freshness to each interview. Many companies adopt a time frame in which the first 5 minutes are devoted to asking questions to the candidate, and the next 5 minutes is the time for the candidate to get to know the company better. The last 5 minutes is the time for any questions.

It is worth considering speed recruitment as part of the process employer branding. Each candidate will tell their friends about their impressions after the meeting, so it can be a free marketing tool from the company's point of view. Big technology companies are a good example of such thinking. Facebook or TikTok on their websites broadly describe each stage of the recruitment process on examples. It is not only information for candidates, but also conscious communication strategy, which shows the transparency and friendly face of technological giants. 

Speed recruitment - advantages and disadvantages

It will be easier to mention the disadvantages of this type of interviews with candidates, because there are definitely fewer of these. Speed recruitment will not work for every industry and position. Where only rigid competences count, and the pool of candidates is relatively small, it is difficult to find positives in opening up to dozens of random candidates. On the other hand, there are industries where competencies are more fluid. A fresh perspective from the outside can be revealing (marketing, copywriting, sales). Then such interviews can be inspiring for both parties.

Speed recruitment has definitely more advantages, which include saving time and money. This is especially important in the present, dynamically developing reality, where every hour can be worth its weight in gold. A 2015 Deloitte study shows that recruitment for specialist technical positions takes an average of 94 days. If the company managed to shorten this process by even a few days, it could translate into considerable additional funds.

Speed recruitment can be a great support solution employer branding, PR and HR. Professional market research on the perception of the company or the preferences of candidates could cost thousands of zlotys, and you can learn the same during one day of quick meetings with people willing to work. It can also be an element of internal training - admitting an inexperienced employee to such quick and informal meetings carries with it less risk than entrusting him with an actual interview. A large company, thanks to the speed recruitment formula, will gain life and abandon fossilized patterns, and a small company will meet many potential candidates at a low cost. 

Are speed recruitment popular in Poland?

It is estimated that even 50% recruitment in Poland takes about a month, and 1/4 of them even lasts several months. According to the data, meetings with candidates are the most time-consuming - where one takes about an hour, so with 50 or 70 candidates ... it may seem like it lasts forever. A long recruitment process is a minus not only for the employer (who has to spend a lot of time on it), but also for the candidates. Potential employees who do not receive feedback quickly after the meeting will feel frustrated and discouraged, and may even resign from further recruitment and accept the offer of a competing company.

Speed recruitment shortens the recruitment process. And although during such a meeting it is not possible to get to know the candidate (his knowledge and competences) as well as, for example, using the method gamification in recruitment, there is a clear trend of qualifying dating in Poland. Everything is caused by the constantly developing market and the search for new, non-standard forms of reaching candidates.

One of the first companies to introduce speed recruitment is Nokia. Already in 2016, the brand declared that it had been using qualifying dates for many months. Her idea was to organize meetings at Polish universities, during which the basic knowledge of the candidates was checked. People who successfully passed the first stage were invited to a 90-minute interview.

Is Nokia still practicing speed recruitment? Yes. In 2021, it focused on on-line recruitment (several minutes of technical talks with Nokia engineers, which gave a chance to receive an invitation to a regular interview). An example are the meetings in February and April concerning work in Bydgoszcz and the talks in May, the subjects of which were positions in Wrocław.

The advantage of Nokia's recruitment process is feedback, even in the event of a final rejection of the candidate's application. Feedback determines the areas in which the participant coped with the worst and require training, and thus gives him a chance to better prepare for future recruitment.

The Home.pl brand for the first time recruited on the basis of speed dating in 2015. An additional goal of speed recruitment was to show the candidates what everyday life in the company looks like, what employees do, what they are passionate about and what they do not like. Capgemini, which also considers speed recruitment to be a good recruitment method, has prepared, among others, "Taste your career with Capgemini" program - meetings during which employees talk about the projects implemented by the company and what their everyday work looks like.

The speed recruitment model has also been implemented by companies such as GoldenLine ("Rekrutacja24" project) or EY ("24 hours recruitment" program).

Speed recruitment - the most common mistakes

Pleasant conversation, without the stress typical of traditional recruitment meetings, convenience, the possibility of applying for various positions, getting to know the company from the "human side" - these are just some of the many advantages of speed recruitment. The dating formula breaks down barriers and allows you to get to know each other better on neutral, loose ground. All it takes to be successful is the "chemistry" between the recruiter and the candidate. It would seem that speed recruitment is a simple form of recruitment that can bring spectacular results. It enables the acquisition of excellent, competent employees in a short time. However, is it really so? Unfortunately, when you are in a hurry ... something may go wrong.

To be effective, a quick interview must be properly conducted. One of the most important elements is proper preparation of the recruiter. The selected set of questions is of great importance. Incorrectly structured questions will not allow you to get to know the potential employee well, check whether he will fit in with the vision and nature of the company, or whether he will fit the team. Too cursory selection of employees may lead to us selecting the wrong people.

The first impression counts in speed recruitment. Candidates must quickly demonstrate their qualities, knowledge and skills. There is no time for mistakes in speed recruitment. Unfortunately, anyone can collapse a leg. Even the best, most talented candidate may not be able to cope with the interview. As a consequence, he will not be invited to the next stages of recruitment, and the company will lose the chance to hire an outstanding person who could clearly contribute to its development.

A mistake of the speed recruitment event organizers is also not taking care of a positive, relaxed atmosphere of meetings. Reluctance, negative attitude of recruiters and too tense, formal nature of interviews are factors that may discourage candidates from cooperating with the company. Another downside is the lack of adequate feedback after the meeting - also in the case of rejection of the candidature. Each participant should get feedback. It's about how he fared at the interview, what possibly went wrong and what he could work on.

Recruitment - and then what?

Speed recruitment is an excellent tool that allows you to select the best among many potential employees. And without spending long hours on traditional recruitment meetings - where one can last up to about an hour, which with 100 candidates gives you as much as 75 hours saved! Thanks to the idea of speed job placement, recruiting takes a few days, not a few weeks.

However, speed recruitment is not the end. After selecting a few candidates (the best of the best), the next stage should be longer meetings. Then both parties will be able to get to know each other even better. It is worth fully engaging in the selection of potential employees. This will allow you to choose the perfect candidate. One that will perfectly fit into the character and vision of the company, will have the appropriate knowledge, high qualifications and predispositions to find a place in the company's everyday life. How to prepare for such a meeting?

Satisfied employees are one of the elements they build the employer's brand. Positive, thoughtful employer branding should include recruitment processes. First of all, you need to take care of the professionalism of the meetings. The recruiter should prepare well for the interview. It is important that he carefully analyzes the candidate's CV, checks how he did on speed recruitment and learns the most important facts from his professional career. A list of questions that will allow you to get to know the candidate better, and at the same time improve the course of the meeting, may be helpful. The recruiter should describe the job position in detail and accurately present the terms and conditions of employment in the company.

The recruitment meeting can be enriched with a test task. An interesting solution is the use of the Assessment Center, i.e. tasks that are similar to potential professional duties in a new job - checking the knowledge and qualifications of the candidate. This is the recruitment stage in which the best participants meet and perform 2-4 carefully prepared tasks (individually and in groups). The candidates' behavior is monitored by a team of objective judges who assess their competences and professional potential.

No matter what form of recruitment we choose, a good, friendly atmosphere of meetings is essential. The recruiter is obliged to say hello to the candidate, thank them for the interest in the offer, and offer something to drink. The meeting should take place in a quiet place. The candidate should be informed when he / she will receive feedback on the recruitment process. The deadline should not be too long. Feedback should be taken into account both in the case of positive and negative acceptance of the candidature.

A professional approach to recruitment will put the company in a good light. Candidates will look favorably at a potential employer and will want to cooperate with him.

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