How long should the recruiting process take?
From advertising to offering the role to a candidate, our recruitment process typically lasts 1 month. Our Talent Partner, Lauren Power, explains what this looks like at CDPS
15 December 2022
Before we even advertise a role, our recruitment efforts are helped by the work we do to attract talent into digital, data and technology roles.
We advertise roles for 2 weeks. This makes sure there’s enough time for candidates to apply for the role and allows us to move quickly.
Assessing applications
Candidates only need to include an up-to-date CV and cover letter when they apply.
Once the advertisement window closes the applications will be entered into the sifting process.
To sift these CVs, a pre-arranged interview panel should:
- review each CV and cover letter
- score the applications from 1 to 5 based on the essential criteria that are outlined in the job description.
View and download our example sift and score sheet
This makes sure that candidates are judged against the same criteria consistently and that the most relevant candidates are invited to interview.
Interviewing
Interviewing is one of the most important steps in the recruitment process. It usually lasts half a week.
By this point, you have found suitable candidates who have the skills and knowledge to add value to your business.
Interviews are also an opportunity for you to sell your business and leave every candidate wanting to work with you. You can do this by telling the candidate about the company, the role and why you are hiring.
It would also benefit you to explain how this role fits into the wider vision of the business and any progression opportunities that you see.
Remember that this may be your first time meeting a future colleague so being warm and engaging is key.
Interview questions
We have found that it works to give candidates the questions before the interview and keep the interview process down to one stage. This makes sure that:
- all candidates feel comfortable and prepared going into the interviews
- we are competitive in a fast-moving market
- we are being respectful of candidates’ time
View and download our example interview scoring sheet
An accessible interview
We invite all candidates to tell us about any reasonable adjustments that they may need during an interview.
- Make sure that closed captions are available on the video call.
- Don’t judge candidates on poor eye contact.
- Give people space to gather their thoughts before replying.
- Reassure candidates if you feel they’re rushing or are nervous.
- Be prepared for interruptions and be accommodating if they happen.
- Let people talk with their cameras off.
- Be respectful of people’s time.
- Using any video background is fine.
- Be clear that you are happy to repeat or reword any question if necessary.
We also ask candidates to make sure that nothing has happened in the past 24 hours that could adversely affect their interview (such as with their health and family)
Staying organised
To make sure that we communicate with the wider team, we use a recruitment timeline on Trello. This is in the form of a Kanban board that is presented during senior leadership meetings. Cards are created and moved along the columns during the recruitment process.
We have published recruitment tools and templates to put some of our suggested solutions into practice.
You can also watch our webinar about recruiting talent for digital, data and technology roles.
