These Proven Full-Cycle Recruiting Strategies are Must-Haves in 2024

February 15, 2023
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Recruitment is a crucial aspect of HR management that involves attracting and hiring the most suitable talent for an organization. A full-cycle recruiting process is an end-to-end approach that covers every stage of the recruitment process, from planning and preparation to onboarding and employee engagement. 

It’s a lot… We know. But to look over or skip one of the stages in this wholesome cycle could put you in a tough spot. So, it’s best to nail down each stage and get everything right from the get-go. 

Don’t worry if it’s going to be too complicated or take too much of your time, for we have prepared the definition of full cycle recruiting, its importance, as well as mapping out the cycle and best practices for each stage in this article. 

We’ll also take a quick look at a tool that could help you minimize errors along the way and ensure that you’ll be able to fill in empty seats with the best talent within a few clicks. 

So, let’s get right to it if you’re ready! 

What Is Full-Cycle Recruiting? 

Full-cycle recruiting is a comprehensive approach to the recruitment process that covers every stage, from identifying the need for a new hire to onboarding and retaining employees. 

This process involves a series of activities, including job analysis, sourcing and attracting candidates, screening and interviewing, making the offer, and employee engagement.

Full-cycle recruiting is essential for organizations that are looking to build a strong and diverse talent pool, improve their hiring process, and retain top talent. The process helps ensure that the right people are hired for the right jobs, reducing the risk of turnover and maximizing productivity. A well-executed full-cycle recruiting process can also help build a positive employer brand, attracting top talent and improving an organization's competitiveness in the job market.

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Recruitment Stages

1. Planning and Preparation

Recruitment is a complex process that requires careful planning and preparation. This stage lays down the foundation for the rest of the recruitment process and helps ensure that the right people are hired for the right jobs. Having a strong planning stage means you have a solid structure to build upon. 

Here are the key elements of planning and preparation in full-cycle recruiting.

A. Job Analysis and Job Description Creation

Job analysis is the process of gathering and evaluating information about the tasks, responsibilities, and requirements of a job. This information is used to create an accurate job description that outlines the essential duties, responsibilities, and qualifications for the position. A job description is a crucial document that helps attract the right candidates and sets clear expectations for the role.

B. Defining the Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate profile is a detailed description of the ideal candidate for the position. This profile should include the required skills, qualifications, and experience for the role, as well as the preferred personality traits and behaviors. Defining the ideal candidate profile helps ensure that the right people are sourced and screened, reducing the risk of turnover and maximizing productivity.

C. Determining Recruitment Budget

Recruitment requires a portion of the budget. Going at it blindly and you would find yourself spending much more than you should at the end of the road. So, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the budget for each stage of the recruitment process. 

This includes the cost of advertising, job fairs, employee referrals, and other recruitment-related expenses. A clear understanding of the recruitment budget helps ensure that the recruitment process runs smoothly and that the right resources are allocated where they are needed.

2. Sourcing and Attracting Candidates

Once the planning and preparation stage is complete, the next step in full-cycle recruiting is sourcing and attracting candidates. At this point, it’s up to each HR professional and recruiter to reach out to build relationships with potential candidates with their unique methods and styles. 

The following are the key elements of sourcing and attracting candidates in full-cycle recruiting that you should look into. 

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A. Building an Employer Brand

An employer brand is the image and reputation of a company as an employer. A strong employer brand can help attract the best talent and improve employee retention. Building an employer brand involves highlighting the company's unique culture, values, and benefits, as well as promoting its products and services. Employer branding can be done through various channels, including the company website, social media, and employee referral programs.

B. Utilizing Job Boards and Social Media

Job boards and social media are powerful tools for sourcing and attracting candidates. Job boards allow recruiters to post job listings and reach a large pool of potential candidates. Social media, on the other hand, provides a more personal and interactive way to engage with potential candidates. Recruiters can use social media to share company updates, post job listings, and interact with potential candidates.

C. Employee Referral Programs

Employee referral programs are an effective way to source and attract high-quality candidates. In these programs, employees are incentivized to refer their friends, family, and colleagues for open positions. Employee referrals are often a great source of high-quality candidates, as they come with a personal recommendation from a trusted source.

D. Campus Recruiting

Campus recruiting is the process of recruiting new graduates and interns from colleges and universities. Campus recruiting provides a great opportunity for companies to reach out to and engage with future talent. Recruiters can attend career fairs, conduct on-campus interviews, and host information sessions to build relationships with potential candidates and promote the company.

3. Screening and Interviewing

After sourcing and attracting candidates, the next step in full-cycle recruiting is screening and interviewing. The purpose of screening and interviewing is to determine which candidates are the best fit for the open positions and the company. 

Let’s take a look at the key aspects of screening and interviewing in full-cycle recruiting.

A. Pre-Screening Applicants

Pre-screening applicants is the process of reviewing resumes, cover letters, and applications to determine which candidates are worth considering for further interviews. During the pre-screening process, recruiters look for the qualifications, skills, and experience required for the position. This helps to narrow down the pool of applicants to those who are the best fit for the open positions.

B. Conducting Behavioral Interviews

Behavioral interviews are a type of interview that focuses on past behaviors and experiences to determine a candidate's future performance. During a behavioral interview, recruiters ask questions that require the candidate to describe how they have handled specific situations in the past. This paints a clearer picture of a candidate's skills, abilities, and potential.

C. Using Assessment Tools

Assessment tools are tests or exercises that are used to evaluate a candidate's skills, abilities, and potential. Assessment tools can include cognitive tests, personality tests, and skills assessments. These tools can help recruiters identify candidates who have the right skills and qualities for the open positions.

D. Checking References and Conducting Background Checks

These are quite important parts of the screening and interviewing process. Checking references allows recruiters to speak with former employers, co-workers, and other professional contacts to get a more complete picture of the candidate's work history, performance, and reputation. 

Conducting background checks helps verify the information provided from the candidate’s side, such as education and employment history. It also identifies any red flags that may impact the candidate's ability to perform the job. 

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4. Making the Offer

After the screening and interviewing process is complete and you have identified the right candidate for the job, the next step is making the offer. This is an important stage as it sets the tone for the new employee's experience with your organization and plays a crucial role in their decision to join your company.

A. Negotiating Salary and Benefits

When making an offer, it's essential to discuss salary and benefits with the candidate. It's important to have a clear understanding of the salary range for the position and to be prepared to discuss the compensation package. You should also be open to negotiating the terms of the offer, such as the salary, benefits, and start date, with the candidate.

B. Creating an Offer Letter

Once the salary and benefits are all set and agreed upon, the next step is to create an offer letter, which is a written document that outlines the terms of the employment offer, including the job title, salary, start date, and benefits. It's important to ensure that the offer letter is clear and concise and that it accurately reflects the terms of the offer discussed with the candidate.

C. Onboarding and Orientation

After the candidate have accepted the offer, the following step is to onboard and orient the new employee. Onboarding is the process of welcoming a new hire into the company culture, work environment, and job responsibilities. It's an important step in ensuring that new employee feels valued and supported as they transition into their new role. Orientation should cover important information such as company policies, benefits, and expectations.

By making the offer and onboarding process seamless and enjoyable, you can help to build a positive and productive relationship with your new employee from the outset. 

5. Retention and Employee Engagement

Congratulations. Now you have successfully attracted, hired, and onboarded the new hire. But don’t celebrate yet, for haven’t reached the end of the full-cycle recruiting. There is still a bit more work to do.  

A. Importance of Employee Engagement

At this stage, it is important that recruiters shift their focus to employee engagement and retention. What is employee engagement? Well, it refers to the level of involvement, commitment, and satisfaction an employee feels towards their work and the organization they work for.

Research has shown that engaged employees are more productive, provide better customer service, and are more likely to stay with an organization for a longer period of time. In fact, organizations with high levels of employee engagement tend to have lower turnover rates and higher levels of customer satisfaction.

B. Creating an Employee Retention Plan

One of the key ways to promote employee engagement and retention is to develop an employee retention plan. This plan should be tailored to the specific needs of the organization and its employees. It should take into account factors such as the organization’s culture, the employee’s job duties and responsibilities, and the employee’s goals and aspirations.

An effective employee retention plan should include the following elements:

  • Clear communication: Ensure that employees understand the organization’s goals, objectives, and expectations. Regular communication can help build trust and improve employee engagement.
  • Professional development: Provide opportunities for employees to enhance their skills and advance their careers. This can be done through training, mentoring, or coaching programs.
  • Competitive compensation and benefits: Provide an attractive compensation package that includes a competitive salary and benefits to attract and maintain top-performing employees.
  • Recognition and appreciation: Regularly recognize and appreciate employees for their contributions to the organization. This can help boost morale and increase employee engagement.
  • Work-life balance: Encourage employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements and opportunities for growth and development.

C. Providing Opportunities for Career Development and Growth

Providing opportunities for career development and growth is another important aspect of employee engagement and retention. This can be done through job rotations, cross-training, and other developmental programs. 

Encouraging employees to take on new responsibilities and to grow professionally can help keep them engaged and motivated.

Optimize the Cycle with an Applicant Tracking System 

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software application used to manage the recruitment process, from job postings to applicant tracking and hiring. An ATS helps streamline the recruitment process, saving time and reducing manual errors. It also provides valuable insights into the recruitment process, including the number of applicants, the time-to-hire, and the cost-per-hire. A well-designed ATS is a valuable tool for successful full-cycle recruiting. 

In a pool of ATS available on the market today, Manatal stands tall as one of the most reliable hiring platforms. Driven by AI, Manatal is able to automate repetitive tasks such as backlogging and documentation. This allows users to focus their valuable time on crucial tasks like forming and strengthening relationships with candidates as well as customers.  

Manatal comes with innovative features that will minimize your time and maximize your performance. The platform allows you to reach prospective candidates and share your job post across 2,500+ free and premium channels, including Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster, CareerJet, JobStreet, and more. 

At the same time, its career page feature enables you to establish and reinforce your employer brand within a few clicks. You will be able to design and construct a perfect career page from scratch. 

Moreover, with its candidate enrichment feature, Manatal enables you to learn more about candidates beyond their CVs as it browses the web, extracts information from their available online profiles, and consolidates everything in a single page, completing candidates’ data and ensuring that you will have a perfect shortlist.  

Manatal is also packed with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) feature that allows users to collaborate seamlessly and establish relationships with customers throughout the pipeline. Via its Collaborate and Activities feature, you will be able to efficiently organize the interview sessions with customers and candidates, ensuring no overlap appointments. 

In addition, Manatal connects all parties 24/7 through the messaging feature. Customers will be able to leave notes and notify recruiters about candidates they’d like to learn more about or have another interview with. 

Having a powerful tool with features like these at hand would ensure the quality of hire as well as the efficiency of your full-cycle recruiting in the long run.  

LEARN MORE: What does Manatal’s Applicant Tracking System offer?

LEARN MORE: Get started with Manatal

Wrapping It Up

Full-cycle recruiting is a comprehensive process that involves attracting, assessing, and hiring the best talent for an organization. It is a critical function that requires strategic planning and execution to ensure a smooth and effective outcome. The ultimate goal of full-cycle recruiting is to find the right fit for both the organization and the candidate and to build a positive relationship that leads to a successful employment experience.

There are several strategies and best practices that organizations can implement to improve their full-cycle recruiting process. 

From leveraging technology and social media to building strong employer branding and creating a positive candidate experience, organizations have a range of options to choose from. 

By being proactive and forward-thinking, organizations can attract the right candidates, streamline the recruitment process, and ultimately increase their chances of success.

Among the sea of tools, Manatal is a cloud-based hiring platform that is specifically tuned to help HR professionals and recruitment agencies attract, screen, hire and retain top talent in a more efficient and convenient manner. 

Start a 14-day free trial with Manatal today and discover how you can be at the front line of the recruitment race within a few clicks.

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Bill Twinning
Talent Resources & Development Director - Charoen Pokphand Group
Manatal is the best ATS we worked with. Simplicity, efficiency and the latest technologies combined make it an indispensable tool for any large-scale HR team. Since its adoption, we've seen a huge increase across all our key recruitment metrics. To summarize, it is a must-have.
Dina Demajo
Senior Talent Acquisition - Manpower Group
Manpower has been using Manatal and we couldn't be happier as a team with the services this platform has provided. The application is extremely user-friendly and very well equipped with all the useful functions one would require for successful recruitment. The support team is also excellent with very fast response time.
Ahmed Firdaus
Director - MRI Network, Executive Search Firm
I've been using Manatal for the past couple of months and the platform is excellent, user-friendly and it has helped me a lot in my recruitment process, operation and database management. I'm very happy with their great support. Whenever I ask something they come back to me within minutes.
Edmund Yeo
Human Resources Manager - Oakwood
Manatal is a sophisticated, easy-to-use, mobile-friendly, and cloud-based applicant tracking system that helps companies achieve digitalization and seamless integration to LinkedIn and other job boards. The team at Manatal is very supportive, helpful, prompt in their replies and we were pleased to see that the support they offer exceeded our expectations.
Maxime Ferreira
International Director - JB Hired
Manatal has been at the core of our agency's expansion. Using it has greatly improved and simplified our recruitment processes. Incredibly easy and intuitive to use, customizable to a tee, and offers top-tier live support. Our recruiters love it. A must-have for all recruitment agencies. Definitely recommend!
Ngoc-Thinh Tran
HR Manager, Talent Sourcing & Acquisition - Suntory PepsiCo Beverage
I am using Manatal for talent sourcing and it is the best platform ever. I am so impressed, the Manatal team did an excellent job. This is so awesome I am recommending the solution to all recruiters I know.
Bill Twinning
Talent Resources & Development Director - Charoen Pokphand Group
Manatal is the best ATS we worked with. Simplicity, efficiency and the latest technologies combined make it an indispensable tool for any large-scale HR team. Since its adoption, we've seen a huge increase across all our key recruitment metrics. To summarize. it is a must-have.
Ahmed Firdaus
Director - MRINetwork, Executive Search Firm
I've been using Manatal for the past couple of months and the platform is excellent, user-friendly and it has helped me a lot in my recruitment process, operation and database management. I'm very happy with their great support. Whenever I ask something they come back to me within minutes.
Dina Demajo
Senior Talent Acquisition - Manpower Group
Manpower has been using Manatal and we couldn't be happier as a team with the services this platform has provided. The application is extremely user-friendly and very well equipped with all the useful functions one would require for successful recruitment. The support team is also excellent with very fast response time.
Kevin Martin
Human Resources Manager - Oakwood
Manatal is a sophisticated, easy-to-use, mobile-friendly, and cloud-based applicant tracking system that helps companies achieve digitalization and seamless integration to LinkedIn and other job boards. The team at Manatal is very supportive, helpful, prompt in their replies and we were pleased to see that the support they offer exceeded our expectations.
Maxime Ferreira
International Director - JB Hired
Manatal has been at the core of our agency's expansion. Using it has greatly improved and simplified our recruitment processes. Incredibly easy and intuitive to use, customizable to a tee, and offers top-tier live support. Our recruiters love it. A must-have for all recruitment agencies. Definitely recommend!
Ngoc-Thinh Tran
HR Manager, Talent Sourcing & Acquisition - Suntory PepsiCo Beverage
I am using Manatal for talent sourcing and it is the best platform ever. I am so impressed, the Manatal team did an excellent job. This is so awesome I am recommending the solution to all recruiters I know.

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