Full-Cycle Recruiting: 6 Steps for Effective and Successful Hiring

What is Full-Cycle Recruiting?

Full-cycle recruiting, sometimes called end-to-end recruitment, is the process of filling a position in an organization. The practice begins with opening a job vacancy to applicants and ends when a new employee fills the role. Employers tailor their recruitment approach based on different variables, such as company size and hiring urgency.

As an employer, you might think the hiring process ends with an employee signing the contract. This isn’t entirely true. Hiring is more than just conducting assessment tests and interviews. The whole recruitment process involves multiple steps to ensure you select the ideal candidate for a position.

From employee screening to selection, every stage in full-cycle recruiting is pivotal in securing a successful hire. Smaller firms will typically entrust the entire recruitment process to a single person, such as a recruiter or hiring manager. In contrast, larger companies often devote an entire team to talent acquisition.

Different team members may oversee distinct stages of recruitment, which include preparing, sourcing, screening, selecting, hiring, and onboarding.

Whether you have an entire team or one person handling these steps, a full-cycle recruiter manages the overall process to finish off with a successful hire.

To help you understand the big picture, this article answers the question of what full-cycle recruiting is and breaks down the steps for effective hiring.

The 6 Steps of Full-Cycle Recruitment

Acquiring new talent entails following through full-cycle recruitment. From laying the groundwork to welcoming new hires, these strategic phases form the backbone of a seamless and effective recruitment process. Here is how end-to-end recruitment works in six steps:

1. Preparing

The preparation stage is where you iron out details about the job. It includes defining the required qualifications, creating clear job descriptions, and outlining candidate profiles. Deciding on compensation and benefits is also part of this phase. Researching competitive salaries and perks will help you develop a compensation package designed to attract and win over top talent.

To better see how the preparation step applies, imagine that you are hiring an executive assistant. The preparation stage would entail determining the specific skills and experience needed for an administrative assistant, drafting a detailed job description highlighting the key responsibilities, and setting criteria for the ideal candidate. These will pave the way for the next steps.

2. Sourcing

Sourcing covers various methods to find potential candidates for the role. You may go through job boards, social media platforms, networking, and employee referral programs to spread the word about available positions. 

Career websites are helpful since they streamline the matching process by finding people with your required skills. You can also post on your company’s website or social media accounts for additional exposure.

Opening the position internally to current employees is also a viable option. Internal recruitment can fast-track the hiring process since your employees are already familiar with the company, signaling they’re a good cultural fit.

3. Screening

After you start receiving applicants, it’s time to start screening them. Here, you evaluate all applicants to identify suitable candidates for the next stage. The analysis starts with resume screening. Reviewing resumes manually or through an applicant tracking system is the initial check to see who meets your criteria.

The next step is phone screening, which involves talking to the candidates by phone. This assessment covers basic recruitment questions that can give you a better grasp of the applicant’s personality and qualifications. If all goes well, applicants can proceed to a video screening.

This part can be a brief live interview. Alternatively, you may request applicants to submit a pre-recorded video introducing themselves. A video screening provides an opportunity to visually assess someone’s presentation skills, demeanor, and communication abilities beyond what you might glean from a traditional resume or phone conversation.

4. Selecting

In this step of full-cycle recruiting, you dive deeper into reviewing candidates. This stage takes the longest time because it can involve several selection methods, such as interviews and, pre-employment assessment tests.

Applicants can go through different interview formats, such as panel, group, or one-on-one interviews with the hiring team

Interviews help gather more in-depth information about the applicant’s professional background and qualifications. You can ask behavioral interview questions to know more about the candidate’s personality, decision-making process, and possible responses to various work-related situations. 

Meanwhile, pre-employment tests help determine whether candidates have the soft and hard skills for the role. These assessments may include personality tests and cognitive ability tests. 

For technical roles, specific skills tests apply. These tailored exams measure job-related competencies. If you were to look for an accountant, for instance, this stage would cover accounting tests that measure candidates’ financial analysis skills and cognitive ability.

5. Hiring

By this stage, you have one to three shortlisted candidates. You might consider reference checks to further validate who is the best person for the job. This involves getting in touch with previous colleagues and employers. Background checks should comply with all local and federal regulations.

When you’ve settled on a primary candidate, your next step is to extend an offer outlining employment specifics like job title, compensation, benefits, and start date. You may use the offer letter to define all details, including the terms of employment. The candidate then has the option to accept the offer, negotiate the employment terms, or decline in favor of another opportunity.

6. Onboarding

The onboarding phase begins once the candidate says yes to the offer and signs the contract. This last step involves integrating the new hire into the company culture, ensuring a smooth transition into their role. As part of end-to-end recruitment, the hired individual will undergo any necessary orientation and training programs.

It is best practice to communicate with new employees before their start dates for first week details and tasks. The onboarding step also involves providing all the tools and materials the employees need for work ahead of time. Likewise, new hires ideally complete all the paperwork and submit the required documents before their first day.

You could also introduce new hires to your team and provide the former with a workplace tour while discussing expectations, company culture, and other factors contributing to success.

7 Tips for Successful Full-Cycle Recruiting

You can enhance your end-to-end recruitment process, attract top talent, and foster a positive candidate experience by applying these tips, ranging from diversity hiring to building an online presence.

1. Widen your sourcing pool

One of the keys to finding the best candidates is broadening your reach and considerations. Reach out to past applicants who were close to being hired in the past recruitment rounds. They might have more experience and skills since their last application. Also, promote open positions within your company. Internal recruitment gives your current employees career growth opportunities.

Another method that can expand your sourcing pool is skill or experience-based hiring. This approach disregards an applicant’s lack of formal education. Instead, it focuses on their relevant skills that can outweigh academic qualifications. Being open to this approach exposes your company to a larger talent pool.

2. Communicate promptly and consistently

Timely feedback shows respect for candidates’ efforts and interests. Even if it’s only to convey that they’re not selected, a prompt response fosters a positive candidate experience with your company.

It’s also a good idea to keep candidates in the loop even if you will not hire them. This practice upholds good relationships among applicants and keeps them engaged. Plus, they might be suitable for future roles or even refer others to your recruitment team.

3. Offer flexibility and career development

Flexibility in work hours or remote work options can attract a diverse pool of candidates. Plus, it’s ideal to highlight growth paths within the company to appeal to more ambitious candidates seeking long-term career prospects.

4. Tap into technology

Use applicant tracking systems (ATS) and recruitment software to streamline processes, manage candidate data, and automate repetitive tasks. This practice saves time, improves organization, and enhances the recruitment experience for you and job seekers.

5. Cultivate a positive employer brand

In today’s digital era, you need an engaging online presence showcasing company culture, values, and employee testimonials. Attracting top talent is easier with a positive employer brand.

6. Employ good onboarding practices

A comprehensive onboarding process sets the tone for new hires. When they are welcomed and well-trained, they’re more likely to stay longer and become productive team members. In the long run, good onboarding practices can increase employee retention.

Mastering Full-Cycle Recruiting for Success

Recruitment isn’t just about filling positions; it involves various steps pivotal in shaping a high-performing workforce that can fuel organizational success. Each phase contributes to creating an effective recruitment strategy, from initial preparations to final onboarding. 

The preparation stage sets the tone and defines the guidelines for what the organization needs while sourcing widens the horizon as you explore talent pools.

Screening and selection act as the assessor and conductor, ensuring only the most qualified individuals progress to the next steps. Then, the hiring stage offers the chosen candidate the opportunity to join the team. Finally, onboarding wraps up end-to-end recruitment and jumpstarts the new hire’s journey. 

To streamline your hiring process, consider using EmployTest to help understand candidate skill levels. With an extensive list of the best pre-employment assessment tests to choose from, EmployTest can help you make smarter hiring decisions and build a well-functioning team. Try a free sample test today!