The 3 Best High-Volume Recruiting Strategies to Expand Your Workforce

The High-Volume Recruitment Process

Sometimes, companies may need to increase their workforce drastically and quickly. It may be due to seasonal demand; it may be to take on a new project or staff a new department. These challenges are often overcome by developing a high-volume recruiting program. The high volume hiring process usually requires a lot of effort and planning to execute properly. 

We spoke with Director of Recruiting Operations Danielle Pond and Practice Lead Liz Wellman who have over 30 years of combined staffing experience. They walked us through some tips for creating effective high-volume recruiting strategies.

What is High-Volume Hiring? 

High-volume hiring is when a company quickly brings on many workers to fill multiple positions. There are various challenges that can lead a company to consider high-volume recruiting. No matter the reason, the company is essentially trying to staff many open positions, which can all be the same or span multiple levels or departments of the company. 

“An employer will often utilize high-volume recruitment during a busy season or for a special project. It can be due to an uptick in business, seasonality, or events such as COVID-19 that require rapid response from businesses in unpredictable times,” says Pond. 

The High-Volume Recruiting Process

During the first part of the high-volume recruiting process, a company needs to identify their positions of need. For instance, if it’s a construction company, they may hire new general laborers to better manage a new project. Or, the project may need more candidates with a specific skill set like carpenters or welders. 
Once they’ve identified the personnel they need, the company’s marketing department (or an outside recruiting firm) will start targeting the talent they need. This is done through advertising, social media, and job boards. They’ll then screen multiple candidates in interviews and select the ones that are the best for the job openings.  High-volume recruiting is similar in process to regular recruiting, but it’s significantly more extensive. Employers will often use software to screen through applications, and rapid interviews to make the process more efficient. 

The 3 Best High-Volume Recruiting Strategies 

1. Automate What You Can 

The marketing/human resources department, or recruiting firm, handling the hiring will need to be efficient with their time. Using technology in your high-volume hiring process will not only save you time doing administrative work, but also help you reach the quality candidates more quickly. This can be done by screening for keywords in the applications or resumes, using calendars for potential candidates to select interview times online, and using virtual interviews through Zoom, Google, or Facetime. 

2. Utilize Talent Databases

Often, companies will compile databases of leads where talented individuals can
submit their credentials, contact information, and other data. This makes it easier for marketing personnel to reach out if they require talent in that niche. It grants easier access to qualified candidates who are often looking for work. 

Liz Wellman explains the benefits of leveraging a staffing partner’s talent network during the high-volume hiring process.

“Many companies just put up the job postings. Whereas we have recruiters that are specifically recruiting for these skill sets… We can partner with a company and share our massive database of potential candidates to help them fill these roles quickly,” says Wellman.

3. Leverage Data 

If your last round of high-volume hires didn’t yield the desired results be sure to note where improvements can be made. Did you focus too much on a certain job board? Maybe you underestimated how much staffing a certain department needed? Leverage what you learned to make future mass hiring campaigns more successful. 

“When working with recruiters to find potential candidates, it’s important for the staffing agency to know what the gearing ratio is for the company so we can work backwards to effectively fill each start class needed. We need to research the geographic area to ensure that pay rates meet or exceed the market standard, and so that we are familiar with companies to identify potential candidates from in the market. We also need to identify how many recruiters will need to support the high-volume business to meet client expectations each week. We need a plan for interview, references, onboarding and start classes to ensure we’re setting our candidates up for success,” says Pond.

Want to Learn More About How to Simplify the High-Volume Hiring Process?

The high-volume hiring process isn’t easy, especially in a tight labor market. By leveraging the strategies above you can put your company in a better position to overcome the challenges associated with mass hiring. 

When you need help improving your high-volume hiring program — contact us and let us know more about your business and your workforce challenges.