How to Recruit Efficiently When You’re Getting Thousands of Applicants

One of the most effective ways to manage an overwhelming number of resumes is by adopting an AI tool or hiring someone hourly to sift through the inbound resumes. There's a lot of debate about AI scraping resumes, but I like to use these tools to pinpoint the top 10% of matches that I’m specifically looking for.

For instance, if I need a leader with three years of experience, there are tools out there that are advanced enough to spotlight candidates with at least three years’ of experience, targeted industry relevance and titles.

I don’t rely on these tools 100%, but they definitely expedite my process. Alternatively, you can hire someone with recruiting experience to handle inbound resumes and job postings.

Go Beyond the Applications

Just because you’re getting thousands of applicants doesn’t mean they are the right fit. Actively seek out talent via LinkedIn that you think would be ideal for the role. 

Send out video outreach messages. 

Sending 10 to 20 videos will only take you 30 minutes. This personal touch builds trust in a world where fake jobs and scam recruiters are rampant. 

A simple, direct message like, "Hey [Name], I was on your LinkedIn profile and love your enterprise sales background. I’m building my team here at [Company] and we’re looking for someone to run the Pacific Northwest territory. It’s a net new role with 25 accounts to sell to. Our team values accountability, work-life balance and customer-focus. Let me know if you’re confidentially open to exploring something new. My calendar link is below," is much more effective than any InMail you send.

Rethink Job Posting Strategies

Consider not posting the job at all.

If you don’t…make sure to avoid this mistake: some startups are not posting jobs but are instead using LinkedIn posts to encourage people to comment if they’re interested. This can be risky for gainfully employed candidates who don’t want to jeopardize their current position. If they message you directly, your inbox might already be flooded. 

If you don’t post the job live, always offer candidates a direct way to apply and ensure you have a detailed job description available to send out. Posting a vague request on LinkedIn, such as, "I’m looking for a hunter in Texas to sell to hospitals and healthcare systems. If you want to join a 🚀 company, comment ‘interested’" isn’t enough, no matter how early-stage you are.

You’ll only attract desperate talent.

Include Key Information in Your Job Postings

Always include your interview process and salary range in the job posting. This will weed out candidates who are outside of the salary range, reducing the number of unfit applicants. Let’s face it, some companies are paying people to apply for jobs, which leads to an influx of mismatched resumes.

Yes, people are getting paid to apply for jobs. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Clearly laying out expectations and setting candidates up for success is crucial. To do this, you must have your process laid out first. Decide who will be on your interview panel, alert them, and set up interview days. Each role will have different timelines – hiring an SDR is not the same as hiring a C-level executive. Plan realistically and have deadlines for each stage of the process.

Plan Ahead for Efficient Hiring

Pro Tip: source candidates yourself two days before posting the job. This allows you to have a clear idea of the market and potential candidates. It also gives you a runway to identify interested, targeted talent, and get them lined up for first round interviews at the same time as your applicants. 

An ideal hiring process has candidates going through each round of interviews simultaneously so that no one is waiting for days or weeks for next steps, or a decision. 

Happy hunting!

That’s all for this week! Please share with your colleagues if you’re enjoying this newsletter ♻️

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