It is the well-known sales funnel applied to the selection process. In the same way that new customers travel a path from the moment they meet the company until they buy, candidates begin to form an image of the company from the first point of contact.
The recruitment funnel is a graphical representation of the trajectory defined for the hiring process. It records each phase and controls how candidates meet and relate to the company or recruiter from the initial moments.
Monitoring this process is fundamental to guarantee and increase the company's capacity to attract and identify the best talents, which is determinant for the success of the business.
Why use it?
The recruitment funnel is a way of analyzing the number of candidates and, among these, calculating how many will take part in the next stage of the selection process. Before starting the selection process, the number of candidates must be defined for each stage.
How does it work in practice?
The real action of the recruitment funnel is the detail that it presents to the person responsible for the selection process. The number of visitors is entered into the system, the selection occurs, and then a smaller volume of candidates is chosen to go through the testing phase. Then, the final phase, which ends with the quantity to fill the vacancies.
What are the advantages?
This way of selecting the best candidates has the objective of making the selection process more agile and correct, reduces costs to the institution and to the candidates, and captures the best talents. A well carried out hiring process complies with the company's organizational culture and avoids turnover.
- top of the funnel - the initial process is known as "talk to us", here occurs the analysis of resumes. At this stage, people are considered visitors.
- middle of the funnel - at this stage, visitors fulfill some requirements pointed out by the selection process and become candidates for the vacancy, thus, they are forwarded to the next phase.
- bottom of the funnel - as competitive candidates, they are invited to participate in interviews, group dynamics and technical tests to measure their competences.
At this stage, most of the evaluations are face-to-face and the others may be online - the interview, for example. Here, the recruitment of the talents that will make up the organization's staff takes place.
What are the most recurrent mistakes when applying the funnel?
Some of the main mistakes found in the funnel are quite easy to identify, such as the language used in the communication channels. Very formal approaches may seem less attractive to professionals from sectors that involve creation and innovation, for example.
Another recurring problem is the lack of information. This can be a delicate aspect, as much data may need to be kept confidential, but without evaluating what to communicate from a funnel strategy point of view, some details may be suppressed unnecessarily.
The third big mistake is using inappropriate channels, which may change, according to the vacancy and the sector of performance. That is, the main mistakes involve communication. Therefore, give maximum attention to it.
How to create a funnel that really works?
Attraction
In the attraction stage it is necessary to develop actions capable of attracting talent in sufficient numbers and with the desired profile. However, the first step is to understand how the candidates arrive at the company, what is positive and what can hinder the process. With a situational analysis that identifies the strong and weak points, it will be easier to develop corrective actions according to the priorities.
Conversion
In the first stage of the funnel there are the visitors, right? Those potential candidates who have not yet sent their CV are at the top of the funnel. Therefore, the goal is to convert them into candidates interested in working at the company. Therefore, you must think about practices that are able to convince them that it is a promising idea to send their resume.
Qualification
After the candidates show interest, it is necessary to evaluate the qualification of each one, trying to identify those who are in a condition to move on to the next stage. This is when tests and interviews are applied.
Proposal
After selecting the qualified candidates, the actions are turned to the preparation of the job proposal, which may also contribute or hinder the most competitive talents to move on to the final stage. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate and strengthen each detail of influence, which includes benefits offered, for example.
Formalization
The funnel closes at the conclusion of the process when the employee is hired and moves on to onboarding.
