Mass Hiring Strategies: How to Recruit People in Volume
April 13, 2023
Whether you want to hire people into multiple positions or you are looking for ways to quickly expand your organization's headcount, having a mass hiring strategy is critical.
A mass hiring strategy can help you save time and money by reducing the need for multiple job adverts and assessment centers.
In this article, you can learn more about mass hiring and how you can use it to recruit the right people into your organization.
What is Mass Hiring?
Mass hiring describes hiring people into multiple positions within a short time frame. Other names for it include bulk hiring and high-volume hiring.
What counts as 'mass hiring' varies between organizations. For example, employers like Google hire more than 1000 new staff monthly. Since it happens all the time, it's not considered mass hiring.
However, if an organization usually hires 50 employees per month and wants to increase this to 200 or more, this would be considered mass hiring.
Business growth is one of the main reasons why an organization might decide to use mass hiring. This could be due to scaling up, expansion or launching a new project.
Other reasons for using mass hiring strategies include seasonal demand and high turnover.
Why is Mass Hiring Important?
An effective mass hiring strategy will impact all parts of the hiring process, including screening, shortlisting, interviewing and onboarding new hires.
When mass hiring is successful, organizations can employ high volumes of high-quality candidates within a short time frame - usually in under ten days.
Finding and recruiting the best talent for your business can be challenging. It can be time-consuming and expensive to hire talent for multiple positions.
When you need to get started on a new project or open a new location, time is of the essence. So recruiting high-quality candidates en masse within a short timescale is essential.
The main benefits of mass hiring are:
Lower hiring costs
Recruiting in bulk means lower advertising and administration costs, helping to reduce the overall cost of recruiting.
Access to better tech solutions
Many bulk hiring platforms allow recruiters to pre-screen candidates, schedule interviews and interview prospective candidates at scale.
Boosts business branding
Effective interaction with many prospects leads to better opportunities for indirect marketing during the hiring campaign.
What are the Challenges of Mass Hiring?
Although there are many benefits to applying mass hiring strategies, it's essential to consider the potential pitfalls.
You will need to consider your current hiring process, including manual processes that could be more effective when used at scale. For example, if you ask applicants to complete an application form and submit it with their resume and a cover letter, you must streamline this for mass hiring.
You must adapt your screening, communication, interview and onboarding processes to ensure they are suitable for mass hiring. The consequences of not doing so include low-quality hires and a poor candidate experience.
Here's an overview of the main challenges of mass hiring.
Time limitations
If mass hiring is new to your business, consider your organization's existing skill mix and resources. Embarking on mass hiring without a plan is never a good idea, and you can't expect your existing HR team to be able to cope with the extra demand.
Having a clear plan in place will help you to manage your time effectively. The first step is to assemble a process map covering every stage, from advertising to onboarding.
Consider the skills and resources required for each stage. For example, you'll need to set up an agreed shortlisting criteria if you plan to ask multiple people to eliminate unsuitable candidates.
You may also need to train more managers in interviewing skills or introduce video-based content to the onboarding program.
Unclear advertising
When it comes to mass hiring, time management is critical. The last thing you want to do is waste time explaining or re-explaining elements of the vacant job role to prospective candidates.
Being clear in your advertising is one way to tackle this. Optimize content, ensuring that it offers as much detail as possible about the job role, including candidates' skills and qualifications.
Include information on organizational culture within the job advert. Consider adding video diaries from existing staff or photos from a recent social event to show applicants what it's like to work for you.
You should also think carefully about the platforms you use to list your job vacancy. Choosing the wrong platform could lead to many unqualified or unsuitable applicants.
These steps will help you attract the right talent to your recruitment campaign.
Poor communication
Effective communication between the hirer and the hiring manager is vital. To avoid problems, the hiring manager must clearly describe the ideal candidate to the hirer.
Consider using technology like pre-screening questions to sift out unsuitable candidates early in the hiring process.
Be clear about who is responsible for what during the hiring process. This will help to avoid repetition.
Communication between the hirer and candidates is equally important. Without it, candidates will quickly lose interest in the job vacancy.
Strategies for Mass Hiring
If you want to start using mass hiring in your organization, here are some strategies to consider.
Offer incentives for referrals
Existing happy employees are the best advocates for your business. Asking them to leave a positive review of their recruitment experience on social media or Glassdoor is one way to boost brand reputation and encourage people to apply for jobs. Consider offering gift cards or tokens in exchange for these reviews.
If you want to introduce an employee referral bonus scheme, this is paid as a percentage of the new starter's initial salary. The bonus is paid out to the referring employee after a specified period, often following the successful completion of the new starter's probationary period.
Attend job fairs
Setting up a booth at a job fair is an effective way to recruit employees in bulk. Job fairs are great for networking, so you can build rapport with numerous job seekers simultaneously.
If you want to stand out at a job fair, choose one that is relevant to your industry. Choose brand representatives that are appropriate for your job vacancies - people working in the same role or department are best placed to chat with prospective employees.
Set up a comprehensive information pack to hand out at the fair. Remember to include contact information for the hiring manager and HR department.
Consider asking your brand representatives to wear customized shirts, and make sure they all have a name badge that displays their job title and department.
Be prepared to hold initial interviews at the job fair. There's no time to lose if the right talent is in front of you.
Hold an open house
Open houses are similar to job fairs. The main difference is that they are set up and hosted by the organization.
Instead of booths for different businesses, there are stands for various departments or job vacancies within the organization.
Running an open house means you can interact with many candidates interested in working for your organization on the same day. They are an effective way to share information on company culture and values with prospective candidates.
For example, arrange for the CEO to speak at the start of the session and then allow candidates to work their way around the different stations.
Open houses are usually held on-site, so it's easy to set up interviews or assessment activities on the same day.
Leverage online job boards and social media
In today's digital world, online job boards and social media are effective methods of staff recruitment.
Professional networking platforms like LinkedIn allow recruiters to access a pool of suitable candidates quickly. They also offer opportunities to pre-screen prospective candidates according to information listed on profile pages.
Online job boards and social media are cost-effective methods for staff recruitment. Used well, they can help you to attract the best possible candidates for your vacancy.
Listing a vacancy online is fast and easy - often, your advert will appear immediately. They also offer global reach so that you can access a vast pool of possible new hires.
The most compelling online job adverts are both detailed and easy to read. The job title should be an accurate reflection of the job role.
You should also include the following:
A comprehensive list of responsibilities and daily duties
An overview of the company
Details of the skills, qualifications and qualities required for the role
Job location and hours of work
Salary and benefits
Contact details for the hiring manager
Use an applicant tracking system (ATS)
If you want a tool to organize your recruitment process, consider using an applicant tracking system (ATS).
Organizations can use an ATS to automate the hiring process. It can send messages, issue notifications, invite candidates to complete aptitude tests and schedule interviews.
In high-volume recruitment, an ATS will manage applications and move candidates seamlessly through the process. Once you've chosen your preferred candidate, one click is all it takes to hire them.
You can also use your ATS to analyze the hiring process and identify areas for improvement for future mass recruitment campaigns.
Outsource your recruitment process
Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) can be used to facilitate all or part of your organization's hiring needs. An RPO model can help your organization find, screen, engage, hire and onboard high-quality talent.
There are three RPO models to choose from: full lifecycle, functional and on-demand RPO.
With full lifecycle RPO, the provider oversees and implements the organization’s entire recruitment strategy, including branding, sourcing, screening, aptitude tests, interviewing, reference checks, contract negotiations, onboarding, offboarding, exit interviewing and analytics.
This is a popular choice for start-ups and SMEs without an in-house hiring team or HR department. It is also useful for mass hiring in large organizations.
Functional RPO is useful if you have a specific hiring objective, for example sourcing specific candidates, raising the company profile or adding to the talent pipeline.
On-demand RPO describes the outsourcing of recruitment on an as-and-when-required agreement. It offers the same benefits as full lifecycle RPO without any long-term commitment.
You will need to set recruitment goals before choosing your RPO provider. Weigh up a few different options and consider whether your preferred provider has experience in your industry sector.
Agree on clear deliverables and timescales for the hiring campaign, ensuring these are easily accessible by both parties. Maintain regular communication with the RPO, tracking and measuring success and performance throughout the process.
Create a strong employer brand
The first thing many jobseekers do is check out the website of the organization they want to work for. This helps them to learn more about the brand and company culture.
Ensuring your organization's website is up-to-date, informative, clear and easy to navigate is essential. Consider running a staff satisfaction survey to determine how your existing employees feel about working for your company.
Listen to all of the feedback - positive and negative. You'll want to address and resolve any negative points, but you can use the positive points to strengthen your employer brand.
You could also add some testimonials to your website to give jobseekers an overview of what it's like to work for you.
Your website should also include information on your company values, culture and employee benefits. You should add video content, photos and links to your social media pages.
Remember, your brand should be evident throughout the whole recruitment process.
Use aptitude tests to shortlist in volume
Pre-employment aptitude tests help streamline the screening process during mass hiring. Organizations can use them alongside other recruitment strategies, and they're beneficial if you're hiring for roles in tech, sales or support.
In mass recruitment, organizations can use them to whittle down high numbers of potential candidates before commencing the formal interview stage.
Here are some examples of aptitude tests available from Neuroworx:
Situational Judgment Test (SJT)
Candidates must review hypothetical scenarios and choose what they consider to be the most effective and least effective responses. Questions can be adapted according to the skill set required for the job role.
A candidate's situational judgment test results offer helpful insight into their communication, teamwork, and decision-making skills. This helps recruiters to screen out unsuitable candidates at an early stage of the mass hiring process.
Numerical Reasoning Test
This timed multiple-choice test assesses a candidate's numerical reasoning abilities. It assesses aptitude for basic mathematical concepts, including percentages, fractions and ratios. As it is timed, the numerical reasoning test also checks whether a candidate can work accurately in a pressurized environment.
Error Checking Test
In this test, candidates must highlight errors and inconsistencies within numerical data and written information. The error checking test is a timed multiple-choice assessment, so it also checks whether candidates can work quickly and accurately under pressure.
Job Knowledge Test
Job knowledge tests are role-specific assessments. They identify whether applicants have the appropriate abilities, skills and knowledge for a job vacancy.
Host a virtual hiring event
Virtual hiring events are a low-cost approach to mass hiring. You can use various methods to communicate with applicants, including voice calls, live chat, video conferencing and content-matching technology.
Unlike job fairs and open houses, you don't have to worry about getting all of your job applicants into one room. Candidates can attend from anywhere with an internet connection, so that you can expect higher attendance levels.
Virtual hiring events also help reduce your carbon footprint, so they're also better for the environment. And since they take place virtually, you can reach millions of potential candidates all over the globe.
Using the right technology means quickly assessing a candidate's suitability and offering immediate feedback. Even if you don’t have an immediate opening for them, you can keep their details on file for future vacancies.
Here are the steps to follow when planning and hosting a virtual hiring event.
Decide on your goals: what is the purpose of the event? Do you want to offer company information to a broad pool of prospective employees, or are you searching for candidates for particular vacancies? Once you have considered this, you can start planning your event's specific format.
Create a budget: the cost of running a virtual hiring event is minimal. The most expensive cost to consider is your chosen event platform.
Choose an event platform: weigh up the pros and cons of a few different options before deciding. For example, do you need a platform that offers private breakout rooms? Do you want to allow live chat functionality? Will you require networking features?
Set a date and time: what days of the week are most convenient for your attendees? For example, if you want to hire talent for a remote working position, you may have people applying from many different locations and time zones.
Advertise your event: you should aim to start marketing your virtual hiring event well before your chosen date. Post the details in various online locations, including your company website, social media channels and LinkedIn.
Create an agenda: this will show attendees what to expect and when.
Send out reminders: aim to send these out to registered attendees a few days before the event. Remind people of the date and time of the event, the proposed agenda and anything they need to do in advance. It's also worth reminding them to test their computer equipment (including microphone and speakers) to iron out any technical difficulties in advance.
Use AI-powered sourcing tools
AI-powered sourcing tools are helpful in large-scale hiring. This type of software can save time and streamline the hiring process, allowing you to employ multiple top-quality candidates at a fast pace.
AI-based hiring solutions communicate with job boards and social media to ensure effective candidate tracking. Organizations can use them to manage applications from various sources, including virtual hiring events, training programs and direct applications.
Neuroworx allows you to set up tailored careers pages, list new vacancies and share them on hundreds of job boards.
You can use your dedicated careers page to tell prospective candidates what working for your brand is like. Our solutions make it easy to spread the word about your job openings and increase the number of applications you receive for each vacancy.
Final thoughts
A mass hiring strategy is crucial if you need to recruit at scale. An effective mass hiring strategy means that your organization will be able to meet its staffing needs promptly and effectively.
Mass hiring strategies can help to save time and money. But if you want your mass hiring strategy to be successful, you must have a clear plan - otherwise, you might end up sacrificing quality for quantity.
Ready to start mass hiring but need help figuring out where to start? Visit the Neuroworx website today to learn how our platform can help. We have plans to suit every organization, from sourcing and screening applicants to onboarding.
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