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Optimizing Time-to-Hire: A Guide for GovCon Recruiters
Tips to streamline the recruitment process and accelerate time-to-hire.
When it comes to recruiting sought-after security-cleared talent, you know time is of the essence. That’s why the amount of time it takes from a candidate applying to accepting an offer, known as time-to-hire, is often used to measure the efficiency of the recruitment process. However, in the GovCon community, setting out to reduce time-to-hire can be daunting, as some pieces of the hiring process are outside of your control.
And while speed is crucial, at the end of the day it’s equally important to ensure that the quality of your hire is not compromised. Consider the following insights to improve your time-to-hire outcomes by addressing common bottlenecks in the hiring process.
Why Time-to-Hire is Important
To win top talent from a small pool of qualified cleared candidates, the candidate experience must be prioritized. And for many candidates, that translates to a timely process. When the recruitment process is prolonged, candidates may lose interest and go with a competitor instead. According to data from Lighthouse Research & Advisory1, “two out of the top three reasons candidates ghost employers are directly tied to speed and hiring workflows.” By streamlining the hiring process, employers can reduce drop-offs and improve the likelihood of attracting and retaining high-quality candidates.
Less downtime for critical roles is another significant benefit of reducing time-to-hire. In government contracting, where many positions are essential for national security and other critical functions, prolonged vacancies can hinder the mission. Additionally, each day a position remains vacant leads to lost productivity and potential delays in project timelines. A faster hiring process also reduces recruitment costs, including advertising expenses and the time investment from HR and hiring managers.
Real-World Timeframes
Timeframes for recruiting security-cleared talent can vary widely depending on your specific circumstances. At the long end of the spectrum, hiring for positions contingent upon contract awards can stretch well beyond six months, as detailed in our article on contingent recruiting. For roles that are immediately available, external delays may still hinder your hiring timeframe, especially when you don’t have direct hiring authority. Even agencies hiring cleared candidates face timeline challenges and set goals to stay on track.
Get an idea of the kinds of timeframes possible with two real-world examples shared on our podcast, Security Cleared Jobs: Who’s Hiring & How, by guests from an agency and government contractor.
Kim Crawford, Chief of Staff, Washington Headquarters Services Facilities Services Directorate
“We have direct hiring authority for a lot of our technical positions and our critical fill positions,” says Kim Crawford. “So within WHS and the Federal Services Directorate, our positions are on a 60-day time-to-hire timeframe. Basically, cradle to grave, from the time the job goes on the streets, to the time that they bring that person through the door for onboarding, is a 60-day period. So that’s our target and focus. Sometimes it depends on if there’s some glitches in paperwork or clearance. If that clearance paperwork has taken some time with regard to adjudication through various means, that can extend the process. But typically, we want to target a 60-day hiring model.”
Listen to Kim’s podcast appearance here>>
Jason Immediato, Senior Recruiting Manager, Leading Path Consulting
“When I identify an individual whose skill set and interests fall in line with our particular contracts and customer relationships, I’ll reach out,” explains Jason Immediato. “I’m trying to identify culture-fit. And that can be done in a 20 or 30-minute phone conversation, where I share Leading Path’s culture and get to know the individual on a more personal level. From that point, you would do a…20 to 30 minute technical screen, just to verify a candidate’s skill set, their strengths, and where we feel from a project perspective that individual would succeed. As long as that all aligns with the candidate’s goals, then we would move forward. I would prepare a resume to be sent to the customer. And the customer would typically request an in-person interview that lasts about one hour. And following that one-hour on-site interview, you would have an answer within 48 hours — two business days — as to whether or not that customer specifically wants to hire you. All in all, from my initial outreach to the candidate, I’d say about a week, maybe 10 days till you have an offer in hand. Once the offer is in hand, then we go through the traditional clearance crossover process. And that’s variable depending on which agency you’re coming from, and which agency you’re going to, but typically anywhere between three and 10 business days to get the official crossover before you were to make the transition.”
Listen to Jason’s podcast appearance here>>
Navigating External Challenges in the Hiring Process
In the example shared above, Jason Immediato mentioned there is a two-day timeframe in which they await a hiring decision from their customer. As a contractor, that piece of the puzzle is largely out of your hands. However, like Jason, you should be able to estimate how long the customer usually takes to get back to you as you work with them over time. Clear and consistent communication with your customer can help manage these timelines better. And don’t be afraid to follow up to ensure the ball keeps moving forward. Remember, it’s in their best interest too to support a timely process to secure the best talent for the contract.
Even in Kim Crawford’s case, with direct hiring authority for some positions, she still faces external delays. “We have so many folks in the pipeline to bring on board that one of our major hurdles is waiting on the drug testing results to come back,” shared Kim Crawford. “If you’re in a drug-tested position, and you are transferring to WHS Facility Services Directorate, we do have the advantage of processing a waiver on your behalf, but then you are drug tested as soon as you are onboard. This keeps the ball rolling, staying within our 60 days, trying to make sure that we have good talent coming onboard and not losing that applicant.”
Whether you have a means to a creative solution like Kim’s or you’re at the mercy of another process or decision-maker, the most important element is keeping your candidate warm and engaged all the while. Transparency is key, so whether you’re waiting on a decision from the customer or prime, or you’re facing delays due to clearance processes or drug testing results, be transparent with your candidates and set expectations accordingly.
Common Bottlenecks and How to Improve Them
Since some aspects of the hiring timeline are out of your control, it’s crucial to streamline the areas you can manage to set yourself up for success. By addressing the following bottlenecks, you can enhance the efficiency of your recruitment process and support improved time-to-hire outcomes.
Communication Gaps
One of the most significant delays in the hiring process stems from communication gaps. Ensuring that there is a streamlined and transparent communication channel between all parties involved can significantly reduce unnecessary delays. Regular updates to both candidates and internal teams can help keep the process moving smoothly. Building a strong recruiter and hiring manager relationship (and customer/prime relationship) will help you to navigate the process efficiently at all stages. Implement regular check-ins and set clear expectations for timelines upfront. This ensures that everyone involved is on the same page and can act swiftly when required.
Prolonged Interview and Decision-Making Stages
A prolonged interview process can deter candidates and elongate time-to-hire. Consider implementing structured interview stages with clear timelines. Consolidating interviews or using panel interviews can also speed up the process. Additionally, ensure that interviewers are prepared and available to meet the scheduled timelines. Encourage prompt feedback and decision-making from all stakeholders involved in the hiring process. Setting expectations early on and streamlining the process in this way can help in making quicker internal decisions without compromising the quality of evaluations.
Inefficient Job Postings and Application Systems
Inefficient job postings and clunky application systems can discourage potential candidates from applying and slow down the recruitment process. To attract qualified top talent from the outset, ensure your job postings accurately reflect the requirements of the position. Invest in user-friendly application systems that make it easy for candidates to apply and for recruiters to track applications. An optimized system can streamline the initial stages and reduce unnecessary delays. Also, use pre-screening/knockout questions to filter out unqualified applicants early. This ensures that only the most suitable candidates proceed to the next stages, saving time and resources.
Balance Time-to-Hire with Quality-of-Hire
While it’s important to reduce time-to-hire, cutting corners will only extend the process in the end. Skipping essential evaluation steps can lead to poor candidate selection, resulting in rejections from hiring decision-makers—which puts you back to square one. Ensuring a streamlined but thorough assessment from the outset saves time and resources by avoiding these setbacks. And when possible, automate administrative processes, such as scheduling interviews and assessments, to free up your time for more critical tasks that require the human touch.
Balancing time-to-hire with quality-of-hire may seem challenging, if not impossible to some, but by addressing the bottlenecks that are in your control and setting expectations accordingly for the pieces that fall out of your direct control, you stand to secure top security-cleared talent more effectively.
