What is Full-Cycle Recruiting?

Full cycle recruiting refers to the recruiting process in its entirety. The term is often used to describe a recruiter or HR person who can complete every step — thus, a full cycle recruiter.

Every HR professional knows that recruiting is no walk in the park. It’s not just finding a random person who is seemingly qualified for the job and offering the role to the first candidate you come across. It is a step-by-step process that requires exhaustive research, excellent people and communication skills, and the ability to hire not just for a job fit but also for cultural fit.

With full-cycle recruiting, you can be certain that you have followed every step for successful recruitment. It encompasses every single step of the complete recruitment process, and a single recruiter handles the entire process from start to finish. For this reason, it is also sometimes referred to as the end-to-end recruitment process.

Companies of all sizes can adopt full-cycle recruiting when they need to make a new hire. Whether you are a startup, a small to medium-sized enterprise, or a large, well-established company, full-cycle recruiting can help you find the perfect employee who can contribute to the growth of your business.

Benefits of full-cycle recruiting

When you hire the right person, they are more likely to be happy with their job and the workplace, which leads to an increase in productivity and innovation, and a high employee retention rate.

If you are a startup or a company that is on a smaller scale, you most probably have just one HR person who is in charge of the recruitment process. This means that you have no choice but to follow a full-cycle recruitment process.

When it comes to bigger companies that may have an entire HR team, there is no single person that is in charge of recruiting. For such companies, following full-cycle recruiting and having just one person who is fully committed to finding the right employee can prove to be much more beneficial because the recruiter will have a 360° view of each of the candidates involved and will be in a better position to decide on who to hire.

These are the steps involved in full-cycle recruiting:

1. Preparing and writing a clear job description

The first step is to prepare yourself for the entire process that is to follow. This includes understanding and defining the candidate persona and writing a great job description.

A candidate persona entails all the qualities, skills, and characteristics of the ideal candidate. This gives you a clear vision of the kind of employee you are looking for, which will make recruiting much easier.

A job description is exactly what the name suggests. It includes a clear and detailed explanation of the roles and responsibilities that the employee will be expected to carry out, as well as the company culture, salary range, and perks and benefits.

2. Sourcing candidates through multiple channels

The next step in the process of full-cycle recruiting is to source candidates through multiple channels. Today, there are plenty of ways for sourcing candidates, including posting openings on job boards, career sites, and social media platforms. You also have the option of recruiting in-house and using employee referral programs.

While sourcing candidates, keep in mind the kinds of candidates you want to attract and then choose where you post wisely.

3. Shortlisting and screening candidates

Screening and shortlisting candidates are perhaps the most exhaustive part of full-cycle recruiting. It includes going through tons of applications carefully and shortlisting the ones that are most impressive.

The shortlisted candidates are then screened thoroughly. You may use various assessment and screening tools, give them tests, and run background checks. It is important to not overlook any application to ensure that you shortlist only the most deserving candidates.

4. Interviewing candidates

The next step is to interview candidates who have been shortlisted and screened. The interview can be via phone, a video call, or in person.

5. Negotiation and offering of job position

Once you select a candidate you believe is right for the role, the next step in full-cycle recruiting is to let them know as soon as possible and be ready to negotiate their salary. Make sure the offer is fair, and that you let them know what vacation, perks, and other benefits are involved. Once you agree on a salary, you can officially offer them the job position.

6. Onboarding of the new hires

Sending the job offer doesn’t mean you are done. The last step is the onboarding process, where you help the new hire learn about the workings of the company and adapt to the new environment. See the article that deals with this specifically!