Traditional, unstructured hiring is risky. While conversations with the candidate might flow more naturally, the results the method produces are shaky at best. Not knowing exactly what makes a perfect fit means a new hire that may not be fit for the role — and that can be trouble. 

Bad hires are a costly expense, an average of 30% of that role’s yearly salary. With thousands of dollars escaping a company’s pocket each time a hire goes wrong, taking an unnecessary risk often makes hiring managers balk at the idea.

Structured hiring eliminates these risks by making recruitment standardized and coherent. Planning out each individual stage of recruitment may seem like an arduous process, but the results the method produces outweigh the costs — and it isn’t close.   

Align Recruiter and Manager Expectations

One of the greatest barriers companies have to face during an unstructured hiring process is communication. When expectations for the position are not clearly and objectively defined, a new hire is likely to become a divisive figure. They were what the hiring manager was looking for, but not the recruiter. Or maybe the hiring manager and recruiters agree, but the department head doesn’t think the recruit is qualified. 

Defining exactly what your new recruit will be doing and agreeing on measurable figures to support that definition is key. Having a checklist or written agreement to look back on will facilitate a smooth, quick hire.   

Defined Role Produces Confident/Competent New Hires

For candidates, an interview is like a preview of your company’s practices. If your interviewer radiates confidence and seems knowledgeable, they’ll leave feeling informed and ready to start work. Structuring your hiring process gives interviewers the objective information they’ll need to provide candidates with that sense of security: What the candidate will be doing, what skills they’ll need to have/acquire, and how they can expect their career to progress.

Additionally, candidates will be more prepared for onboarding if they get the job. As a result, you’ll have more able and more loyal employees. 

Interview Standards Create Equitable Environment

If your company has ever been the target of litigation surrounding biased or unfair hiring — structuring your hiring process may be a key solution. Creating structured interview tools like interview checklists and resume screening software will help standardize and streamline your recruitment pipeline. 

Suppose everyone is evaluated against the same set of criteria, and your new hire has been proved to be more experienced in the areas that matter. In that case, your organization is less likely to face litigation for unfair hiring practices. 

Save Time on the Far End

After the interviews have concluded and all the necessary data has been collected, structured hiring allows you to choose a new hire efficiently. Compare each candidate’s experience, references, and answers to interview questions with the definition of a superior candidate formed early on in the process. 

Structured interview practices will cut the time it takes to choose a hire from the candidate pool by a large margin.

Take Advantage of AI Recruitment Tech

Unstructured hiring is a fully human process — tech just doesn’t really mesh with subjectivity. Computers calculate objective values and work off of objective input. Choosing to structure your interview process makes AI hiring tools like resume screening software and advanced chatbots much more useful and effective. Your list of skills and necessary experience can be input, and the tools are free to make your recruiters’ lives easier. 

AI tools allow your team to focus on issues that require human ingenuity by taking over menial and minor tasks. Chat options like PandoLogic’s pandoSELECT can help keep candidates engaged and help you track their responses in one simple dashboard. Our tech toolbox has options for nearly every step of the hiring process — and prices to fit your bandwidth.