Table of Contents
Building and Managing a Candidate Pipeline
A candidate pipeline is the process or system that recruiters and hiring managers use to track, manage, and move potential job candidates through the stages of a recruitment process. It’s a way of organizing and visualizing candidates as they progress through various steps from initial application to hiring.
A candidate pipeline usually includes several stages, which include:
- Sourcing/Attraction: Identifying and attracting potential candidates through job postings, referrals, and other outreach methods.
- Application/Screening: Candidates submit applications, and their resumes or profiles are screened to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for the role.
- Interviewing: Qualified candidates are invited for interviews, which may include phone interviews, video calls, or in-person meetings.
- Assessment/Testing: Some companies may require candidates to complete skills tests or other assessments to evaluate their fit for the role.
- Offer: After successful interviews and assessments, a candidate may be extended a job offer.
- Onboarding: Once a candidate accepts the offer, they move into the onboarding phase where they start the process of joining the company.
In this article, we will specifically focus on the Sourcing/Attraction stage, which includes acquiring the list of candidates, managing their information, and nurturing this list in preparation for future hiring needs.
How to Build a Candidate Pipeline
Building a strong candidate pipeline is crucial for efficient hiring, and there are two primary approaches: DIY or working with a third-party service.
DIY Pipeline Generation
DIY candidate pipeline generation involves actively sourcing candidates through putting out job applications, networking via LinkedIn, exploring job boards, industry conferences, alumni networks, and partnering with educational institutions.
By directly reaching out to potential candidates, you can build a personalized and cost-effective pipeline. However, this method can be time-consuming, requires expertise in sourcing and evaluating candidates, and may have a limited reach based on your existing network.
3rd Party Outsourcing
On the other hand, third-party services like recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) or recruitment research firms handle the entire pipeline-building process. These services leverage specialized tools, networks, and industry knowledge to identify and engage both active and passive candidates, providing faster results and access to a broader talent pool.
There are a few options when approaching third-party outsourcing. RPO covers the full cycle of recruitment and usually comes at a high cost. Alternatively, recruitment research firms can source and nurture candidate pipelines at a fraction of the cost of RPO.
Managing a Candidate Pipeline
Building a candidate pipeline is just the beginning — maintaining and nurturing it is key to ensuring you have a steady flow of qualified talent when needed. To keep your pipeline strong, it’s important to regularly update candidate information, adding new contacts, and removing outdated or inactive profiles.
Whether you do this yourself or outsource the task, it’s an ongoing job that requires careful attention to detail. Overall, continuous pipeline management ensures that your list remains relevant and reflects the most current pool of potential candidates. By obtaining updates on each candidate, you can update the list with new information and even remove contacts who are no longer interested.
You should also be actively on the lookout for more candidate during this management process. The landscape is always changing and new professional can enter competitor companies anytime. Proper management would involve adding more qualified candidates to the pipeline along with updating older information.
How to Manage a Candidate Pipeline
There are two ways to manage a talent pipeline: DIY or through a third party source. Either way, pipeline management is a strategic process that requires careful organization, consistent effort, and the right tools. DIY management is usually done with an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) or CRM (Customer Relationship Management system).
Alternatively, you can outsource the task to a third-party service that offers candidate development, like Corporate Navigators. Both approaches have their advantages and considerations depending on your company’s needs, resources, and goals. Let’s explore both options.
Using an ATS or CRM System
Whether you outsource your pipeline or have an in-house recruitment team, an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or CRM software can help you manage a candidate pipeline. These tools are designed to centralize candidate information, streamline communication, and automate many of the manual tasks involved in recruitment.
Both systems allow you to store candidate data, skill set information, resumes, contact information, interview notes, and other important details in one place. This eliminates the need for spreadsheets or paper files and ensures that everyone involved in the hiring process has access to the same information.
They also provide a clear view of your pipeline, showing where each pipeline candidate stands in the hiring process, from initial application to interview and offer. This makes it easier to identify bottlenecks and gaps in your recruitment workflow. Therefore, in the event of a vacancy, you can act fast!
Challenges of DIY management with ATS/CRM
An ATS/CRM is no replacement for candidate sourcing and nurture. However, these systems can automate some aspects of pipeline management, building and maintaining your pipeline still requires a significant amount of time and effort. It’s essential to regularly update candidate information, keep track of progress, and ensure that no candidate falls through the cracks. Also, teams without prior experience using these systems, there can be a learning curve. Proper onboarding and training may be required to maximize the functionality of the tool.
Nurturing a Candidate Pipeline
Another essential aspect of nurturing your pipeline is ongoing nurture. This essentially encompasses some light, ongoing communication. You can stay engaged with candidates with short phone calls, automated emails to verify information, and sending soft touch points like newsletters and industry insights. If desired, you can also send personalized materials for the candidate, such as job openings, company culture highlights, or other relevant content that keeps the candidates interested and informed.
This continuous engagement helps keep top talent “warm,” so when a position opens, you’re able to reach out to a pool of candidates who are already familiar with your company and its opportunities. Regularly nurturing the pipeline not only builds relationships but ensures you’re always prepared to act quickly when the right opportunity arises.
Outsourcing Candidate Pipeline Generation, Management, and Nurture to a Third-Party Service
For companies that want to focus on core business operations or lack the resources for in-house recruitment management, outsourcing to a third-party recruitment service can be an ideal solution. With access to a wider network of candidates and a deeper understanding of the job market, these firms are highly effective at identifying more qualified candidates.
The Corporate Navigators Candidate Pipeline Management Process
At Corporate Navigators, we can source and screen candidates on your behalf, saving you time while ensuring you get the most choices of quality candidates. After generating a preliminary list, we can then manage and nurture your candidates in an ongoing pipeline according to the timeframe you need. Here is our general process of managing a talent pipeline.
- Acquire: Using Recruiting Research, our team of researchers discover candidates that meet your criteria and organize them into a list.
- Develop: In this stage, our recruiters call each candidate to verify interest and qualification for the role in question. We then organize the results into a more curated list of contacts.
- Manage: Our team of recruiters and researchers will continue to discover more candidates and reach out to the existing list at certain intervals to update information.
- Nurture: Over time, recruiters will call and email interested candidates to update their personal information, level of interest, current role, and more.
Let Corporate Navigators Build, Develop, &Nurture Your Candidate Pipeline
As a third-party recruitment service, Corporate Navigators specializes in building, developing, and nurturing your candidate pipeline on your behalf. Whether you’re looking to source top talent, streamline your hiring process, or maintain a steady flow of qualified candidates, we have the expertise and resources to help.
From identifying potential candidates to engaging and keeping them warm over time, we ensure your pipeline remains strong and ready when you need it most. With our support, you can focus on what matters most — making the best hiring decisions — while we handle the legwork of building and nurturing your talent pool. Give us a call today to set up a meeting and learn how we can help you create a pipeline that drives long-term hiring success.
