The challenge

Scheduling phone screenings for job candidates

As the top recruiter for Stack Overflow, Pieter Dupree was on the lookout for high performing candidates. But as he looked to set up calls to screen prospects, Pieter often found himself bogged down by the minutiae of scheduling. Query calls went unanswered, and Pieter’s own hectic schedule meant he was often tied up when a contender called back. Messages might ping-pong for days before Pieter could arrange an initial conversation.

“We’d email them to let them know we were interested and ask for their availability,” he says. “If I wasn’t available at that time, I’d have to write back again. All sorts of time was unnecessarily wasted.”

Stack Overflow is all about keeping coders connected, but Pieter struggled to connect with the same kinds of people efficiently. He dabbled with assorted software scheduling solutions, but nothing he tried had the simple user interface (UI) he was after. What’s the point of using a tool that makes things more complicated, he wondered?

The solution

Easy admin translates into more time talking

Looking for a new job is challenging at the best of times, and it’s rarely a process that candidates look forward to. Hopes of mining prospects from a group of already employed candidates rely on a streamlined process for setting appointments. For candidates already juggling existing responsibilities with the prospects of advancing their career, complicated tools or extra work mean good people fall by the wayside.

One of Pieter’s friends introduced him to Calendly. When he gave it a try, he saw an immediate difference. Not only did Calendly reduce the administrative burden on recruiters, but it let them control how they funneled applicants through a variety of channels. These days, job seekers who contact Pieter via networking chat will get one kind of message, while a candidate who has already begun the formal interview process receives another.

Recruiters can tweak automated communications based on the type of meeting scheduled and the desired notification cadence. This customized response means the interview process never feels transactional or cold. It takes just a few clicks for prospects to organize their own meetings.

The results

Building relationships between candidates and recruiters

Pieter no longer wastes time retyping emails, setting reminders, or chasing down contact information for a given candidate. Less energy expended on scheduling means better conversations with more people. Not only does Pieter get to know job candidates, but this personalized approach keeps candidates invested in the process.

Pieter’s recruiting team slashed the time it takes to make initial contact with candidates, as well as the overall length of the interview process. Now he is sifting through upwards of 50 applications per week and easily setting screening calls with the best of the best.

Contenders are kept in close contact throughout the process and interview to hire ratios are on the rise. The improved experience means people who do eventually join the team already feel connected to the company. Those who fall short are more likely to reapply in the future.

Stack Overflow candidates get a straightforward relational experience, making the alienation of a job search a thing of the past.

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