Recruiting hacks I learned (and why you’ll want to steal them)
HR, and especially recruitment, are in constant movement. All recruiters know that finding the perfect hire sometimes feels like searching for a needle in a haystack—or a matching sock in the laundry. The so-called "war for talent", even though I don’t like that phrase, keeps us on our toes and forces us recruiters to get creative to connect with the right people.
At CRANIUM , we’re continuously aiming to refine our recruitment process to make the experience smoother, faster, and more enjoyable—for both candidates and our team. Curious about what we’re doing differently?
Timely responses: Because who likes waiting?
No candidate likes waiting weeks on end to hear back after an interview. With applications streaming in, it can be quite a challenge for a recruiter to stay on top of responses. At CRANIUM, we’ve streamlined our hiring timeline to about three weeks from application to offer (or feedback).
How do we do it?
We maintain close contact with the candidate throughout the process. After the initial phone call, we organise a meeting for an HR interview and promptly send out the assessment. The meeting is scheduled for the week following the phone call.
To offer flexibility, we allow candidates to book their own meeting directly in the Recruiters calendar. Once the HR interview is completed, we immediately communicate whether the candidate will progress to a business interview. This meeting is also arranged for the following week.
Our managers have set aside dedicated time slots in their schedules each week, enabling us to offer multiple options for the business interview. With different time slots available throughout the week, our managers can assess several profiles efficiently.
Why?
Because the talent we’re chasing won’t wait around. If we drag our feet, someone else will snap them up. Speed and timeliness aren’t just a luxury; they’re a necessity.
Out with the typical, old-school interview questions
You know the ones: “What’s your biggest weakness?” or “How would your friends describe you?” If you’ve done an interview before, you’ve surely received those typical recruitment questions…
Not only are they repetitive, but they also often don’t give the recruiter the full picture. To remedy this, we’ve implemented a personality assessment to the mix. This allows us to ask more relevant questions during the actual interview.
The result? Interviews that are more relevant, less awkward, and focused on what truly makes a candidate shine—their unique skills and personality.
Making recruitment fun
Who decided job interviews had to be stiff, uncomfortable, and vaguely terrifying? Not us.
At CRANIUM, we aim for a candidate experience that’s engaging, approachable, and enjoyable. From the first call to the final handshake, we want candidates to feel at ease, because let’s face it: people do their best when they’re comfortable.
How do we do this? We ensure multiple, relevant people will join during the whole process (from recruiter to business manager to even the CEO for certain positions). We also communicate transparently and actively seek feedback to make the process as qualitative and enjoyable for the candidate as possible.
Living our values: Powered by people, driven by excellence
At CRANIUM, we don’t just talk about our values, we integrate them into every interaction. “Passion for People” is marked by involving managers, consultants, and HR in the process, which creates a rich and diverse perspective for candidates. The aspect of “Passion for Excellence” is where they can feel teamwork, integrity, and innovation in action, while also gaining insight into what makes CRANIUM a unique place to work.
Learn more about our approach
Curious about the details of our recruitment process? You can explore the full structure on our website. Whether you’re a potential candidate or just someone intrigued by our hiring practices, we’re excited to share how we’re making recruitment better, one step at a time.