I’m sure we’ve all made jokes about the attention span — or lack thereof — of Gen Z and the generations to follow. While stereotypes are never completely accurate, these jokes have some merit. Research shows that over the past two decades, the average human’s attention span decreased from 12 seconds to 8.25 seconds, with Gen Z’s being less than 8 seconds.

This data means business owners and marketers have to be even more strategic when it comes to capturing their desired audiences. However, the importance of a quick connection goes far beyond marketing. Your hiring strategies need to be seamless and speedy as well.

According to a recent survey, 57% of job seekers lose interest in a job when the hiring process takes too long. Not only are top candidates snatched up quickly due to today’s tight labor market, but also the nature of job searching in 2024 is different than ever before.

Today’s job seekers look for employment similarly to how they online shop. There are numerous websites to peruse and they expect information instantaneously. If your company isn’t offering up job information or feedback fast enough, the job seeker will likely find a company that is.

The HR Daily Advisor shared 5 Tips for Smarter Hiring in 2024, one of which being refining your candidate experience. The blog suggests re-evaluating your candidate experience for a distributed tech-enabled world. Job descriptions need to be clear and concise, and your application process shouldn’t be overly cumbersome. Applicants want to know what to expect out of the interview process. When do you want the position filled? Will there be multiple interviews? Is there a skills assessment for the roll? Better yet, disclose a salary range up front to attract candidates in the correct price-range.

Similarly, Forbes listed some top recruitment strategies for 2024, suggesting you “treat candidates like customers.” You wouldn’t keep customers waiting for a response, so why keep candidates waiting? Just like your customers, candidates will quickly look elsewhere if they don’t find what they need from you promptly.

Both articles suggest you combine hiring and branding, or use your hiring strategies as an extension of your brand voice. Top candidates likely want to learn about your organization before applying, so make sure your core values, mission, examples of your company culture, etc. are easily found online. Use social media as a tool to get your brand voice out, attracting new candidates to your websites and job boards.

PHCP-PVF companies have been battling a tough hiring environment for some time now. Think about your hiring process as it relates to the advice above. Make sure your brand is visible and your hiring experiences meets the needs of today’s job seeker.