The Hiring Hack for SMEs: 80% Less Work, 75% Faster, plus Better Candidates!
Sally Dillon • September 16, 2024
Introduction
Securing top talent is crucial for businesses, yet the recruitment process can be remarkably time-consuming and resource-intensive for employers. The average time to hire in Australia is around 40 days, even with a well-organized recruitment process.
However, a significant portion of this time is often consumed by administrative and back-office tasks that can be streamlined through outsourcing and strategic technology investments. For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), these recruitment inefficiencies are amplified.
Recruitment Challenges for Small and Medium Businesses
Small and medium businesses often face unique challenges when it comes to recruitment, including:
- Limited Time & Resources: With small teams and limited budgets, recruiting is often a lower priority than immediate revenue-generating tasks. HR and recruitment responsibilities get squeezed in around other duties.
- Lack of Expertise: Most SMEs don't have dedicated recruiting specialists. Hiring managers must figure out processes like creating compelling job ads, comprehensive interview protocols, reference checks and legal compliance largely on their own.
- Lengthy Processes: Drawn-out recruiting timelines are costly, putting SMEs at risk of losing strong candidates to swifter competitors. Key steps are often rushed or skipped due to perceived burdens.
- Poor Candidate Experience: The candidate experience can suffer from poorly crafted communications, unprofessional screening processes, or interviewers who lack training in areas like behavioural-based interviewing. This unfortunately impacts the employer's brand reputation and ability to hire top talent. Busy hiring managers may also fail to sell the company's vision and culture effectively during interviews. A negative experience can deter prospective employees and damage the employer's ability to hire their preferred candidates..
For many businesses, recruitment is seen as a time-consuming necessary evil rather than a critical growth strategy. Without specialised processes and knowledge, businesses may fail to thoroughly evaluate cultural fit, miss out on referrals, or risk violating compliance protocols.
Case Study
Let's explore a recent example from one of my clients show the potential impact of outsourcing your recruitment.
Previous In-house Recruitment
One of our clients spent nearly 100 hours over 8 weeks to reach the offer stage for a single role. Here's a breakdown of their recruitment process:
- 60 applicants
- 15 received initial hiring manager screens
- 10 full interviews (2 interviews per candidate)
- 1 offer extended
While this may seem like a small applicant pool, it's not uncommon for administrative or customer service roles to attract hundreds of applications, or for highly specialised positions to receive only 10-20 applicants.
The time invested in this recruitment process by our client was staggering:
- Writing job description and job ad: 4 hours
- Posting to job boards: 1 hour
- Resume review (10 minutes per application): 15 hours
- Hiring manager pre-screens: 5 hours
- Interview scheduling: 3.5 hours
- Creating interview questions and process: 3 hours
- Hiring manager interviews (20 hours) and second manager interviews (20 hours)
- Interview debriefs: 5 hours
- Reference checks, right to work checks: 4 hours
- Offer, negotiation, contract, payroll paperwork: 4 hours
- Unsuccessful applicant communication: 3 hours
- Pre-onboarding work: 8 hours
In total, this process consumed 95.5 hours and took 8 weeks to reach the offer stage for a single role.
The Transformative Power of Outsourcing Recruitment
By leveraging our recruitment expertise for the same type of role 6 months later, this client reduced their workload by 80% and accelerated their time-to-hire by 75% compared to their prior in-house approach.
Here’s a breakdown of the clients time used once they outsourced their recruitment process:
- Pre-recruitment discussion/meeting with HR Consultant: 45 minutes
- Early discussion and review of several initial candidate resumes (to make sure we’re on the right track): 30 minutes
- Review of 5 final shortlisted candidates: 1 hour
- Manager review of shortlisted candidate questions: 15 minutes
- Hiring Manager and Second Manager attendance at first-round interviews (5 candidates at 45 min each): 7.5 hours
- Hiring Manager and Second Manager Post Interview debriefs: 1.25 hours
- Hiring Manager and Second Manager Attendance at second-round interviews (2 candidates at 1 hour each): 4 hours
- Hiring Manager and HR Consultant Interview Debriefs: 30 minutes
- Interview debriefs: 30 minutes
- Confirm offer details and employment contract details to HR Consultant: 15 minutes
- Pre-onboarding work (e.g. set up computer/systems, access codes, induction planning etc): 3 hours
We received a total of 78 applications and the total time invested by our client was 19.5 hours. We were able to present an offer in just under 2 weeks, therefore reducing their recruitment workload by 80% and their time to hire by 75%.
The Advantages of Partnering with a HR Consulting Firm rather than a traditional Recruitment Agency
While traditional recruitment agencies exist, and have their place with certain types of specialist recruitment, partnering with a full-service HR consulting firm like ours provides specific benefits:
- Access to People Experts: Our team consists of seasoned HR professionals well-versed in areas like employer branding, legal compliance, workplace culture, organisational development, position structures as well as recruitment. This means that you are getting a holistic approach to your business and your recruitment needs.
- Compelling Job Marketing: We craft expertly written job ads and position descriptions to clearly convey roles and attract your ideal candidates as well as showcasing your workplace culture and benefits.
- Specialisation & Cultural Fit: We immerse ourselves in your business, ensuring hiring aligns with your unique strategic goals and workplace culture.
- Consultative Partnership: We operate as an extension of your team, providing strategic consultation rather than just candidate submittals.
- End-to-End Services: Our recruitment support covers the entire cycle, from role assessment and job description optimisation to Employment Contracts and payroll onboarding. We can also support you through the induction and probation process and help you implement regular performance reviews and training.
- Comprehensive Referencing: Our cutting-edge online platform gathers in-depth, verified feedback rapidly from multiple sources and has inbuilt fraud detection to reduce the risk of fraudulent references. We combine this rigor with optional services like police, identity and right to work checks for unparalleled due diligence on skills, cultural fit, and performance potential - far beyond basic reference checks.
- Accelerated Hiring: We leverage efficient processes and networks to fill roles rapidly, minimizing the risk of losing great candidates to nimbler competitors.
- Enhanced Employer Brand: Our focus on professional candidate engagement and clear communication supports a positive reputation.
- Cost Effectiveness: The time/resource savings often outweigh our fees when factoring in-house recruitment costs.
- Transparent, Simple Pricing: Our permanent recruitment fees are a flat-rate and made clear upfront based on your needs.
- Guarantee Period: You don't pay for long term guarantee periods that are generally not required. If a hired candidate doesn't work out in 30 days, we'll replace them free of charge.
By partnering with Revolution Consulting Group, you'll have a strategic hiring partner focused on finding your ideal long-term employees efficiently, compliantly and hassle-free.
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Can ChatGPT Replace HR? The Risks of AI-Generated HR Advice
AI tools like ChatGPT are revolutionizing the workplace, but can they handle complex HR decisions, employee issues, or legal compliance? The short answer—not safely.
Businesses that rely on AI for terminations, pay rates, workplace investigations, or employment contracts risk costly legal mistakes, financial penalties, and reputational damage. HR isn’t just about policies—it’s about human behavior, legal nuance, and ethical decision-making—things AI simply doesn’t understand.
In this article, we explore real-world examples of AI-generated HR blunders and the hidden risks of trusting ChatGPT for critical people management decisions. Plus, we share insights on where AI can help—and where it absolutely shouldn’t.
Read on to protect your business from HR disasters.
Introduction HR is one of the most misunderstood roles in business. Some believe HR exists to protect employees. Others think HR’s sole job is to defend the company. Both are wrong. And this misunderstanding is costing businesses money, trust, and talent. For over two decades, I’ve seen organisations sideline HR - treating them as a policy enforcer or an afterthought. The result? 🚨 Employees don’t trust HR. 🚨 Leaders fail to leverage HR strategically. 🚨 Businesses struggle with culture, retention, and performance. But here’s the truth: HR isn’t about sides. It’s about solutions. Great HR drives business outcomes by balancing people and performance. The question is: Are you using HR to its full potential? HR as a Strategic Powerhouse, Not Just a Policy Enforcer The best businesses don’t just "have" an HR department. They embed HR into leadership decisions. HR isn’t just about hiring, firing, and compliance - it’s about: ✅ Shaping culture and engagement (which directly impacts performance). ✅ Developing leadership capabilities (to create stronger teams). ✅ Driving strategic workforce planning (so you have the right people, in the right roles, at the right time). ✅ Maximising financial impact - because people are both your biggest cost and your greatest asset. If your HR function isn’t influencing leadership, growth, and profitability , you're leaving money on the table. HR as a Key Voice on Your Leadership Team Many leadership teams still treat HR as a support function rather than a core business driver. That’s a mistake. Your Chief People Officer (CPO) or HR Director should have the same level of influence as your CFO, COO, or Head of Sales. Why? Because your people strategy IS your business strategy. 🔹 You wouldn’t make financial decisions without consulting your CFO. 🔹 You wouldn’t make operational changes without your COO’s input. 🔹 So why make leadership and talent decisions without HR at the table ? And yet, in many businesses, HR reports to finance, operations, or admin - departments that have their own agenda when it comes to assessing people needs, budgets, and workforce requirements. HR should report directly to the CEO, or Business Owner to ensure people strategy is aligned with business strategy - not just budget constraints or operational efficiency. Because when HR is filtered through another department’s lens, critical workforce decisions become secondary to financial targets, logistical priorities, or admin processes. If your HR leader doesn’t report directly to the top, you may be unknowingly limiting their ability to drive real business outcomes. Are You Using HR to Its Full Potential? Take a moment and ask yourself: ❓ If you have an in-house HR team, are you using their skills and expertise across all areas of your business? Or are they stuck in admin-heavy tasks, when they could be driving strategic initiatives? ❓ If you’re a small or medium business and don’t have in-house HR, why haven’t you partnered with an external consultant? What’s stopping you from leveraging the expertise that could transform your business? In larger businesses, HR should go beyond just ‘HR.’ Under an expanded People & Culture framework, HR should oversee: ✔ Training & Development – ensuring leaders and employees are constantly upskilling. ✔ Work Health & Safety – making compliance, risk management, and employee wellbeing a priority. ✔ Recruitment & Talent Strategy – not just filling roles but attracting and retaining top performers. ✔ Major Projects & Change Management – ensuring workforce alignment with organisational shifts. In smaller businesses , these functions can be outsourced or strategically managed by an external HR consultant working directly with the business owner. This ensures a strong, aligned people strategy, while certain operational roles (finance, admin, or operations) may take on specific HR tasks - as long as they receive the right training, support, and strategic direction. HR isn’t just a department - it’s an investment in your business’s future. Whether in-house or external, make sure your HR function is working at a strategic level, not just buried in paperwork. HR’s Impact on the Bottom Line People aren’t just a cost centre - they are a profit driver. 📊 Labour is often one of the largest expenses in a business - so managing it strategically impacts profitability. 📊 Engaged employees are 23% more profitable , according to Gallup. 📊 Turnover costs 50-200% of an employee’s salary - losing top talent is expensive. When HR has a strategic voice in leadership , businesses see: ✔ Stronger alignment between business goals and people strategy. ✔ Faster, smarter hiring that supports growth. ✔ Better leadership development , reducing costly turnover. ✔ More effective workforce planning , so salaries, training, and hiring are investments—not wasted costs. Final Thought: HR is Not a Department - It’s a Business Growth Lever If your HR function feels like a compliance department , you’re doing it wrong. HR should be a leadership asset , helping your business make smarter, people-focused decisions. So, here’s my challenge to you: 📌 If you’re a CEO or MD - bring HR into the strategy conversation early and often. 📌 If you’re a leader - use HR as a coaching and development resource, not just a policy checker or problem fixer. 📌 If you’re in HR - push for a strategic role in leadership, not just operational support. Because when HR and leadership align , businesses don’t just succeed. They thrive. Want to Develop Stronger, More Strategic Leaders? If you’re serious about building leadership capability in your business, let’s talk. My Leadership Dynamics Accellerator Program helps CEOs, Business Owners, Leaders and HR teams create high-performing leaders who know how to balance people and performance. 📅 Book a free leadership triage call to see how we can help here . 🚀 Save your spot in our next Leadership Dynamics Accelerator Program here . 📩 Send us an email for more information here . Let’s build something stronger - together.
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