Kanban: how it changes the way you see candidates

Kanban: how it changes the way you see candidates

There are many factors that can hinder the performance of the search and selection process. Some are easily identifiable and linked to external factors (few CVs received, applications not in line with the announcement, etc.), others are related to the organization of the recruiting work. Linked to a more agile management of the selection process, the Kanban method changes the way of looking at candidates even within In-recruiting. Let’s try to understand, then, what the Kanban method is, how it applies to the search and selection process, and how In-recruiting’s Kanban Board works.

kanban

Origin, definition, and applications of the Kanban method

As many will know, the Kanban method has Japanese origins. The term, made up of the syllables kan and ban, which literally means “signal card” or “card”, appeared in Japan around the 1940s in an industrial context, more precisely dedicated to automotive production. The concept is, since then, linked to the famous car manufacturer Toyota that developed this method to improve the efficiency of its production model.

Originally used to manage the flow and availability of production materials, this system has found wider application in other sectors as well. Leveraging the concept of work optimization, the Kanban system has been introduced into the world of IT and software development to encourage more agile and flexible management of work processes. Because of this, the Kanban method is now one of the core systems of the ‘Agile’ philosophy and among the best known in Project Management.

What does a Kanban system look like and how does it work?

It is a system currently widely used to manage workflows. Its distinctive element is the Kanban Board, a notice board (blackboard) generally divided into columns, each of which is dedicated to a specific process or moment in the workflow. The entire board, which can be physical or digital, is shared with the whole work team and highlights the tasks to be carried out, those in progress and finally those resolved, giving a complete “at a glance” and always updated overview of the work status. A card is dedicated to each task, which is advanced within the Kanban Board until the task is actually completed.

The Kanban method in the search and selection process

The idea of being able to organize a process or the different phases of a project in a structured way has made it possible to apply this method also to other areas such as, for example, personnel management. Therefore, Kanban is one of the typical methods of a form of recruiting management defined as Agile Recruitment.

A more complete, clear and structured overview of the search and selection process enables HR teams to keep their eyes on their objectives, identify bottlenecks in the recruiting process and increase the efficiency and productivity of their team.

Kanban Visualization in ATS In-recruiting

The recent release of In-recruiting’s new Hiring Pipeline, the system for tracking candidate progress through the selection process directly from the ATS, has offered recruiters the ability to visually monitor the progress and status of the selection process as well. The introduction of this new functionality is accompanied by the new Kanban view (Kanban Board) which has contributed to make the graphic interface more modern and the service more usable.

In addition to facilitating the analysis and management of the selection process, the new Kanban view of the candidates registered to an announcement can be adopted at any time and as an alternative to the previous one. It will be sufficient to make a switch to enable one or the other, depending on whether you want to focus on the candidate or on the announcement status.

tabular view

Unlike the standard tabular view that highlights the candidates registered to an ad in the form of a list, the new Kanban Board allows recruiters to structure the entire application pipeline and display candidate cards under their specific category. While in the classic view, each candidate was associated with an “announcement status” label that could be set or modified from a drop-down menu, candidate cards can now be dragged and dropped within the Hiring Pipeline and easily moved between categories (announcement statuses).

kanban gif

The benefits of Kanban for the recruiter

As we have seen, applying the Kanban method to the search and selection process is very useful because it allows recruiters to manage the search process more effectively. The Kanban method allows HR Managers to have a complete overview of both the selection process and the work done by the HR team. There will be no need to go searching for updates across the various job pages and job boards, instead, it will be enough to monitor the progress of the shared pipeline.

In addition to this, let’s look at the main benefits in detail:

  • Have a complete view of the entire selection process
  • Monitor progress, quantify results, intercept bottlenecks
  • Do not lose sight of the goals to be achieved
  • Adopt a more organized working model
  • Work by objectives
  • Check for continuous updates
  • Make the process more structured but also more fluid
  • Simplify certain activities
  • Save time

Would you like to change the management of your selection workflow and experience a new way of looking at your candidates? Request a demo of In-recruiting.