In this guide 6 sections
A hiring pipeline moves when every stage has an owner, a time limit and a rule for stuck candidates. Use six stages: approved vacancy, posting, shortlist, interview slot, feedback and offer decision. Report a few numbers monthly, such as days in stage and where candidates drop out.
Name the stages and who owns each one
Six stages are enough for most teams. Approved vacancy, posted job, shortlist, interview scheduled, feedback received, offer decision. Write them on one page and give each stage a single named owner.
Without owners, candidates wait in silence. The hiring manager assumes HR is chasing, and HR assumes the manager is reviewing. Both are wrong for a week.
Open a record for each vacancy with a code, a budget approval and a target start date. That record holds every candidate.
- Approved vacancy with budget sign-off
- Job post live on chosen boards
- Shortlist ready for the manager
- Interview slots booked
- Feedback recorded after each round
Write a post that attracts the right applicants
State the role, location, reporting line, three must-have skills and the salary band if your policy allows it. Cut the generic list of virtues. Applicants skim.
Add two screening questions to the application form. Ask for the tools they have used, or the notice period. Those answers sort a pile of CVs faster than any keyword.
Close the post on a date. An open-ended listing collects stale applications and wastes shortlisting time.
Shortlist within days, not weeks
Set a time limit between the closing date and the shortlist. Give the manager a simple view: name, current employer, notice period, expected pay and fit against the three must-haves.
Reject politely and promptly. A sent message to those not shortlisted protects your name and clears the list.
Keep a short reason code for each rejection. Over a few months these codes show whether the post is attracting the wrong people or the screening is too tight.
Handle interview slots and feedback together
Interview scheduling stalls on calendars. Offer candidates three fixed slots, confirm by email and message, and send the interviewers the CV and the scorecard the evening before.
Feedback should be due the same day. Ask for a score on each skill and one line of reasoning. Late feedback is the commonest reason a good candidate takes another job.
Rule: any candidate with no movement for a set number of days gets a call from the owner of that stage. Pick the number per stage and print it on the page.
- Interview panel and room or link
- Scorecard with the same skills for every candidate
- Feedback due by end of day
- Stuck rule per stage with a call date
Report only the numbers you will act on
Four are enough. Days spent in each stage, candidates lost between stages, interviews per offer and offers accepted. Anything more becomes decoration.
Review them monthly with the hiring managers. A stage where candidates linger points to a slow approver, and a stage with many drop-outs points to a weak post or a long process.
This week, take your open vacancies and write the stuck rule beside each stage. Then call every candidate who has waited past it.
Hiring pipeline tracker
A one page tracker with a row per candidate and a column per stage, each cell holding the date entered. Extra columns carry the vacancy code, stage owner, days in stage, stuck flag, rejection reason code and next action. A summary box holds the four monthly numbers.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How many interviews should a candidate face?
Two or three rounds suit most roles. Each round should test something different, such as skills, team fit and a final conversation with the budget holder.
What counts as a stuck candidate?
One who has stayed in a stage beyond the limit you set for it. The stage owner calls them, explains the delay and either moves them forward or closes the file.
Should we tell rejected candidates why?
A short, kind reason is enough. Long feedback invites arguments. Keep your internal reason code so you can spot patterns in the screening.
Can a spreadsheet run a hiring pipeline?
For a few vacancies, yes. When several roles run at once, with many interviewers and calendars, reminders and stage history are easier in a tool built for it.