There’s a great TED talk by Tony Fadell about how good product design questions everyday processes and makes them better. Tony uses the example of stickers on fruit to illustrate this point. While these stickers make checking out from the grocery store faster, they’re a nuisance to remove once it’s time to eat the piece of fruit. The first few times we were faced with this task, we recognized that it inconvenienced us. However, we’ve grown so accustomed to the mundane task of removing the sticker that we accept it as a fact of life.
The process of staffing struck us the same way. People had grown accustomed to the linear nature of staffing that they no longer questioned whether the process really benefited either party in the hiring equation. First, the candidate would submit an application to a job posting based on a poorly-crafted position description. This application, along with hundreds of others, would make its way to the desk of a recruiter who knew very little about the actual need for the position. Finally, the recruiter would deliver stacks of poorly matched resumes to the hiring manager, who was forced to sift through this material to find the best candidate for the job.
This long process meant that candidates had to spend extensive periods of time looking for work. Job seekers simply accepted that it was a necessary, painful step towards finding employment. They continued sending out resume after resume to recruiters they weren’t sure they’d ever hear back from.
With the Lyghtning platform, we’re asking all the tough questions that needed to be asked in order to design a better process.
It’s through this improved process that we’re able to get job seekers hired faster than ever before. Our proprietary algorithm creates dynamic matches from a pool of clients and consultants. Instead of recruiting from start to end in a linear path, we’re able to work simultaneously from both ends to effectively cut the process in half. From there, historical data and ongoing evaluation allow us to further cut time and cost requirements.
Here’s what the new job application process looks like with Lyghtning:
- You sign up for Lyghtning and create one single profile with your skills, work history, and project preferences.
- At the same time, companies submit their hiring needs through guided, dynamic role descriptions.
- Lyghtning matches you to currently available projects based on your interests and delivers a curated set of profiles to the hiring manager.
- The company contacts you directly to make an offer, which you’re free to accept or turn down. You never have to waste time sending applications to recruiters or waiting to hear back.
The bottom line is that poor design hurts process. We’re proud to offer a better product design that gives you a better experience as a job seeker and gets you hired faster.
(This article originally appeared on the Lyghtning.com blog)
