Why is agility important for recruiters?

The agile approach originates from software development. The Agile Manifesto defined various guiding principles, including:

• Individuals and interactions take precedence over processes and tools 
• Concrete work results matter: functioning products are more important than documentation 
• Collaboration with clients is more important than contract negotiation 
• Openness to change rather than rigidly following a plan

The goal was to place people (clients, employees) at the centre and make work processes less bureaucratic. 

Agile principles are now applied across many fields and industries. According to Andreas Diehl, lecturer in agile organisations, agility is the ability of an organisation to respond faster than the competition to new requirements and seize emerging opportunities. The job market is extremely fast-moving and subject to constant change. Agility is therefore a promising factor in agile recruiting to continue successfully hiring suitable employees.

What defines agile recruiters?

Agile recruiters have an agile mindset that sees change as an opportunity and can adapt flexibly to new circumstances. This mindset also includes openness to questioning existing processes, improving and accelerating them through continuous feedback loops, modern tools, and technologies. Agile recruiters operate at eye level with employees and applicants, building trust and appreciation through transparent communication.

Recruiting transformation: rethinking processes

Agile recruiting puts the team at the centre. Team members in the department where a vacancy exists are closely involved in shaping the job advert. Recruiters have less insight into the technical requirements candidates should meet compared to those working in the team. Agile recruiters understand this and prioritise individuals and interactions over processes and tools. This means focusing on the person and their skills and talents rather than simply whether their CV perfectly matches the advertised position.  

When drafting job adverts, modern recruiters rely on storytelling: applicants should feel excited about the opportunity – the job description itself becomes secondary. The aim is for talent to perceive the job advert as an invitation to become part of the company.  

Understanding HR as a team effort

Interviews with suitable candidates are not only held with management but also with the team or at least someone from the relevant department under the leadership of agile recruiters. This allows all key questions about future collaboration to be clarified directly. Another idea: if not all team members are available for the first interview, individual colleagues could introduce themselves via a pre-recorded video.

In the final stage, the team also has the final say when it comes to deciding who will fill the open position.

Making processes more efficient – with the right software

Refline’s e-recruiting software is the perfect complement for agile HR professionals. It can reduce administrative work by up to 70 percent, allowing more time for what really matters: interacting with applicants – fully in line with the agile manifesto. We’d be delighted to show you our software solution – get in touch, we look forward to your enquiry!