What is high-volume hiring vs regular recruitment?

High-volume hiring involves recruiting multiple people into similar or identical jobs at once.

In contrast, regular recruitment usually focuses on filling one position at a time, often across different functions. For example, a resort preparing for peak season may need to recruit several housekeeping, catering and front-desk employees within a short timeframe.

The hiring process typically includes steps such as:

• Job design and role definition: clarifying requirements across multiple identical or similar positions

• Crafting job descriptions: creating clear, consistent postings across multiple channels

• Sourcing: leveraging networks, referrals and large-scale advertising campaigns

• Application management: handling high volumes efficiently through applicant tracking systems (ATS)

• Screening and selection: using automation, assessments or structured processes to narrow down candidates quickly

• Interviews and evaluation: standardising formats to ensure consistency across large candidate pools

• Hiring decisions and offers: balancing speed with careful selection to secure talent in competitive markets

• Onboarding employees: ensuring newly hired employees receive consistent training and integration into the workforce

While effective for small-scale recruitment, this process can be time-consuming and inefficient when applied manually at scale.

To succeed in high-volume contexts, employers often rely on automation and streamlined processes to move quickly without compromising quality.

Challenges in high-volume hiring

Employers commonly use high-volume hiring, also referred to as bulk hiring, mass hiring or volume hiring to fill vacancies during busy periods or in sectors with high turnover.

This is common in industries such as retail or hospitality. While effective, it has distinct challenges:

• Time pressure: recruiting and onboarding large numbers of employees within a short window can stretch HR capacity

• Candidate quality: identifying qualified applicants among hundreds of CVs can be difficult without effective screening tools

• Candidate experience: maintaining a personalised, positive experience for candidates at scale can be difficult, but it is an important part of employer branding

This process has always been fairly resource-heavy and complex, but technology is increasingly streamlining the process to balance speed, quality and candidate engagement.

High-volume hiring and the UK labour market

As reported on Indeed’s Hiring Lab, the current UK labour market is cooling but not collapsing. Employer confidence has reached record lows, influenced by rising employment costs and global uncertainty. For employers involved in high-volume hiring, these pressures can make large-scale recruitment more costly and competitive.

Year-on-year wage growth in the retail and customer service sectors increased by 6.4% and 6.2% respectively in June 2025.

For organisations with large seasonal or bulk hiring needs, this trend highlights the importance of efficient processes to manage costs while still attracting talent.

Solutions for high-volume hiring

Overcoming the challenges of high-volume recruitment requires a balance between speed, quality and candidate experience. You may achieve this by combining efficient processes with the right use of technology:

• Automation: ATS platforms and AI-driven tools can filter large volumes of applications, schedule interviews and send candidate communications automatically, saving you and your team time

• Use data-driven insights: analysing past recruitment cycles helps forecast demand and identify where bottlenecks may occur

• Broaden sourcing channels: posting across multiple job boards, using social media and activating employee referral programmes could widen your talent pool quickly

• Streamline assessments: online skills tests, video interviews and standardised evaluation rubrics allow you to compare large numbers of candidates fairly and consistently

• Enhance candidate experience: clear communication and a smooth application process strengthen your employer branding, even when candidates aren’t selected

• Plan onboarding at scale: structured group onboarding sessions and digital training modules help ensure consistent integration for large numbers of new employees

These approaches could help you reduce time-to-hire while still maintaining the human touch that supports long-term retention.

Identifying mass-hiring needs

Evaluating your hiring needs in advance puts you in a better position to avoid last-minute pressure and focus resources where they are most effective. Key areas to assess include: 

• Turnover and growth patterns: analyse which jobs experience the highest turnover and how planned business growth will affect staffing requirements

• Skills gaps: identify the skills your workforce is currently missing and prioritise them in recruitment planning

• Future skill demands: anticipate the capabilities that will be needed as your business evolves, such as digital proficiency or customer service specialisation

• Pay and benefits: ensure pay and benefits packages are competitive at scale, balancing budget constraints with the need to attract and retain talent

Assessing these areas aligns recruitment strategies with business objectives and could reduce both time-to-hire and cost-per-hire.

Screening for skills

In high-volume hiring, a skills-first approach can identify best-fit applicants quickly and fairly. Here are some best practices for doing so:

• Focus on skills-first hiring: rather than relying heavily on qualifications or years of experience, prioritise the specific skills needed for success in the job.

• Use microcredentials: look for candidates with job-ready certifications such as health and safety training, food handling certificates or barista skills. Microcredentials provide evidence of practical competence and may reduce the need for extensive onboarding.

• Use screening tools: ATS platforms, structured skills matrices and screener questions can filter applications at scale to ensure only qualified applicants progress to subsequent stages.

Leveraging technology

Technology plays a central role in making high-volume recruitment manageable. The right tools can automate repetitive tasks, centralise data and support better decision-making, but success depends on effective implementation and confident users.

• AI and automation: artificial intelligence can scan large numbers of CVs, match candidates to job requirements and even allocate interview slots. Automation also helps with candidate communications, reducing delays and minimising recruiter workload.

• Train recruiters in adoption: not all HR staff are immediately comfortable with AI or new technology. Ongoing training ensures your HR team uses the tools effectively and consistently.

• Candidate relationship management (CRM) systems: CRMs help you build and maintain a talent pipeline, even outside active recruitment cycles.

• ATS platforms: an ATS is invaluable during active recruitment as it stores applications, CVs and communications in one place.

Improving the candidate experience

Maintaining a positive, personalised candidate experience at scale is one of the biggest challenges in high-volume hiring.

However, this effort is worthwhile because making a great impression on candidates boosts your employer branding. Here are some ways you can do this: 

Prioritise communication

Keep candidates informed with timely, transparent updates at each stage of the process. Use a multichannel approach, such as email, text or chatbots, while ensuring candidates can still access a human recruiter when needed. Two-way communication, as opposed to sending out ‘no-reply’ emails that a candidate cannot respond to, helps build trust and reduce uncertainty.

Balance assessments with engagement

Lengthy or complex interview processes can frustrate candidates and lead to them dropping out. Aim for two or three clear stages, such as an initial remote screening, a competency test and a culture-fit discussion.

This helps strike a balance between thorough evaluation and keeping candidates engaged.

Build your employer brand

High-volume hiring is also an opportunity to show what sets your organisation apart. Highlight your values, wellbeing initiatives and commitment to safety throughout the process. Authentic, consistent messaging reinforces trust and makes candidates more likely to accept an offer.

Expand sourcing strategies

Finding enough qualified candidates is often the first hurdle in high-volume hiring. Expanding sourcing channels helps you widen your talent pool and compete in tight labour markets.

Referral programmes

You could encourage existing employees to recommend candidates through a structured referral scheme. Provide clear incentives, such as bonuses and make the process simple.

You may choose to include a field for ‘referring employee’ in the candidate application form. This may increase participation and help ensure that referrals are tracked fairly.

Employer branding in sourcing

A strong employer brand attracts candidates before roles are even posted. Showcase your culture, values and working conditions across job boards, social media and career sites. Reinforcing authenticity and wellbeing initiatives can help make your organisation a preferred choice, especially in sectors where competition for talent is high.

By diversifying your sourcing strategies, you may reach a larger, more diverse talent pool while strengthening your reputation as an employer of choice.