Sophisticated recruitment tools enable human resource teams to connect with a wide variety of data sources to access top (global) talent. Some of these tools also include key functions such as streamlining the follow-up process, applicant screening and offering data on the efficiency of the entire recruitment process.
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According to a survey conducted by Software Advice, 91 percent of recruiters leverage some form of hiring technology. Besides, a majority – 89 percent of recruiters said using recruitment technology is either ‘extremely or very’ important to their hiring process.
As per Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends Survey, over 80 percent of corporate respondents expect to see an increase in the use of recruitment technology in sourcing, outreach, applications, etc.
As automation takes up more of the most repetitive and monotonous tasks, the work left for humans will be the more creative tasks and the ones that are less predictable.
How then, can recruiters ace their digital recruitment process?
Here are some best practices and tips.
1. Define Employee Personas
Recruitment automation differs from marketing automation, the former concerns itself with reaching potential candidates instead of prospective buyers with the employer brand instead of the corporate brand.
This means you need to segment your messaging to fit different employee personas. For the uninitiated, candidate personas are a set of characteristics that define your ideal hire. These characteristics might include some demographic information, their idea of ideal working conditions, what they look for in teams, what motivates them and drives them, and lots more.
As you pick your employer branding and recruiting channels, these personas can become your guiding light for efficient digital recruiting.
2. Choose Multiple Channels
Your candidate personas will drive your choices of channels. Leverage recruitment marketing by deploying your employer branding across social media sites and other venues where your ideal candidates hang out.
As nearly 80 percent of both active and passive candidates look for their next job on social media, it’s no longer optional to include social media in your recruitment strategy.
If you’re hiring a Java coder, you might want to spread your employer branding and messaging to Stack Overflow and Reddit, for example.
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3. Use an Applicant Tracking System
An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can streamline your recruiting efforts and ensure a quick and efficient hiring process with better candidate sourcing and selection – for a single centralized hub.
Nearly 94 percent of recruiters and hiring managers say that ATS or recruiting software has positively impacted how they hire.
4. Focus on Candidate Experience
No recruitment technology should be brought in at the expense of the candidate experience. According to a report by CareerBuilder, 60 percent of applicants quit an online application midway because it was too complex and cumbersome.
If your recruitment system turns off your potential candidates, your investment has been wasted. Recruiters should use these new tools in a way that rewards candidates and enhances their experience.
This means that each advertisement or social media post should have a clear call-to-action so that applicants know what action to take. Also, the CTA should lead a candidate to a dedicated landing page where they can get all the information they need pertaining to the position. This way, applicants don’t drop off your recruitment funnel prematurely.
5. Go Beyond Recruitment
The use of technology should spread wide and further than just recruitment. In order to win in the digital hiring landscape, technology must encompass the entire spectrum of the employee lifecycle.
If you benefit from an ATS, you might want to dip your feet into Talent Management Systems, Learning Management Systems, and Human Resource Management Systems. All of these ensure that once your employees are on board, they continue to enjoy a seamless experience building a successful career with your organization.
Naturally, using all of these will mean more siloes and data stores in disparate locations. This is why end-to-end system integration is key.
6. Use Data and Analytics to Your Advantage
Leverage predictive analytics. Use it to analyze trends, identify candidate behavior and aptitude, predict future performance, and create new benchmarks for success. This will allow you to successfully plan for succession, recruit the right people, and make informed decisions.
Analyzing data also helps businesses source their ideal candidates by getting a clear picture of candidate profiles and skills. With technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, recruiters find quality talent.
7. Use Digital Candidate Assessments
Candidate assessments offer a science-based approach to shortlisting candidates based on their technical competencies, emotional IQ, and aptitude. There are several leading companies offering customized digital assessments suited to your business’ hiring needs.
A few of these are Applied, Codility, eSkill, and HackerRank. Using digital candidate assessment tools can help you accelerate the time-to-hire and take on a tailored approach to hiring, streamlining the entire recruitment process.
Do you have another best practice to share with digital recruiters? Tell us what they are!
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