You might have heard that everyone is talking about the importance of data, how to leverage it, and how that can change an organization for the better. But, being on the softer side of life, the human side, you may not be too interested in getting your hands data-dirty. Luckily, as a recruiter and person, you do not need to understand what data is or how a computer works with it. The only thing you need to understand is how to use digital tools that can spit out the most crucial information to you based on data.
You’ve perhaps unbeknownst to you, gathered big data during your years as a recruiter. You sit on a multitude of CVs, contact information, people’s backgrounds, and experiences, and you know who got the role, who didn’t, etc. You’re doing fine with the ATS you’re using, and you manage to conduct many quality hires. However, the process may run slow, and you might see your competitors run ahead of you. Using data to your advantage is a way of elevating your work; it’s both more cost-, and time-efficient. By avoiding doing so, you risk falling behind in the ever so competitive climate, and you risk not being able to maintain the speed of work and deliveries you desire.
Solution
Computers are becoming very good at both sourcing, and screening talent. AI-driven tools use existing data to make informed decisions on which candidates are suitable for the job at hand and whom you should contact. Invest in an automated tool, that you can integrate into your ATS, and use it to receive shortlists (based on your criteria input) containing the candidates it considers to be good options.
Another way of leveraging the data in your ATS is by using it to reach a broader target audience with the job ad. The AI in the ATS will read the job description and run a search for the best passive and existing candidates. What would’ve taken you several hours is now done in a matter of minutes. Indeed you’ll have to pay for the platform, but the ROI will come shortly thereafter. You can also use an ATS like this to run targeted ad campaigns to candidates on FB and IG, which gives you even more data and insight on how to talk to your audience.
Do you know how many potential applicants you’re losing due to a lengthy online application process? No, you don’t because you only see those who apply unless you’re deep into Google Analytics and can see where you have dropouts. Sidenote, but if you’re not using Google Analytics to track your job ads and job pages, it could be great to start using it in order to understand where and why you lose people during the application. According to CareerBuilder, 60 percent of job seekers quit in the middle of filling out online job applications because of their length or complexity.
Take a minute to step into the candidate's shoes - if you were looking for a job, would you spend 30 minutes on each job application? We’ll assume your answer is no. Jobs in the high-volume recruitment sector tend to attract many applicants. Since you have many positions to fill, you need to make sure, firstly, that you attract numerous applicants in order to have many to choose from, and secondly, that your own infrastructure is set up in a way so it can handle all of them.
Solution
Go through the online application process yourself and find the pain points or conduct market research with people that can test the process and teach you where they lose interest. Follow this list and try to create a process accordingly:
- Ensure the applicants don’t have to fill in any information twice
- See to it so they can send in their resumes as a PDF
- Does it contain a lengthy question form? Save that for another time.
We’ve touched on digital tools, and for this particular part of the hiring process, you have the option to use, for example, Hubert as an initial screening tool. Hubert conducts an initial text-based interview with each applicant. Based on their responses, you’ll receive a shortlist of the candidates Hubert has deemed worthy of a second glance. Using a tool like Hubert relieves the candidates from having to do “boring” groundwork. Hubert is more interactive and engaging than a form and speeds everything up for both you and the applicants.
Tight time-to-hire deadlines tend to result in bad hires if the hiring process itself is not a piece of seamless machinery. Every action within the hiring process depends on each other. If you spend too much time sourcing and screening, you won’t have time to conduct adequate interviews. If you spend too much time interviewing but don’t have time to properly screen candidates, chances are you’re interviewing people who don’t have the proper education, and so it goes.
If your hiring process is bulletproof, in the sense that every step of it generates desired results, it will mirror who gets hired in the end. You’re setting yourself up for success by giving yourself a sturdy foundation to work from. You’re also giving the candidates a feeling of safety because they feel that you’re on top of things and not leaving anything at random.
Solution
From writing the job ad to hire, you need to have a timeline of:
- how much time you can spend on sourcing and screening
- how much time you can spend on interviews
- how much time you can spend communicating with candidates throughout the process
Take a moment to check your process; which parts of it could you automate? Maybe you don’t need an automated screening tool but an automated meeting booking system. Every step of it should be set up in a way that helps you find quality hires.
If you’re the HR manager for a company based on many locations and conduct a distributed recruitment function, you’re missing out on valuable information and data. You’re also going to see that you’ll have a wide variety of employees that may not share the same values or ambitions. Furthermore, you won’t have a bird’s view of why people decide to quit their jobs, nor will you know why some stay for many years. Having a good understanding of these factors helps your company become better at more quickly understanding who is and who is not a good match for your company, which in itself results in shorter time-to-fill and quality hire.
Solution
Centralize the hiring process. By making every applicant go through you, no matter the location, you’ll gain valuable insights, save time, and have more control of your recruitment strategy. You’ll more quickly realize where your process is flawed, be in the know of why people decide to leave the company, and be able to mitigate the risks of that happening.
When screening manually, you allow many human factors to influence your hiring decisions. Everything from tiredness, forgetfulness, biases, and lack of time can result in less-than results. The time you spend setting up scorecards, reading, and taking notes are all valuable actions but do they generate the best possible outcome? There’s a high risk that you’re not reaching your full potential nor finding the candidates with the most potential. Manual screening is if we dare say so, an activity of the past, especially when it comes to volume recruitment.
Solution
The digital screening tools available today are less biased than a human, faster, and gather data that you can use for upcoming hires. Screening tools help you structure your candidate pool and enable you to sort through candidates instantly. It’s simply your go-to tool if you need more time on your hands and fewer tasks.
