If you are looking to hire top talent for your company, you already know how important it is (in the SURVIVOR spirit) to ‘Outwit, Outlast and Outplay’ the competition and stay one step ahead by having up-to-date hiring standards and recruitment systems in place. Most job seekers rarely spend time sending resumes around – instead they rely a lot on applying online and through referrals. What you’ll see though are perfectly crafted online profiles ready for viewing anytime, anywhere. With just the click of a button, any candidate can now shop around for jobs while recruiters can easily browse through thousands of applications in just one go.
Hiring the right people for your company consists of a lot of moving parts in the process. It includes finding the right talent, getting them to show interest in your company, creating and managing a streamlined online application process, screening applicants, scheduling interviews, collecting feedback from interviewers and eventually making a decision. The process is generally cumbersome and requires a lot of coordination. At the same time, however, companies are running against time and competition to hire the best talent as quickly as they can. The ability to quickly take applicants through the various stages of the recruitment process is critical for the success of any growing business. Online recruitment systems are intended to make the hiring workflow efficient and faster. What you need to look for in a system is the convenience and efficiency it would bring to your current environment. Does it actually help you migrate your old process into the digital world in a seamless way. Are you able to gather all the necessary information about candidates in one place? Does it allow you to interview candidates faster using the latest digital technologies? Will your organization be able to move and act fast when it is fighting for top talent?
Fixing your recruitment systems and using the right tools in place can considerably cut down the time it takes for your team to hire the right people. Cloud-based technologies can definitely help your recruitment efforts and go hand in hand with available social media outlets for maximum reach. It is no longer enough to test for job fit or culture fit. There is also a strong pull towards using online means such as social media sites to reach top talent via social platforms. Recruitment systems that provide integrated social recruiting capabilities as part of the overall hiring platform are indeed a great way to quickly start leveraging social media for recruiting.
Employer Brand International’s 2013 global study listed social media as the second most effective recruitment channel next to internal referrals. Facebook might not seem as useful and direct as LinkedIn in terms of hiring leverage but it can give valuable insights on the pool of candidates you are looking to move forward with. Whether it’s about liking a page, uploading new pictures, or commenting on statuses, people devote much of their time on Facebook. Use this to your advantage by learning more about your candidate or by creating a company page to announce your job postings while promoting your company’s brand. Facebook has a system in place for targeting your selected audience (for a fee of course). No one expected the amount of attention that Twitter got when several companies started posting short and straight up tweets to attract the best talents. Many social media job seekers also took to twitter to advertise themselves to recruiters and hiring managers. Next-gen recruitment systems are built to help you easily accomplish these tasks, even if you are not a social media or branding expert.
Career websites and job boards are listed next to social media in terms of their reach to find talent. Given that these recruitment channels are online, it is only fitting for recruiters to make sure that they maximize the use of these digital instruments by leveraging recruitment systems designed for this purpose. Moreover, companies should re-examine their policies on online recruiting strategies as a long-term strategy and not just an interim solution to hiring issues. Recruiters need to remember to strike a balance between strengthening the company’s brand and making a lasting impression on candidates.
Managing all of these online channels can be daunting or overwhelming so make sure that your recruitment systems are in check and all your staff are on board with your hiring plan. There possibilities are endless when you have solid HR management processes and recruitment systems in place. HR management systems and online solutions can radically change the way you access, sort and store information. You still have to remember, however, that the core of recruitment is communication and making relevant connections to job seekers. This is way more important than reaching any target numbers. Giving candidates a positive experience can leave a lasting impression on your company and can potentially give you the edge needed to win over top talents in the long run.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash