Recruitment professionals are still relying on outdated methods when it comes to finding, assessing and hiring talentRan Berger, CEO and Co-founder of Flat Rock Technology, looks at how recent progress in recruitment practices and policies is being hampered by slow adoption of new tech.
Let’s look at the last couple of years. Recruiters have been driving impressive change in the industry. From name blind applications, promotion of diversity and getting a handle on millennial talent, the sector has come on leaps and bounds and is helping to drive positive change in workplaces and productivity across the country.
But old habits die hard. Recruitment professionals are still relying on outdated methods when it comes to finding, assessing and hiring talent. Despite the fact that technology is innovating faster than ever before, adoption of new techniques has been slow. This is hampering the industry and means its progress and ambitions aren’t being fully realised.
When online job sites burst onto the scene many thought it spelt the end for recruiters. But the industry is nimble and adapted to this new normal. Likewise with LinkedIn, whilst other sectors struggled to come to terms with the commercial value the platform would bring, recruiters quickly seized the initiative and began leveraging the powerful recruitment tools it provides. Far from eliminating the ‘middle man’, such developments have added another string to the recruiter’s bow. Recruiters are now able to pinpoint candidates using data and analytics like never before.
So we know that the sector can embrace and benefit from technological advances, yet adoption continues to lack pace with so many great and progressive moves being made by independent and in-house recruiters, failure to recognise the power of new tech is putting the brakes on sustained innovation.
Finding the talent
Analytics have made it easier to pinpoint appropriate candidates and identify specific skills. But this could be taken to a new level of bespoke recruitment by using data properly. By now, most companies will be collecting and leveraging data in some shape or form. But most are failing to use it to its full potential. There are a myriad of cloud based solutions out there that recruiters should be investing in. If that’s not an option, Excel is a straightforward and powerful tool that you already have access to.
Once you’re settled on your tools, start asking it the right questions. You’ll soon start to see new patterns emerging, such as what attributes to look for when seeking temporary hires, or what skill sets correlate with employee tenure. Gathering data is not enough, you’ve got to make sure you’re making the most of it.
Selecting the right candidate
Once you’ve got your pool of prospective candidates, technology should be playing a bigger role when it comes to identifying the strongest applicants. In-person interviews are time intensive and sending the wrong candidates through to your client or colleagues can damage relationships. Innovative new assessment tools such as Sharkhire are helping to enhance the selection process and allow you to make informed, quantitative based recommendations. Digitising your assessments will allow recruiters to apply the same level of customisation to this stage of the process that is already being used in the initial identification.
Selling the company
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. When it comes to selling your company or your client’s organisation, candidates have access to more information and choice than ever before. Particularly true of millennials, job seekers now will use their trusty friend, Google to research all aspects of a company before deciding to even pursue a role. The more mobile-optimised, rich media content that you can offer them, the more likely they are to engage with recruiters’ overtures.
Videos, Snapchat and Instagram content, 360° office views and podcasts are all examples of media content that will bring a company to life for a prospective hire. Whilst recruiters can talk a good game, tech savvy candidates increasingly want to see things for themselves.
Like all other industries, recruitment cannot rest on its laurels. It must continue to innovate and adopt new practices if it wants to stay ahead and retain its place in an ever digitised world.
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