Digital technologies are infiltrating many different business sectors. Recruitment and staffing are no exception. As these technologies continue to develop and advance, so will the way recruiters seek out new talent and conduct the hiring process.
Whether we are the organisation doing the hiring, or an applicant looking for work, understanding what these technologies are and how they are changing talent acquisition, can better prepare ourselves to accomplish our goals.
Social Media and Recruitment
The days of posting on job boards and forums are slowly becoming obsolete as recruiters continue to leverage social media for talent acquisition. Recruiters are using social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Xing, and more to source candidates. Within these platforms, recruiters can utilise marketing strategies to market open positions to potential candidates through both paid and organic advertising.
We all like to think we understand and use social media well, but it is important for hiring organisations and candidates alike to take a deeper look at social media. We should ensure that our social media accounts accurately represent who we are on a cultural, and professional level. For organisations, this means full transparency about company culture and purpose. If you want to recruit talent that has the same purpose as your company, you have to market what the company stands for. This includes frequently posting and allowing current employees to interact with social accounts. Doing so will accurately portray what the organisation is about and will help pool desired applicants with similar values.
Candidates can also leverage social media in the recruitment process. If you are on all professional social platforms, it is more likely that you will be found by recruiters than if you use none or just a few. Beyond professional platforms like LinkedIn and Xing, having social accounts like Instagram and Facebook can serve as good indicators of your values and soft skills.
Automation and Resumes
What do automation technologies and resumes have to do with each other? When it comes to the recruitment process, they are more closely connected than we may have previously thought.
Recruiters can use technology like candidate resume capture to digitise any hard copy resume received. This is typically utilised at hiring events where recruiters receive paper resumes from candidates. From here, recruiters can use process automation technology to scan resumes for required and ideal skillsets. This technology automatically categorises and ranks applications that are considered qualified for the position, discarding those that are not. The ranking system is based on preset rules that ultimately help reduce recruitment bias.
For hiring organisations, it is important to identify what hard and soft skills you are looking for in candidates. This will ensure that recruiters are connecting with talent that best suit open positions. As previously mentioned, automation reduces bias, which means you must be as specific about your desired qualifications as possible. This ensures you won’t be getting candidates based on what they tell recruiters; but based on their applications.
For candidates looking to get hired, it’s important to understand that without bias from recruiters, it’s more difficult to talk your way into open positions. You must be sure to structure any resumes or applications you submit to best reflect your skillsets. Doing so will give you the best chance of being well received by automated screening processes.
Digital Interviewing
In-person interviews are becoming less frequent. In fact, most in-person interviews that still happen are for end-stage interviews, after candidates have already been through digital interviews.
A digital interview is the process of conducting interviews through video or phone rather than in person. It’s beneficial for both hiring organisations and candidates, as it gives them both the freedom to schedule interviews at their convenience without factoring in travel. Digital interviewing gives recruiters a larger pool of candidates to select for interviews. Many candidates are willing to relocate for a position, but may not have the time or expenses to cover travel for an interview. With digital interviewing, these candidates have the opportunity to apply for jobs outside of local opportunities.
While these interviews are inherently more convenient, it is important that both parties prepare for a digital interview with the proper technology and network connection. One of the easiest ways for a company to dismiss a candidate happens when there are technical issues in an interview. Of course, we can’t always avoid technical issues, but ensuring that our devices have working speaker systems and a strong network connection will help the interview go smoothly.
As digital technologies continue to change, the talent acquisition process will too. Expect to see more technologies in the near future that will impact the recruitment and staffing industry.
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