Future-Proof Talent Pipelines Now

This year has been unique in many ways for corporate recruiters and job seekers alike.  Company downsizing has been noticeable and candidates have seen the interview process take longer (if the position doesn’t get cancelled or put on hold!).  Yet, the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports  that there are still approximately 2 million more job openings than the number of able bodies who can fill the roles.

One result of companies reducing their workforces is an overall reduction in hiring.  While this can still lead to stress in recruiting departments (less jobs and less recruiters equals same amount of workload), it can also be a great opportunity.  Rarely are recruiter workloads consistently uniform throughout the year.  There are hiring spurts and hiring freezes.  If your company is experiencing a slowdown, now is the time to prepare for the next hiring rush and scale up your hiring process.

Think about how recruiting departments operate during times of high volume hiring.  They often face these obstacles:

• Increased workload – A surge in hiring can overwhelm recruitment teams.
• Candidate quality – The need of finding more candidates faster while maintaining high standards can be difficult.
• Time-to-fill – Speeding up the hiring process without sacrificing quality is challenging.
• Employer branding – The tendency to cut corners or move too fast can negatively affect the candidate experience.

When hiring volumes are slow, these issues can be masked but it’s the perfect time to attack them now by implementing strategies for efficient and effective hiring when it’s time to scale up.  Here are some ideas to consider:

• Technology Enhancement
  • Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) – If you haven’t audited your ATS in the past 2 years, do it now. There is no better way to reduce administrative tasks than by using the ATS to its fullest and vendors are constantly adding/updating features that you may not be taking advantage of. For example, iCIMS recently added an AI feature that identifies potential candidates already in the company’s database.
  • AI – Now is the time to explore AI’s capability to reduce time spent on repetitive tasks and determine what might work for your group.
  • Other Technologies – Introduce a new technology like video interviewing, candidate interview self-scheduling or create process/training documents to reinforce proper usage if you already have a technology.
• Process Optimization
  • Job Descriptions – Create Job Description Templates to create clarity and consistency when presenting roles to potential candidates.
  • Screening – Review and streamline screening processes to quickly identify talent when volumes are high.
  • Interviews – Create interview guides with sample questions and best practices to provide a consistent way to assess talent.
  • Training – Train recruiters, hiring managers, and other stakeholders on all aspects of the process.
• Employer Brand
  • Ensure employees can consistently describe company culture and values.
  • Create a social media campaign to build a stronger company presence.
  • Walk through the application and interview process from the candidate perspective and address any issues that create a negative candidate experience.

Did you know 72% of job seekers are likely to share bad experiences online or with someone directly?

This is a long list and there is so much more that could be added!  If any of those topics resonate, start small and make a change or two.  Create a process to measure improvements.  Did we reduce time to fill our openings?  Can we create a survey to measure candidate experience?  As recruiting leaders know, the next big hiring increase is always right around the corner and, with enhancements in hand, your recruiting team will be ready to embrace it!

For more information on this topic, read Indeed’s article, “9 Ways to Improve Recruitment Process” or check out the many (free!) great resources at Wowledge, including, “Advanced Recruiting Strategy and Sourcing Practices to Increase Consistency, Speed, and Flexibility“.

As always, I’m interested in your thoughts. Share your experiences by commenting on the article or feel free to reach out to me directly (estewart@ESTalentSolutions.com) with any comment/questions.