The recruitment process isn’t always about the newest trends or the latest technology. Smart recruiters and hiring managers are also improving their skills.
As tech has advanced, the number of tools in a recruiter’s toolbox has ballooned.
Boolean search? Sure.
Glassdoor and job posting sites? Of course.
And the list could go on and on.
But the bigger question is: how do you incorporate and organize your tools into a reliable hiring process?
And is it working?
For example, approximately 60% of job applicants abandon online applications because of length and complexity.
Yes, that is one way to narrow down candidates, but you could be losing the savviest and smartest who are frustrated with how your company engages with tech.
Tricks, Tips, And Tactics For Recruiters
Qualified candidates appreciate being recognized for their skills and recruiters can be empathetic to the applicant’s situation. How a recruiter approaches these situations can’t necessarily be captured in a new tool.
And what about new and creative ways to engage candidates?
What Recruiting Tools Do You Need Today?
1. Implement artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of those rare tools that is the future of recruiting, but is also firmly entrenched in the present.
One way artificial intelligence can automate your hiring process is by identifying candidates in your applicant tracking system that fit your current employee profiles or marks candidates with specific skills. Recruiters do not have to review every application this way.
However, the downside for hiring managers is that AI may only surface job seekers that appear to look like your current candidates. This is not necessarily only about racial or gender diversity--but the same backgrounds, universities or areas of the country.
It could devalue candidates from non-traditional educational backgrounds, or candidates in second careers. Rethink your settings and take a peek at some of the other resumes every once in awhile to ensure that AI is working for you, and not against you.
If you feel like you're overwhelmed with candidates from job ads, a tool like Ideal can set up the parameters for you, and help you achieve your goals--even if they’re ambitious-- and streamline your hiring process. One company using Ideal wanted to screen 100% of all applications, but also save time in the process-- which Ideal helped them achieve.
2. Search with social media
Online candidate sourcing looks different than even 10 years ago, especially with social media. In fact, 73% of companies have hired an employee through social media. It's a great way to find new hires, but you must do it strategically. Measure your results and think about how your outreach efforts compare across all channels.
But “social media” is not a fair term anymore; it’s too broad. Social media encompasses everything from Twitter to TikTok and LinkedIn and Quora. Those are vastly different social media platforms.
Depending on the positions you are hiring for, LinkedIn may be better a better recruitment tool for some jobs, but Facebook may work for a different position.
Become a master at Boolean search to quickly filter passive candidates and then target the potential candidates that are right for your company.
However, modern recruitment tools can help you search and place job postings on multiple platforms at a time, streamlining your approach.
3. Evaluate your job descriptions
Many times, job descriptions are the first exposure potential candidates have to your employer brand as they are perusing job boards.
So make them count.
There's a job opening and it's time write a job description. Yes, now there are ways to measure the effectiveness of your job descriptions--accounting for proper descriptions but also decoding gendered language that may indicate bias.
For instance, TapRecruit has evaluated millions of job descriptions from thousands of companies to create their recommendations.
These tools can evaluate readability, suggest stronger adjectives and offer recommendations for searchability of your job descriptions. These evaluation tools will also gauge the effectiveness and engagement of your job postings.
4. Formalize your employee referral system
Your company probably has an employee referral system where you recognize top employees with rewards (cash or otherwise) if they recommend a hire.
But you can be more proactive with that system by encouraging employees to scan their own networks for the positions. Employee referrals are a more trusted form of recruitment because you already have an active employee selling the candidate on the benefits of the company.
And even with a referral bonus, employee referrals are generally less expensive than recruitment marketing.
With Teamable, recruiters can search employee networks for them and then request current employees to make a warm introduction. This is a voluntary practice for any employees that are interested. Recruiters get connected to a larger talent pool of passive candidates who are connected to the company through current employees.
5. Utilize candidate assessment tools
Which job seeker can actually do the job versus who looks good on paper?
Candidate testing and assessment can help you figure out the difference. It will also help you verify that the candidate can do what they said they could do.
This isn’t only for roles with complex skills but even for things like simple editing or proficiency using software.
Vervoe allows you to customize your skills testing, or choose from a bank of previous tests that other companies have used and implemented. As a recruiter, you may also be interested in the candidate’s psychology and personality. Vervoe also has tests to use for those as well, giving you a complete picture of how the candidate would fit in your organization.
Similar recruiting software is HackerRank which is specifically for potential candidates who are developers. HackerRank has 1500 questions about more than 35 programming languages. This is helpful especially if you’re hiring beyond your capabilities or for a new programming language where your team has limited expertise. HackerRank will help you assess their abilities.
You may also want to ask a few more questions before the actual interview begins. Add a few quiz questions about personality or your company culture to see how that candidate may line up with your aesthetic. You could trigger these after the initial application or as an immediate follow-up.
Consider integrating your skills assessments with a pre-recorded video segment. Your team will get a feel for the candidate and it provides another avenue for the candidate to show their interest in your company. This method can save time by replacing your phone screenings and the time it takes to schedule.
6. Implement Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)
There’s a lot to be said about the pros and cons of specific applicant tracking systems, but it’s a must-have no matter which one you choose. Much like the CRM has become indispensable for organizing contacts, an ATS performs a similar function. There are many modern ATS options to choose from, even Google has a product.
Lever is a popular choice for forward-thinking brands because of its easy user interface and pre-screening capabilities. It also provides reporting on total candidates for a position, how long it took to hire and the applicant sources.
7. Track talent with a Candidate CRM
Beyond the typical applicant tracking system where a candidate selects themselves for your position, you can also build out a talent pool with candidate CRMs. You can then filter passive candidates, nurtured candidates and communication before passing to your ATS.
By using this method, you can build out personas and profiles to help you passively find talent before ever posting a job. You can surface top-notch candidates and then reach out or engage in a conversation before the official description hits the career page.
Your recruiters and exec teams are probably already doing this in some capacity--a candidate CRM formalizes and helps you track it. Hiretual, TalentLyft, and others are popular candidate CRMs.
Conclusion: Measure Your Results & Preserve The Candidate Experience
Your team needs to measure and consider the results during outreach and recruiting. The tactics that have worked in the past during your hiring process may no longer be relevant. Setting KPIs for points like days to offer and qualified candidates per opening will help.
Recruiting tactics will span everything from soft skills to concrete data. These two work hand-in-hand to make your recruiting efforts as solid as possible.
Your recruiting team probably does not need every available recruiting tool in the digital workplace. However, leveraging tools to their fullest capability can separate innovative recruiters from good ones.
Build your foundational recruiting workflow with these tools and shave off a few minutes from your regular routine.
- What are the most important recruiting tools for your team?
- How is your recruitment marketing?
- What is the candidate experience after going through your hiring process?
- How has your recruiting tech stack changed over the years?
- Can you measure the impact these tools are your making on your recruiting?