Corporate Recruitment: 5 Innovative Trends and Tools

Due to their limited ability to convey information about a potential recruit, résumés and cover letters are no longer the primary means of identifying ideal candidates during the corporate recruitment process. Instead, recruiters leverage modern technology to develop deeper insight into each candidate’s overall character before reaching out to them. Today, recruiters have greater access to qualified candidates from across the globe thanks to recruitment techniques that use advanced data analytics to determine which characteristics suit a particular position, and communication tools—like social media—to find and connect with individuals with professional experience relevant to the position. Leaders hoping to use similarly innovative tactics to recruit talented employees need to consider incorporating the following tools and technologies into their own recruitment strategies.

Data analytics for acquiring talent and matching skill sets

With technology opening the door for numerous talent recruitment outlets, organizational leaders must separate their recruitment operations into two categories. The first team should be established to identify the hiring needs of the firm and create a funnel of viable candidates for the role and the second team should be the one undertaking the time-consuming process of onboarding new talent.

In order to consistently make quality hires, corporate recruiters should utilize highly-efficient online data analytics programs, like job listing boards and online social profiles, to focus their searches on candidates with applicable job skills and professional achievements. Beyond compiling data, these advanced analytics systems can be used to determine the best resources for finding ideal talent, the best methods for attracting job seekers, as well as the average opportunity costs related to each new hire. As this innovative technology becomes better at identifying trends and predicting behaviors in candidates, hiring managers will gain new perspectives on how analytics can allow them to optimize their recruitment processes.

Employer branding

Employer branding uses a set of specific attributes and qualities, such a company’s code of ethics or preferred professional values, to distinguish the company. This allows recruiters to describe the employee experience and workplace and help candidates envision themselves working for that company. The most important aspect of implementing this corporate recruitment strategy is ensuring that the standards that are represented by the corporation’s brand are actually embodied by leaders at every level. While the company will have a somewhat vague employer brand in the beginning, human resources leaders can strengthen their employer brand by researching what the employees respond best to and taking action to engage in leadership that encourages passionate advocacy from employees. As curious prospects begin to recognize that the majority of current team members are satisfied in their roles, they will be more interested in opportunities offered within that positive environment.

Building a reliable employer brand requires that all internal stakeholders contribute ideas to improve their workplace, while remaining open to constructive feedback that will assist them in building their reputation amongst employees and customers. One creative way of accomplishing this is to cultivate a strong online presence by sharing engaging content that is representative of the company’s brand. Applications like Buffer simplify the process of online engagement by allowing users to schedule posts on social media sites ahead of time, simplifying the process of building a routine. As current and potential employees are exposed to a constant stream of content that they derive value from, their appreciation for the publisher’s employer brand will undoubtedly grow.

Social media

Research performed by iCIMS—a human resources software company—found that job postings listed on social media can attract between 30 and 50 percent more applicants on average. Most popular social media sites have tens, if not hundreds of millions of users on average, so tapping into this vast pool of potential applicants is a viable method for corporate leaders to ensure that urgent vacancies get filled as soon as possible. Apart from generating a significantly greater number of applicant responses, social media has also proven useful for helping recruiters make better hiring decisions by allowing them to single out candidates that embody their organization’s core values. Conversely, leaders can use social media to better comprehend a candidate’s personal characteristics and thereby identify any unacceptable values or behaviors that could compromise an organization’s corporate reputation.

Though popular sites like Facebook and Twitter can sometimes be valuable to the recruitment process, LinkedIn is commonly recognized as the most appropriate social media platform for recruiting new employees. LinkedIn is designed to simplify the recruiting process, as it features a large catalog of tools for establishing an employer brand, directly advertising positions and attracting candidates. Recruiters have access to the full profiles of millions of candidates, as well as the option to message these candidates directly with information about career opportunities. If filtering through candidates using the advanced search function doesn’t result in the acquisition of qualified talent, recruiters can use targeted ads to publicize their unfilled position to candidates that fit a customizable set of preferred qualifications. To capitalize on these immense networks of professionals, it is important that recruiters master these various methods of recruiting via social media platforms by exploring their different functions and determining which is most effective for their corporation.

Video interviewing (i.e. Skype or Google Hangout)

As a means of conducting initial interviews, traditional face-to-face meetings have become more costly and less efficient compared to video interviews, which can be hosted at practically any distance using applications like Skype or Google Hangouts. Video interviews do not require a substantial personal commitment from the interviewee, eliminating undue pressure on candidates who may have limited funds or the inability to travel on short notice. The benefits of video interviewing are especially rewarding for corporations operating on a global scale, as their recruiters can save time and money while directly accessing top individuals from an international pool of talent without spending company funds on transporting candidates to a location that is equipped to facilitate internal interviews.

Among the leading video conferencing applications used by corporate leaders is Google Hangouts, a communications service that allows one-on-one or group interviews via text, voice, and video conferencing. Using this application, recruitment professionals can perform a screening interview with an entire group of candidates, allowing them to discuss skills and experiences while the interviewers use social and visual cues, such as body language, to determine whether each individual is a possible fit for the company’s workplace culture. Following any group video interviews, recruitment leaders can then use the private Hangout feature within the application to conduct a more in-depth, one-on-one interview. By using this method to efficiently cycle through groups of international candidates across a range of locations, corporate recruiters can routinely attract interest from exceptional talent.

AI recruiting tools

Forbes magazine found that 85 percent of corporate applicants never hear back from potential employers, while 71 percent of employers profess that they are unable to find talent with the skill set that their company needs. Even if applicants do eventually get follow-up communications from a recruiter, it will often take weeks or even months, making the corporate recruitment process frustrating for qualified candidates. Unfortunately for corporate leaders and talent, this isn’t a matter of organizations simply being unwilling to respond to applications, but rather a clear indication that they are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of job seekers. Thankfully, information technologists, engineers, and leaders in the recruitment field have collaborated to advance machine learning and artificial intelligence technology (A.I.). This technology allows employee applications to be processed faster than would be possible by human hand, and A.I employee screenings can eliminate bias, minimizing the risk of talented candidates being dismissed for unjust reasons.

With regards to A.I. recruitment tools, the application that currently leads the pack is My Recruiting Assistant (Mya). The automated, customizable text-based assistant communicates with job candidates through email, Skype, or text message for the purpose of assisting them with the interview process. Mya also pre-screens each candidate for the professional traits and qualities that have been deemed preferential by recruiters. Using advanced language processing technology, Mya independently responds to candidates’ questions and uses data from those interactions to make observations about the candidate, thereby gradually learning new ways to answer common questions. Although Mya cannot independently “reject” a candidate or answer overly complex questions, its capabilities are useful for eliminating low quality applicants that may have otherwise been missed by human recruiters from the hiring pool.

From video interviewing via Skype, to the utilization of social media and automated recruitment tools, recruiters today are able to simplify the recruiting process, thereby increasing efficiency and ensuring access to top talent in the job market. Employing the most prominent recruitment tools and trends to a hiring strategy requires hands-on guidance from experienced professionals who understand how to achieve desirable results using the tactics in question. To this end, earning a Master of Science in Leadership could help recruiting leaders incorporate the latest innovations in recruitment, drive competition for open positions, while still ensuring that the most qualified candidates are considered for each role.

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How Social Entrepreneurs Make a Social Impact and a Profit

Sources:

2017 Recruiting Trends Point To Technology Driving Change, Society for Human Resource Management

Hiring in the Digital Age: 3 Modern Recruitment Trends to Adopt, Business News Daily

The 5 Recruiting Tools You Need to Know in 2016, Inc.

4 Reasons to use Video Interviewing in your Hiring Process, Recruiter.com

5 Intriguing AI Recruiting Innovations, Ideal

How A.I. Is About To Disrupt Corporate Recruiting, Forbes

3 Ways HR Can Use Employer Branding to Attract and Retain Top Talent, CoreHR