4 ways technology can improve the recruiting process

Gone are the days when the use of technology in recruitment was a question. It is an ongoing process and companies pump a lot of money into hiring. However, organizations need to examine if they are putting their money where their mouths are. After all, everything boils down to that. Isn’t it?

Organizations can hire more recruiters to support their increased hiring demands. However, it is not an efficient solution. Examining the ROI of their investments can lead them to the right answers.

For instance, hiring more recruiters is a quick fix. It will help in resolving the current problem at hand. What they need is a long-term solution that can create more value for them. Something that can simplify recruitment and help in hiring quality candidates.

It is where technology can make a difference.

The main advantage of using technology is the automation of repetitive tasks. These jobs not only slow down the recruiters but also compromise the hiring metrics. Screening the resumes is one such time-consuming task.

Each job opening attracts 250 resumes on average. Due to the time crunch, recruiters give only 6 seconds to each resume. In the process, qualified candidates may get overlooked. Mediocre candidates may get called for the interview. Hiring managers are under pressure to reduce the workload of their teams. In the process of hiring faster, they often make the wrong decision.

Screening software can resolve this situation effectively. Such systems can identify qualified candidates from a pool of resumes.

When manual tasks get automated, the recruiters get more bandwidth. They can contribute to other value-added tasks. They can give more time for building relationships, networking, and engaging candidates.

Let’s look at the main challenges of the recruitment function:

1. The efficiency of the process
2. Candidate engagement
3. Unconscious bias
4. Employer branding

Here is how technology has a resolution to all these challenges.

An efficient recruitment process is the one that hires quality candidates. That too, in an agreeable time frame. In reality, one or the other goes for a toss.

AI is making inroads into the world of recruitment. As a result, organizations no longer have to choose one over the other.

AI-based tools can screen every single resume and evaluate them. Moreover, recruitment chatbots can have the first level of discussions with the candidates. The chatbots are intelligent to assess the skills and identify the most qualified candidates.

The most significant advantage is that these chatbots can also rank the candidates. Instead of manually screening the resumes, the recruiters can look at these results. They can reach out to qualified candidates much faster and speed up the interview process.

The impress.ai chatbot-led recruitment platform is fully customizable based on recruiter needs. It can be designed to suit the requirements based on job families. The recruiters can also look at chat conversations for more information.

The platform can also integrate with other assessment systems. It can integrate with most third-party video and behavioral assessment tools. In these cases, the system shares the cumulative score for the benefit of recruiters.

It’s a small world and the job market is relatively smaller. Moreover, in the world of recruitment, a lot depends upon relationships and experiences. Most candidates will either have their friends or family working in your organization. They could also be the customers of your organization’s products.

Even if they do not get selected today, they may be a good fit for future openings. A sour experience can dissuade them from even considering the role.

Candidate experience is the perception that the applicant makes about the employer. It is formed during the hiring process and involves several touch-points. It has a direct impact on employer branding as words travel fast. Positive candidate experience can help in attracting more candidates. Also, it can result in fewer drop-outs on the joining day.

Recruitment is the first point of touch for job-seekers with an organization. They tend to extrapolate their hiring experience to how they will be treated as employees.

Let’s look at some facts and figures about the candidates’ experience.

• Applicants who enjoyed a positive experience are 80% more likely to apply in the future.
• 63% of candidates would decline a job offer if they did not have a good experience.
• 72% of job-seekers who had a bad experience have shared the incident with someone.
• 64% of candidates would not want to buy the organization’s products and services if they had a poor candidate experience.

As seen above, candidate experience is no longer an option. It is essential to not only fulfill the current roles but also to create a future pipeline.

More than anything, candidate experience depends upon communication.

It is a common complaint that candidates don’t hear after they apply for a job opening. Several others say they receive no communication after rejection.

Moreover, job-seekers often have questions and are looking for information. It is not always possible for the recruiters to handle all such queries. Besides, they may not have the bandwidth to write to every applicant.

Technology can improve this situation by keeping the communication lines open. For instance, automated status updates can keep the job-seekers in the loop.

At times, candidates have questions regarding the culture or the pay scale. impress.ai chatbots can address all such queries and offer timely answers. Applicants no longer have to wait for recruiters to respond and can make quick decisions.

Bias in recruitment can disrupt the efficiency of the recruitment process. When the recruiters or the line managers are biased, it impacts the quality of the hire. Also, it can compromise organizational capabilities. Additionally, such information gets shared fast.

Bias becomes all the more grave when it is unconscious. Although training can help in minimizing it, that is a long-drawn process.

Unconscious bias is when a person forms an opinion solely on the first impression. This impression is not always made during meetings. Instead, it can be formed by looking at the resume or talking to the person on the phone.

Due to this bias, organizations do not give an equal chance to all the candidates. For instance, a line manager may favor a particular institute. However, as more people from that institute are hired, the diversity gets reduced. And, so do the skills.

Technology is the right way to eliminate bias from the recruitment process. impress.ai platform is specifically designed to eliminate all kinds of bias in recruitment.

When such technology in the recruiting process is used, it supports quality hiring. Moreover, as organizations give a fair chance to everyone, they also gain credibility.

A good employer brand is built when an organization becomes an employer of choice. It is defined by the way an organization values its current employees.

Cultivating a good employer brand is a long-drawn process. It is also governed by several factors. The biggest advantage is that it can help in attracting and retaining talent.

However, a reputation is never built on its own. It is the outcome of several factors that leave impressions. Technology can greatly help in this effect.

As seen above, technology can resolve the main challenges of the recruiting process. As this happens and candidates get a better experience, the world starts traveling in the industry. Moreover, AI-based tools such as chatbots can promote organizations’ EVP. They can answer the candidates’ questions and support the organization’s branding initiatives.

Technology in the recruiting process has surpassed the stage of evaluation. The recruitment function is more than ready to embrace it. With the benefits mentioned above, it can help in shaping recruitment into a strategic function and for the recruiters, more value in their roles.