The Future of Digital Hiring and Recruiting

By Pierce Ivory

I’m guessing you’ve seen the recruitment environment has been changing a lot over the past few years. Gone are the days of publishing in a newspaper and having endless hours of interviews. Technology came and transformed everything.

But here’s the challenge: To get the most benefits from this new approach you must position yourself for the future, right? Every new adjustment to the process robs you of a little time while you help your team learn the ropes.

What if you could look into the future and know what to expect? So let’s summarize a few exciting developments in the recruiting arena. You can source what you need to optimize your process now and position yourself to enjoy other features the moment you get access to them.

 

Will You Be the Employer of Choice?

You probably have a long list of expectations when you think of potential employees. These days your applicants have the same type of list about you the potential employer. Will you live up to expectations?

In a world driven by digital processes, you need to build your brand in the public domain so it impresses the candidates you want to work for you.

Some of what you read below may seem like an unnecessary effort. After all, you’re the one offering someone a position. Shouldn’t they be the ones jumping through hoops to try and impress you?

Unfortunately, that is an archaic approach that won’t fly in the modern business world. Remember you’re trying to get ahead of the competition and if they attract the prize employee candidates you’re going to fall behind.

The better option: Excel in all ways possible.

And here’s the first thing you can get good at.

 

Limiting the Chaos

When you walk into an HR or recruitment office it’s usually littered with paperwork. One of the best things about technology is that we can work towards having paperless offices. On HR software you’ll see ways to store and manage all necessary data regarding recruitment as well as employee management. Why look for files if everything can be accessed at the touch of a button?

 

Everything Will Be Data Driven and Online

Since the newspapers themselves are going digital you must know you should follow suit when advertising positions. I promise you it’s much more effective. Those candidates who are serious about their work will either be listed on online portals or find your information there and apply. So you’ll definitely find candidates since you’re pitching to such a huge talent pool. But how do you draw the best from this crowd?

This is where recruiters need to develop their skills:

- Can you digitize data you get from online portals?

- Can you use lead generation processes to actually impress the high performers you want to attract? This means you need to know LinkedIn inside out.

- Can you analyze data you get from profiles and resumes to help you make decisions such as the salary packages you decide to offer?

 

Have You Tried Social Recruitment Yet?

Here’s one more place to find the people you want to employ. These days if you’re looking for anyone the easiest option is social media and now it’s being used in professional contexts too.

Use it for Two Aspects of Recruiting

Sourcing Candidates

How do you know someone is really interested in the available position if you don’t know what he or she does in general? That’s the beauty of digital recruiting. Online forums and discussion groups are filled with people who would jump at the chance of a better job opportunity. And they wouldn’t join these groups if they’re not passionate.

Background Checks

Of course, you don’t only need talent; you need employees with a great character too. That’s where you become the private investigator who looks at historic posts, interests and public chats to gauge someone’s character:

- Would this person work well with the current team?

- Does the person respect others’ views or do you risk having conflict about religious, political or cultural differences?

- Does the person live a balanced lifestyle?

 

It’s Not Only About Applicants’ Profiles—What about Yours?

But how will you use this dynamic platform if you’re not there?

The modern employer or recruiter needs profiles on all relevant social media:

- Twitter
- Facebook
- LinkedIn
- Website profiles
- Instagram

Are you going to start the day you need to source a new employee? No. If you want to impress a new generation applicant you need to show you’ve been in the game for long. When last did your company post something? This is how future employees will judge whether you’re worth their time.

It sounds harsh but it’s true.

In the same way, you want to make wise long-term decisions by hiring the right people your potential employees want to pick environments where they will be happy for years to come.

So what is your online reputation at the moment? The workforce is harnessing the power of being online by helping each other identify the best companies to work for. On certain websites, employers are reviewed by previous employees. Your candidates can read it to determine if working for you is a wise career move.

 

Enter AI

You probably thought you’ll always do evaluations yourself. After all who reads people better than a seasoned HR manager?

But you haven’t seen the effectiveness of AI then. AI can use algorithms to find your ideal candidates among many similar applications. This means you spend less time narrowing down the list of potential candidates so you can focus on picking the best ones.

Remember to see technology as a partner in your job description. Every minute you save can be better used elsewhere.

 

Conclusion

Recruitment is all about long-term planning. The recruits you source and interview today will determine a company’s future. How do you make the most of each recruitment opportunity? But starting to use these futuristic methods today.

 

About the Author:

Pierce Ivory is the Marketing Director at Advance Systems, a company that provides world-class enterprise workforce software. Involved in digital since 2010, Pierce completed a Master’s degree in digital marketing getting first class honors. He specializes in the field of people operations and HR management for B2B software companies. You can find Pierce on Twitter (@pkivory).

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