How is your recruitment team looking to improve in the new year? 2020 marks not only the start of a new year but a new decade, making now the perfect time to reflect on your current strategies and map out a plan for the next ten years of business. For many HR departments, that means looking toward digital solutions.
Among greater business efficiency and employee engagement, business technology harbors a number of benefits that help explain why worldwide IT spending has increased by approximately $400 billion in U.S. dollars from 2017 to 2020. Companies of all sizes recognize the value that new innovations—such as cloud platforms and artificial intelligence—can offer recruiters in this rapidly evolving business landscape.
To help you keep track of these trends, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most pressing objectives for your recruiting team to focus on in the new year. By applying these goals to your recruitment team, you’ll help your business continue to attract and secure the top talent in your space.
Unite your communication tools
Although the general principles of great communication at work remain unchanged, the methods or platforms that businesses use to communicate have almost entirely migrated to digital alternatives. The cause of this shift is primarily attributed to recent improvements in internet speeds. With mobile devices, tablets and laptops all able to connect online, the internet-based technologies are now reliable and fast enough to meet the demands of digital communication.
Recruiters, who are often in dialogue with both coworkers and potential candidates, have the unique tasks of juggling both internal and external conversations throughout the day. This likely means that you’re navigating several communication tools at once, depending on the person you’re currently speaking with. For many recruitment teams, the solution is consolidating with Unified Communications. As a digital platform for all types of business communications, these tools give recruiters a single space to connect both their internal and external conversations. Because this tool is powered through the internet, you’ll be able to call, video conference and chat message people around the world, so long as you have access to the world-wide-web.
Rely on predictive hiring
Successful recruitment teams know that a great hire is not just about the right person but also the right timing. Start the new hire too soon and there may be no work for them. Onboard them too late, and they’ll have to learn on the go as your teams struggle to manage their growing workloads. In 2020, predictive hiring will be the way of the future as businesses leverage their data to make more insightful decisions when growing their team.
There are two essential aspects of predictive hiring campaigns: the data you use and the speed of your recruiting. Even if you don’t already collect data on your company’s historical pipeline, the average number of people interviewed for a single position or the percentage of individuals who turn down your job offer, there are still opportunities to use predictive hiring right away.
By defining the personal values, job experiences and personalities that best embody your company, you can use predictive algorithms to sift through your current stacks of resumes to find only candidates within those parameters.
To reduce the time it takes to find and hire the right fit, consider enlisting the aid of a recruiting agency. Because agencies are knowledgeable in niche job markets, positions and work locations, these services are especially valuable when you are trying to fill roles that require technical or executive proficiencies.
Automate tasks
Expand your recruitment team without hiring new staff by making one of your 2020 resolutions to integrate automation software with your everyday work. Automation technology, which harnesses machine learning to observe and replicate repetitive tasks, could be the number one innovation that shapes recruiting and staffing strategies in the new year as an increasing number of businesses realize its full potential. An article on Forbes, which features a case study on one company’s success with automation, reports that this business’ recruiting team was able to improve the completion rate of job applications by 12%, highlighting just one of the many capabilities that automation services boast.
There’s a good chance that most, if not all, of your responsibilities as a recruiter use digital technology today. Emailing has replaced physical mail when interested candidates submit their resumes. Instead of jotting down notes on the status of each applicant, you likely record and store this information on a spreadsheet. Automation has the potential to revamp any and all of the digital spaces you use that require manual entry, which is what makes this software such a powerful tool.
By migrating to an HR automation suite, for example, you can send automatic follow-up emails, schedule interview times, and plan offboarding appointments all without any aid from a real person. This can help free up your otherwise busy schedule and give you the valuable time you need to make a proper assessment of each candidate.
Consider soft skills
As technology replaces and performs an increasing number of tasks, your recruitment team will need to reassess the qualities that embody a great employee. Soft skills demonstrate an ability to think critically, work in team settings and treat customers and fellow employees alike with empathy. That’s why 2020 will see the continued rise in the value of emotional intelligence skills within hiring strategies.
One way you can integrate your search for soft skills proficiencies with digital solutions is by utilizing a personality assessment software. Because these personality tests are hosted online, you can easily send these surveys to potential hires through email or text. This allows you to collect information on the individual motivators, personal preferences and aptitudes of each candidate before scheduling interviews, which can provide critical insights on the most promising applicants. While many of personality test programs feature their own sets of questions, many platforms also allow you to edit questions or add new ones for a more tailored experience based on which position you are currently hiring for.
What types of goals is your team planning for 2020? Share your insights and thoughts in the comments below!
