If anything is clear, it’s this – the rapid development of technology has fundamentally shifted the way we live and the way we work. Mobile devices, big data, AI, and robotics are evolving at a pace that we’ve never seen before and many companies are playing catch up. In fact, companies around the world are finding themselves being disrupted by this change.
According to Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital report “…only 12 percent of the Fortune 500 companies from 1955 are still in business, and last year alone, 26 percent fell off the list.” So the message seems clear; change with the times or risk falling off the map entirely. If the argument for changing with the times seems so persuasive, why do we seem to cling to seemingly “old school” tactics in recruitment? For every company that’s pushing boundaries with progressive hiring practices like Facebook, Google and Shopify, there seems to be another hundred that are relying on posting a dry, laundry-list-like job description and hope for the best. What can you do to reinvent your hiring process and keep pace with the best talent?
Recruit Like a Marketer
Marketing has changed with technology, and recruitment pros can learn a number of lessons from its approach. At a high level, you need to ensure your messaging is attracting candidates rather than turning them away, you’re leveraging all forms of social media and, most importantly, build an employer brand. Both active and passive job seekers are increasingly turning to social media and it’s important to be highly visible during a recruitment push. You want to be top of mind when an “A player” starts thinking about a potential career move. Another piece that allows you to reach a relevant audience is employer branded content. Inbound Marketing has grown in relevance as consumers (or job seekers) have become empowered to seek out information and educate themselves on products and companies.
On the recruitment front, employees no longer stumble into jobs without doing their research – a quick Google search can quickly paint a picture about your company, for better or for worse. However, you can control the message with an effective content marketing strategy focused on your employer brand. Little things that can go a long way are pieces highlighting cool workplace events, employee profiles, and the creation of blog posts that outline your culture and people. This content will give prospective candidates insight into your company and, hopefully, sell to the right people.
Have you ever interviewed a star candidate who was right for your company, but the timing was off? Keep them warm with a drip campaign featuring your employer branded content sent at prescheduled intervals. Again, technology allows us to automate more processes, increase touch points and attract the right people.
Get Ready to Hunt
Gone are the days when you had to wait for candidates to come to you. LinkedIn, Indeed and other readily accessible talent databases have changed the game in recruitment. Complete candidate profiles are available, for free, across the web. Are the right candidates not coming to you? Go out and find them. Talent acquisition professionals should be familiar with search techniques that turn up niche talent. It’s easier than ever to immerse yourself in a community for the purposes of recruitment thanks to technology. Are you looking for top talent in software development? Join Github, explore trending topics and find out who has the talent to join your team. Check out your local events calendar online and go meet with them in person. The potential to connect with top talent is greater than ever before.
Test Your Messaging
Your job postings should reflect your company’s culture and identity. Ask your current employees or top performers – why did you come work for us? Why did you stay? Use this data to create an employee value proposition and use it to sell the job and the company. But don’t stop there. If you are hiring at a high enough volume, split testing different value propositions or sourcing methods is easier than ever now due to technology. This functionality is built-in to a number of applicant tracking systems and should be leveraged to make sure your message is attracting the right people in the right places. Once you have enough historical data, you can take this to the next level- what methods of recruitment are leading to top performing candidates based on their KPIs? Organizations are becoming increasingly data driven, and technology is necessary for a competitive edge.
Realistically, we’re just scratching the surface here. As technology evolves and as the war for talent becomes increasingly competitive, new and more advanced methods of recruitment will follow. It’s essential for high performing organizations to reflect on their talent acquisition efforts and ensure that they don’t fall behind.
What do you think about the changes in recruitment? Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter!
