Two years on from the Covid-influenced global reset, and the subsequent “great resignation” movement in the U.S. and beyond, some business pundits are predicting a “great return” to the office this year.
“Return” in this case doesn’t mean a return to pre-pandemic business-as-usual operations and happenings.
Take recruitment.
Companies hunting for new talent in the anticipated “great return” phase must modify the way they find and attract new hires. The ongoing pandemic has changed the expectations and needs of job seekers worldwide, and companies need to address these in their hiring processes.
New expectations or needs such as:
Snooze or lose – as it is a candidates’ market in several countries today, there is a need for speed if you want to find and secure the best. Home Depot for example, recently launched an accelerated hiring process in the US where applicants could receive an offer within a day of applying. If you have a legacy recruitment system with unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, you will quickly lose ground in the chase for talent.
Reach them before they reach you - greater competition means more companies will also proactively engage candidates earlier. While this is common at the C-suite level, this approach is also being increasingly adopted in the chase for mid and entry-level talent.
Borderless recruitment - with remote working here to stay, companies should expand their search to hire the best people regardless of where they live (nationally or across borders). Cross-border recruitment also offers the opportunity to achieve two goals at once – hiring the best talent and enhancing corporate diversity.
Data-led recruitment - companies will increasingly prioritize data analysis and insights about prospective candidates. A case study by McKinsey & Company showed that organizations are able to see a 40 percent increase in the quality of hires and a 12 percent drop in employees leaving within the first year with a more data-driven approach to hiring.
Are your recruitment systems and processes fit for purpose?
The pressing need to broaden the search for candidates, offer faster hiring processes, incorporate analytics, and find new ways to proactively reach out to prospective new hires raises this question for HR managers and teams everywhere.
Are your recruitment systems and processes “fit for purpose” to find the best talent in the ongoing and post-pandemic environment?
Or put another way, are your recruitment best practices sufficiently agile, flexible, and fast? Are you leveraging analytics technology to your advantage?
If your company’s current recruitment systems and processes are underpowered, forcing you to play “catch-up” in the hiring game - there is good news - technology can help you bridge the gap relatively quickly and easily and cost-wise, won’t break the bank.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered technology has changed the recruitment game and while the human touch will always be key in hiring – the overall process will be sped up and optimized with the application of customized data analytics, measurement, and AI solutions.
Despite being relatively new in the HR world, AI-powered technology has made a significant impact in a short time, primarily by taking on manual, time-consuming tasks linked to the hiring process.
Browse through our collection of ready-to-use job description templates to get you started on your hiring process.
How AI is transforming the recruitment process
For example, AI tech is frequently engaged now to design user-friendly forms that a job applicant is more likely to complete (significantly reducing the number of abandoned applications).
AI also plays a key role in maintaining a database of past applicants – especially matching those who would be a good fit for new jobs as they come up. This option helps to reduce the time and resources needed to continually look for fresh talent when new positions need to be filled.
Onboarding is another function enhanced by AI. The opportunity to run onboard programs, using chatbots and remote support apps, allow the onboarding process to be conducted at any time (work or after hours) convenient with the new hire.
Automating low-value, time-consuming, easily repeatable administrative tasks is the other way AI is transforming recruitment – tasks such as pre-screening candidates, scheduling interviews, and more. Colleagues who used to manage these tasks can now work in more meaningful and impactful roles.
Transforming legacy systems and roles
These team members could be redeployed to oversee tasks related to sophisticated applicant tracking software and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) - a core platform that can deliver multiple functions such as:
- Collect, store, and review candidate resumes
- Automate job postings and other manual tasks common to the recruiting function.
ATS solutions are widely used throughout the world today – in the U.S. for example, 98% of Fortune 500 companies run ATS systems. While some assume ATS is only used by corporate giants, many smaller players are adopting ATS to optimize their hiring processes and empower their various recruitment teams such as:
1. Human resource management teams use software to source candidates, screen resumes, and create holistic candidate profiles
2. Hiring Managers can strengthen their final decision making around candidates by utilizing recruiting software that supports closer collaboration with recruiters (screening tools, candidate assessment tools)
Whether large, medium, or small, companies utilize ATS software to look (primarily) for keywords covering two important areas – relevant qualifications and key skills (technical and non-technical) to sort through resumes quickly and efficiently to find the best candidates for a role.
But not all ATS platforms are built the same – the more sophisticated solutions offer automated workflow features and reporting tools to make the lives of recruiters, hiring managers, and job candidates easier.
How? Important areas such as:
- Sourcing, reviewing, and recommending candidates quickly
- Responding to the work from home or anywhere trend
- Data security
These are common challenges faced by hiring teams around the world, and the next section highlights how Manatal solutions step up to address these respective issues.
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Farewell paper CVs, Google Sheets, Excel, etc
As a pioneering recruiting software company (garnering external recognition in best recruitment software and startup lists regularly), we remain committed to our guiding principles.
They are:
1. Democratize recruitment by providing affordable, scalable solutions
2. Simplify the hiring process for HR professionals and job seekers alike
With an emphasis on speed and simplicity, we strive to deliver offerings that streamline the recruitment flow from sourcing to onboarding to centralizing hiring operations, as well as automating menial tasks, and being collaboration-friendly.
Accessibility is another goal with solutions priced to enable SMEs around the globe to utilize sophisticated recruitment tools as used by major corporations.
Response-wise, we are delighted that Manatal solutions are making a difference – our offerings have placed close to 100,000 people in jobs since 2019 and are used in over 130 countries.
Scan and analyze resumes and social media to find right-fit candidates faster
In terms of functionality, rapid screening of resumes is one of the most-liked features by our users (they no longer have to read CVs one at a time which was time-consuming and often tedious).
This AI-powered feature reduces overall hiring time while also enabling you to reach out to the best talent (relevant to a role) ahead of competitors.
Speed-aside, it is also designed for easy and convenient use - simply import the resume to the candidate’s profile, and the software will parse the information searching out relevant skills, specific roles, and sought-after capabilities.
Effortless data sourcing and management is another feature benefitting hiring managers and teams. Once CVs resumes, and other candidate information has been uploaded, the data will be instantly available on the Manatal system – this “one-stop” library of information allows users to keep track of profiles over time, while also using quick and advanced search features to find potential “right fit” candidates for new roles as they come online in the future.
Scan without prejudice
Scan without prejudice is another important feature of ATS-powered recruitment solutions. As they enable more objective screening procedures, the “unconscious bias” factor associated with traditional hiring processes is negated.
Manatal’s candidate scoring and AI solution, for instance, recommends candidates based on job match rather than name, ethnicity, gender, or other personal details - it prioritizes those who fit the role due to their experience and expertise first and foremost.
Building a candidate’s “big picture” profile is another key feature.
As soon as a new candidate profile is created, Manatal’s AI tools browse the web in search of data on more than 20 social media platforms enabling recruiters to big a big picture of the candidate and find deeper insights about their capabilities and goals. Once integrated, the platform displays all of the information from the candidate’s social media accounts on a single page.
Enhancing the bottom line and candidate experience
These diverse benefits over time, will also positively impact your bottom line.
Quite simply, securing quality hires is cost-effective for the company.
It helps to better mitigate the risk of a bad hire (and associated costs in resolving related issues) and reduces the time and effort to find the right talent.
And on the other side of the coin, AI can also improve candidate experience because ATS solutions can help you contact candidates about their application status with the click of a button.
Candidates often recall the way they’ve been treated in the recruitment process – especially if companies neglect to acknowledge receiving their resume or send a follow-up message on the status of the position advertised.
Yes, these are relatively small details in the grand scheme of things, but they are a big deal for candidates. These details influence how they feel about your company, and whether they would consider applying for another job with you or recommend the company to others.
Remote work
Work from anywhere is a trend that’s here to stay.
This was further confirmed by a recent Pew Research survey in the US, where 61% of people working from home today say they’re not going into their work because they don’t want to, and 38% say their office is closed.
In addition, 78% of people mostly working from home want to continue doing so after the pandemic, up from 64% in 2020.
While progressive tech-focused companies have embraced work from anywhere, many others are working things out still - especially on the recruitment front.
Maintaining team spirit and unity is one of the biggest challenges for companies with remote workers.
This was another key finding from the Pew Research survey where 60% of remote workers said they feel less connected to their colleagues.
In the context of the HR sector, how can company recruiters communicate and work cohesively if they are no longer in the office together for any period?
Communication and geographical gaps can be bridged by technology - specifically, recruitment solutions to make project and campaign data available and accessible to every recruiter wherever they are, and whenever they want it.
Centralized data
This is where our recruitment CRM software comes in.
Recruitment CRM tools enable the centralization of client data and the creation of in-depth profiles for candidates. They can also be used to track the progress of recruitment campaigns – so, if you are already running an ATS platform, you should choose a CRM that can connect with it seamlessly.
In addition, headhunting agencies can opt for recruitment software offering both ATS functionality and recruitment CRM tools. Manatal supports both solutions on a single platform to consolidate information on both fronts.
Cloud-based access
Centralizing data is one thing – making it easily available to every member of the team (no matter where they are) is another.
Issues such as restricted access, an inability to search for candidate documents, or previous communications can be resolved by opting for our cloud-based solutions. And as candidate confidentiality is an important factor, our solutions allow the ability to restrict document access to specific teams or colleagues.
Data security
While we all love the ease and convenience of transacting and sending personal information via smartphones and devices today, the threats of data theft and hacking are ever-present.
Recognizing this as a major barrier for job-seekers to share their resumes online, we take a “no compromise” position when it comes to information security and compliance.
Data security is the bedrock of trust with our users and stakeholders - that’s why Manatal solutions are bolstered with industry-leading security measures that protect and ensure access is granted to authorized users only. We also “double down” on efforts to ensure data sent through our software is handled securely.
To this point, Manatal is SOC 2 Type II certified, verified by a top third-party auditor.
SOC 2 Type II is one of the top security certifications for SaaS platforms, assuring that Manatal has an effective security program and that your data is always protected.
We also employ secure coding practices to guard against the OWASP Top 10 Security Risks. In addition, our security teams are well trained and ready to act swiftly and efficiently if a security issue arises. Protocols are also updated after every incident to ensure that our response and intervention are quicker next time.
Preparing for the great return
As a growing number of companies plan to welcome colleagues and teams back to the office, and fill roles that have remained vacant since lockdowns were imposed, now is a great time to review your current recruitment processes.
Two years on from the start of the pandemic are your hiring systems fit for purpose? Are they agile, flexible, scalable, and adaptable enough to run with the big players and compete strongly in the talent hiring race?
If a reboot or recharge is needed, we invite you to discover how Manatal solutions can revitalize talent acquisition on many fronts – start your 14-day Free Trial today to see, feel, and enjoy the difference they can make.
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