To grasp e-recruitment, one first needs to understand that this term, its concepts, and practices are essentially the same as traditional recruitment. But there’s the bonus of technology.
Digital transformation is here, which means the world is becoming more technologically reliant. Developments of new software and tools are constantly looming on the horizon. As a result, companies and industries can’t help or, in some cases, are forced to adapt to such changes. It’s the only way they’ll be able to survive in an increasingly competitive market across the globe.
Recruiting has become more competitive than ever, with recruiters scrambling to catch quality candidates before they slip through the cracks. With technological advancements like CRM, ATS, and other HR software, recruiters can step up to the challenge and be ready to take on the competition head-on.
A recruiter's job becomes much easier when they utilize the tools correctly and with the right motivation. To understand how to use technology well in e-recruitment, here are 6 steps that an HR professional should take.
These 6 steps take the principles of traditional recruitment, revamp it and add a technological touch to it. Check out the steps below.
What makes e-recruitment different from traditional recruitment?
Those who have been in the industry for quite some time now will have seen trends come and go. They’re also well-acquainted with e-recruitment as they’re the same people who had seen a new recruitment phase come into play, especially when the pandemic forced many to look towards alternative solutions.
Nowadays, recruitment doesn’t mean sourcing and keeping track of candidates through manual means; instead, it looks at the optimization and utilization of digital tools to streamline the process.
Individuals entering the industry might need to familiarize themselves with e-recruitment. The confusion centers around adopting and understanding new technologies that have just been gaining popularity over the last few years.
Technologies range from automated systems such as an applicant tracking process that quickly assists in sourcing candidates, managing online interviews, and even pre-boarding and onboarding processes.
Let’s begin by slowly enveloping ourselves in the world of e-recruitment, starting with an applicant tracking system.
ATS systems such as Manatal’s are an integral component of e-recruitment. The purpose of one and its functions allow a recruiter to effortlessly keep track of a candidate's progress throughout each stage of the application process.
In e-recruitment, not only do you have tools that practically carry out the work for you but there are varying technologies ready to facilitate the interview process. Virtual interviews have become increasingly common as more recruiters use Google Meet and Zoom. Some even get used to optimizing their interview processes utilizing the organization's virtual platforms or built-in applications.
Before even getting to the interview stage, a recruiter can already get a feel of who the candidate is as a person through one-minute video pitches. Depending on the scope of the job they’re applying for, candidates are sometimes asked to present themselves in a video pitch. The pitch tells a recruiter who they are, what they can offer, and what they want from a specific organization.
Whether virtual interviews and video pitches or tracking candidates, e-recruitment covers the entire process of sourcing the right talents and getting them to stay within your organization. Using these tools correctly means understanding specific steps that precede traditional recruitment concepts.
6 steps to take
The general premise of e-recruitment is built upon traditional recruitment principles and the industry's overall nature, which means you need to adhere to specific steps and adapt them to the scope of e-recruitment. Here are 6 crucial steps you should be aware of.
1. The Preparation Stage
In traditional recruitment, a recruiter might publish openings in the classified section of newspapers across the country. Next, a recruiter could research a candidate's background by carrying out background research where they call previous employers, etc.
However, in e-recruitment, a recruiter's preparation stage doesn’t have to be so manual or time-consuming. Thanks to ATS software like Manatal’s, recruiters can efficiently utilize job description templates, eliminating the hassle and hard work associated with having to think and create them from scratch.
A recruiter already has so much on their plate, but removing one, could ultimately lighten the load for them.
2. Candidate Sourcing
Now comes the fun part. With so many different platforms and tools available for a recruiter in e-recruitment, there is no limitation to the scope in which a recruiter can source candidates.
Sites like Indeed.com, Monster, and Flexjobs are job boards where a recruiter can simply go online, post the job specifications of a vacancy and easily attract candidates.
Everyone would love to source active candidates and be successful at doing so. However, a great recruiter doesn’t undermine the importance passive candidates have. Passive candidates can come in handy when there aren’t active candidates available for a current position or a position opens up later down the line for that candidate.
It’s crucial to highlight just how much assistance tools and software can be in establishing a talent pipeline with several passive candidates.
Recruiters can develop a strong talent pipeline to support their e-recruitment strategies by keeping track of a candidate's progress at different stages, creating custom pipelines, and monitoring where the candidate is. This feature can be applied to keeping in touch with candidates that you’re no longer actively sourcing as a way to retain such connections still.
Ultimately, a recruiter can still feel assured that later along the line, they will have a strong relationship and candidates on hand.
Click here to learn more about building a talent pipeline.
3. Screening
So, you’ve received the candidate's application - whether through a job board or through the company's link - but now comes the time when you have to verify whether the candidate meets the requirements.
You might already be familiar with an ATS feature in e-recruitment that takes up the hassle of screening candidates for you. An applicant tracking system’s scanning feature will analyze and assess different aspects of the candidate's application by matching and cross-checking specific criteria across databases.
When you use an automated tool such as an applicant tracking system to screen candidates, you can parse the data. Any information a candidate has added to the resume will be parsed in data extraction.
Moreover, you can easily score candidates based on specific parameters that you’ve set. The automated feature will easily do this, thus eliminating the inconvenience one might have in scoring multiple candidates in one go.
In retrospect, a recruiter searching for tech talent might set certain criteria, such as “this talent needs to be skilled in Java.” Then, the recruiter can establish criteria specific to what they’re looking for and cross-check/score based on whether the candidate matches these parameters.
These parameters provide a painless and straightforward way for recruiters to choose the right fit for the job vacancy.
4. Assessments
Depending on the industry you’re recruiting for, you might need to establish some assessment for the potential candidate.
Assessments are often carried out in the tech recruitment space, especially when candidates need certain skill sets such as coding, programming languages, technical writing, and data analysis.
In e-recruitment, the evaluation of a potential candidate can be done through the aid of an ATS system. A recruiter can simply select the test that will benefit the HR professional and candidate. It will grant the opportunity for a candidate to showcase their capabilities and for the recruiter to make a well-informed decision.
Popular: Improve Your Tech Recruitment Strategies with Remote Assessments
5. The Interview Process
Interviews have always been part of the recruiting process, regardless of whether an HR professional is undertaking this in a traditional sense or as a part of e-recruitment.
In the modern day, where e-recruitment is considered the new normal, many interview processes are carried out via virtual platforms. Such platforms include the likes of Zoom, Google Meet, or even the organization's video interface.
The interview process in e-recruitment should be treated as a vital component because of how a candidate conducts themself. A recruiter can judge based on their body language, which would be a little tell-all into what this candidate could potentially be like.
6. Onboarding
You’ve got the candidate right where you want them - in the clutch of your palms. They’ve accepted the offer, and now comes the time to make them feel welcome. Making sure a candidate becomes well-adjusted happens through onboarding.
Onboarding is the last step a recruiter should take in e-recruitment because it wraps everything up nicely. All the hard work, an HR professional, has put into using an ATS to source, match, and assess candidates will finally be rewarded. The real reward comes when a recruiter sees a candidate adapting well to a new work environment, especially after they’ve completed various onboarding tasks online.
Knowing how to accurately go about implementing the 6 steps detailed above can potentially set you apart from other recruiters. These recruiters might still be taking their sweet time adapting to the new normal of recruitment.
E-Recruitment is here to stay. As a recruiter, you should learn to become well-adjusted to knowing how to use and optimize tools and technologies, as well as implementing them in your various recruitment strategies. You might find yourself taking your recruitment game to a whole new level.
Such tools and technologies that can help you have the right approach to E-Recruitment include Manatal’s applicant tracking system which will not only have you sourcing quality candidates in no time, but also provide an efficient way to maintain all your hiring needs all in one simple and easy to use application.
Start your 14-day Free Trial now to explore our innovative features and find out how you can leverage your succession planning within a few clicks.