Solution: Technology

Your Guide to Virtual Interviewing Solutions

Posted on by nfuqua

As we move forward in 2021, it’s clear that safety, flexibility and a positive candidate experience are still the most critical factors in the interview process. Additionally, many talent acquisition teams are still running lean, but will see increasing hiring volumes as the COVID-19 recovery continues. Consequently, these factors necessitate an effective technology solution to support the interview process.

When the pandemic hit, many organisations fully transitioned to or increased their use of virtual interviewing technology. But now, just one year later, it’s an essential part of a long-term hiring strategy. Specifically, virtual interviewing solutions speed up the hiring process; provide a great experience for candidates and hiring managers; and save on travel budgets – in addition to the safety benefits.

So, consider this article your guide for designing the right virtual interviewing solution for your organisation and the types of roles you’re hiring for.

What is a Virtual Solution?

virtual solution infographic

Before we focus on specific tools, it’s important to recognise where the virtual interview falls in your overall recruitment process. This graphic demonstrates an ideal virtual solution. At PeopleScout, we believe that the candidate experience should be at the core of your recruitment process, and a strong candidate experience should be part of each aspect.

In an all-encompassing virtual solution, we start with recruitment marketing. This is your opportunity to share your employer value proposition and employer branding materials with candidates. For example, you can do this virtually with a tool that allows you to send automated and personalised messages to candidates through email, social media and text messaging.

Then, candidates move to the application. Here, they expect a mobile-first process that can be completed quickly – preferably within just 10 to 15 questions. The mobile-first nature of the application is especially important as most candidates search for jobs on their smartphones and tablets. In fact, one of our clients sees more than half of applicants come in through a mobile device.

Next, consider assessment as an extension of your application or the start of your interview process. One option is to prescreen individuals via text to identify top-tier candidates. Then, candidates can drive the process forward themselves by self-scheduling their interview, which can be completed through a variety of virtual interviewing tools. All of this ends with the hiring and onboarding process.

Virtual Interviewing Tools

There are five main options for virtual interviewing technology, which can be mixed and matched depending on your organisation and the types of roles you’re hiring for.

On-Demand Text or SMS Interviews

cell phone

What is it?

Candidates answer a series of yes/no, multiple choice or short-answer questions via text on their own time.

How does it work?

After completing an application, candidates receive a text message or email asking if they’d like to opt in to a text or SMS interview. Then, they’re sent a series of questions that they can answer on their own time. This process is customised and automated to move candidates quickly to the next step of the process.

What is it best for?

We recommend this option for entry-level or hourly roles. It also works well as an initial screener for high-volume roles.

Why should you consider it?

Candidates are unlikely to answer phone calls from unknown numbers – which turns an initial phone screen into a long game of phone tag. Alternatively, text interviews are quick and have high rates of completion, with some PeopleScout clients seeing completion rates as high as 80%.

On-Demand Audio Interview

cellphone recording audio

What is it?

Candidates answer a series of questions by submitting audio recordings on their own time.

How does it work?

Candidates receive a link to complete the on-demand interview, in which they can respond to questions that are simply printed or recorded by the recruiter or hiring manager. Then, when the candidate is finished, they submit their answers to the recruiter for review.

What is it best for?

We recommend on-demand audio interviews for high-volume call centre roles, for example, or for positions in which candidates may be currently working in non-typical shifts.

Why should you consider it?

On-demand audio interviews provide more flexibility for both the recruiter and the candidate; there’s no need to schedule a time when the recruiter and candidate are both available.

In the current world of work, it’s even more difficult for candidates and recruiters to complete an interview during a typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. window. Alternatively, the on-demand audio option typically takes candidates 15 to 30 minutes to complete and takes recruiters just five to six minutes to review. At PeopleScout, our proprietary talent technology – Affinix – also allows you to calibrate your interview scoring process to ensure the right numbers of candidates make it through. On-demand interviews have a completion rate of between 40% and 60%.

On-Demand Video Interview

cell phone recording video

What is it?

Candidates answer a series of questions by submitting video recordings on their own time.

How does it work?

Similar to an on-demand audio interview, candidates receive a link to complete the interview and answer questions that are written or recorded by the recruiter or hiring manager. Then, once the candidate records their answers on video, they submit them to the recruiter for review.

What is it best for?

We recommend on-demand video interviews for roles in which candidates must demonstrate their professionalism in person, such as customer service roles or flight attendants.

Why should you consider it?

Similar to on-demand audio interviews, on-demand video interviews provide flexibility for both the recruiter and the candidate. Video interviews also allow you to see how a candidate demonstrates their professionalism “in person.” In this way, it’s an ideal choice for customer-facing roles. Much like their audio counterparts, on-demand video interviews have a completion rate of between 40% and 60%.

Live Audio Interview

live audio interview cellphone

What is it?

Similar to a phone interview, candidates speak directly with a recruiter or hiring manager to answer a series of questions.

How does it work?

Think of the live audio interview as a phone interview with extra features. Candidates can dial in, and hiring managers and recruiters can use a conference line to bring in either multiple candidates or a panel of interviewers. The interview can also be recorded. Plus, automated reminders can be scheduled and sent out using the tool so that no one loses the number or shows up late.

What is it best for?

We recommend this for later-stage interviews with top candidates – especially when most of their work will be completed on the phone, like call centre or virtual customer service roles.

Why should you consider it?

Compared to a traditional phone interview, you gain extra features and increased privacy for both candidates and interviewers with this option.

Live Video Interview

live video interview

What is it?

A live video interview is the best replacement for an in-person interview. In this situation, candidates speak on camera with a recruiter, hiring manager or panel of interviewers.

How does it work?

A candidate receives a link to the virtual interviewing platform. With Affinix, candidates don’t have to download or install any applications; they simply click to join the interview. Recruiters and hiring managers can also programme automated reminders for interviewers and candidates.

What is it best for?

We recommend live video interviews for professional- or executive-level roles, or as a replacement for a final, in-person interview.

Why should you consider it?

With so many safety and travel concerns, live video provides a safe option for a variety of interviews that were previously in-person. In this case, the interviews can be one-on-one; with a panel of interviewers; or with a group of interviewees. Some PeopleScout clients have also used the technology for virtual job fairs. Plus, in the event of multiple participants, it also provides additional privacy protections so that candidates can’t see the contact information of other candidates, for example.

Affinix also includes chat and screen-share options, as well as the ability to record interviews. Going forward, live video interviews also provide an alternative to travel.

Interview Scheduling

While many of these options allow candidates to complete the interviews on their own time, the live options still require the process of scheduling. Fortunately, instead of the time-consuming back-and-forth, candidates can now self-schedule interviews.

An invitation to self-schedule an interview can be automated after an application or SMS interview; it can also be initiated by a recruiter. It works by allowing recruiters and hiring managers to sync their calendars with a scheduling tool or provide certain timeslots for candidates to choose from. This allows candidates to move the process forward themselves, thereby enhancing the candidate experience and saving time for the recruiter.

Putting It All Together

Depending on your organisation and the roles you’re hiring for, your virtual interview process will likely include a number of stages and tools. This graphic shows one way that these can fit together.

interview funnel infographic

Implementing a Virtual Interview Solution

At PeopleScout, we recommend four steps for implementing a virtual interviewing solution. The process can be quick; in fact, in some cases, we can set up a virtual interviewing solution in as few as 72 hours.

  1. Evaluate what you need. What portions of your process are already virtual?
  2. Work with your RPO provider to implement the technology tools you need.
  3. Gather branding materials and questions you need.
  4. Train your hiring managers and talent acquisition team.

Once your virtual interviewing solution is up and running, it’s important to keep evaluating the process and testing to find the right workflow for your recruiters, hiring managers and candidates. In particular, your solution should meet the needs you have now, as well as evolve for the future.

Is Your Global Talent Acquisition Strategy Fit for the New World of Work?

Posted on by akessler

In an unprecedented development, the number of open positions now exceeds the number of people looking for work in many parts of the world. In the U.S., job openings numbered at over 11 million in February 2022—five million more vacancies than available workers. It’s a similar situation in the UK, with vacancies outnumbering unemployed people for the first time ever. In the face of these labour shortages, it’s imperative for employers to tap into new talent pools to fill their vacancies and remain competitive.

As employees seek greater workplace flexibility and opportunities to work from home are in greater demand, organisations can now access a new talent pool. Geographic borders are blurred, and many organisations are expanding their recruitment reach by engaging with globally dispersed talent. Enterprises still using a siloed, regional approach to talent acquisition will struggle to reach their recruitment goals in today’s talent landscape. A global talent acquisition strategy will not only help you to compete locally but also win to top talent on a global scale.

Embracing Global Workforce Planning as a Talent Acquisition Strategy

In the U.S., 60% of employees say they enjoy working remotely. In fact, between January 2020 and March 2022, U.S. job postings for remote work went up 319%, with searches exceeding that 458%. Meanwhile, in the UK, remote job postings have increased by 329%, whilst the number of searches has skyrocketed by 790%. So clearly, candidates seeking remote work outweigh the remote opportunities offered.

Some enterprises have been embracing a borderless workforce for many years. Yet, many are still resisting remote employees even though it offers them a number of opportunities, including expanding access to talent, boosting diversity, and increasing brand presence in new markets.

By embracing a location-flexible approach to your workforce planning, you give yourself a greater chance of winning the competition for talent. For example, before the rise of remote work, you may have been looking for 30 roles in your offices in France and Belgium. But now, if you think about it as simply 30 French-speaking roles, you can widen your search area (i.e., French ex-pats living in the UK) and access new remote talent you didn’t consider before. In today’s ultra-competitive talent landscape, dropping geographic limits means reduced time-to-fill, cost-to-fill and ultimately, productivity loss from positions remaining open.

Plus, it can also eliminate the need to open a legal entity in new countries to remain compliant. In our French-speakers example, rather than going through the effort and expense to open an office in France or Belgium to gain French language skills, you could look for French speakers in the countries where you’re already established.

Where Talent Acquisition Strategies Fall Short

Traditionally, companies recruiting in numerous countries or continents have multiple talent acquisition teams, each focused on particular geographies. Even if an organisation is leveraging recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), this typically means using multiple vendors to achieve global coverage. For example, they may use one RPO provider in North America and a different one in Europe.

Whether through different regional talent acquisition teams or regional RPO providers, these disparate teams can lead to disjointed processes, candidate experiences and technology systems—and a lack of visibility into your recruitment program across countries or regions. As the pandemic recovery accelerates and talent continues to become more decentralised, a siloed recruitment model won’t keep up with the future of work and an increasingly geographically disparate workforce that is unattached to traditional offices.

How a Talent Acquisition Program Benefits from the Global RPO Model

According to Everest Group, a growing number of multi-national companies are embracing a global recruitment process outsourcing model, in which one RPO partner takes responsibility for fulfilling positions—or augments your in-house teams—in any country where the company has multiple openings. This helps organisations to gain better insight and control, obtain the best talent at the global level and achieve efficiencies that come from standardisation and centralisation.

Often organisations are unprepared for global recruitment. In fact, 30% of business leaders say their organisation’s top management team lack knowledge of hiring for international markets. Global RPO partners can help you create a recruitment process that is consistent but can still be flexed to account for the cultures and candidate expectations in each market. Leading RPO providers offer global delivery centres that help you expand your geographic reach and hours. Plus, some even offer proprietary technology to support virtual interviews for remote candidates.

A single global RPO partner can boost your talent acquisition strategy by:

  • Giving you more agility and allowing you to scale up or down as your hiring needs and market conditions fluctuate.
  • Expanding your hiring capacity through on- and offshore recruitment teams
  • Providing a wide variety of language capabilities
  • Helping you navigate compliance issues and cultural nuances in all countries where you’re hiring

Consolidating under a single RPO partner gives you more control over your global talent acquisition outcomes by eliminating the need for multiple relationships, raising the quality of your hires while saving time and money. The economies of scale gained through a global RPO model can help you achieve your recruitment goals in all your locations. Plus, with work-from-home models becoming more popular, a global talent acquisition program provides an opportunity for organisations to expand across borders to access new skilled talent to accelerate recovery and growth.

To learn more about how global RPO can help your organisation tap into new talent, check out our ebook, The Definitive Guide to RPO.

Win the ‘War for Talent’ by Shifting Your Recruitment Strategy to a Candidate-First Model

Posted on by mbinshahid

By Robert Peasnell, Deputy Managing Director

We’re all aware of the recruitment challenges facing NHS Trusts across the UK with 40,000 registered nursing vacancies across the NHS in England alone. This is compounded by a sharp rise in people leaving the profession. According to the Nursing & Midwifery Council, 14,000 people left the register last year—up 27% on previous year. 

And whilst sharper marketing and investment in building a more distinctive employer brand will certainly help increase the pipeline of quality healthcare job candidates, Trusts can look closer to home for some quick wins.

Optimising Your Healthcare Recruitment Strategy

Talking to HR leaders in Trusts across the UK, it’s clear that for many, recruitment is still a linear, administrative model, designed to move applicants through a process.

Compare that to a more commercial model where recruitment business partners work closely with stakeholders to understand current and future needs. These recruiters provide an agile, high-touch approach, which keeps candidates engaged throughout the process.

At PeopleScout we are working with one Trust to understand where high impact interventions can be made which improve candidate experience and ensure a higher number of permanent hires. This has been carefully balanced against a reduction in spend to ensure zero additional cost.

Healthcare Candidate Experience Diagnostic

My final piece of advice? ‘Mystery shop’ your own recruitment process through the eyes of a candidate by applying for a job. I guarantee it’ll be an illuminating experience.

Learn more about our free Candidate Experience Diagnostic today!

Data & Diversity: Using Analytics to Achieve your DE&I Goals

Posted on by nfuqua

Diversity sourcing is a top priority in talent acquisition. A recent PwC survey found that 57% of CFOs planned to invest in diversity and inclusion initiatives in the next year. But, with investment comes accountability; you can’t track and report your progress without the proper technology tools. So, as employers continue to prioritise diversity, equality and inclusion, talent leaders need the proper tools to understand the progress they’re making toward reaching their DE&I goals.

Additionally, despite the progress made throughout the last few years, employers still have a long way to go. In fact, according to a survey by Boston Consulting Group, only 25% of employees from underrepresented backgrounds said that they had benefited from their company’s diversity and inclusion programs—despite the fact that most companies have these programs in place.

In this article, we’ll discuss how the right technology tools can help measure and improve diversity, equality and inclusion in your recruitment process.

Optimising Diversity Sourcing

DE&I hiring efforts start at the beginning with diversity sourcing; you can’t hire diverse candidates without a diverse pipeline. And, to build a diverse candidate pipeline, you need to track who your candidates are and which of your sourcing channels and campaigns bring them into the recruitment process.

To further understand who your candidates are, it’s essential to capture their demographic information in your applicant tracking system (ATS) through self-identification via the employment application. However, because some candidates from underrepresented groups may feel uncomfortable disclosing this information in an application, it’s best practice to also ask for self-identification after you extend an offer or when a new employee goes through the onboarding process.

Then, track the sourcing channel through your candidate relationship management (CRM) software, which is critically important to track your recruitment marketing campaigns, as well as sources. Simply tracking that a candidate came to your careers site through LinkedIn isn’t enough; you need to know if a specific campaign on LinkedIn influenced their decision to apply.

Often, these data points are stored in different systems. But, a reporting tool can help synthesise your data and visualise trends. Specifically, with PeopleScout’s Affinix™ Analytics diversity dashboards, you can track how diverse candidates are entering your pipeline in real time. Then, by tracking how candidates progress through your funnel, you can determine which sources and campaigns bring in the highest-quality candidates from underrepresented groups. From there, you can then adjust your sourcing spend to maximise the channels and promotions that bring in the most and highest-quality candidates.

For instance, you may find that a recruitment marketing campaign you’re running on LinkedIn that features diverse faces and real employee stories is bringing in far more diverse candidates than the same campaign on Facebook. You could then shift budget from the Facebook campaign to the LinkedIn campaign, thereby optimising your channels. Additionally, you could compare the LinkedIn campaign featuring diverse employees to a different LinkedIn campaign featuring your office space and benefits package to see which type of content resonates best with candidates.

As an example, when one PeopleScout industrial client wanted to add more women to its primarily male workforce, we partnered with the company to build out a recruitment marketing initiative featuring the organisation’s female employees. In tracking the results of the campaign, our client was able to see a marked increase in female applicants and hires tied directly to the recruitment marketing initiative.

Optimising Diversity Sourcing Data to Gather • Candidate self-identification • Sourcing channel • Campaigns as sources • Tracking the candidate from application to hire Goals • Determine sourcing channels that produce strong candidates from underrepresented groups • Adjust spend to maximise applicant diversity • Measure the success of your diverse campaigns and recruiting strategies

Identifying Barriers in Your Process

Building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive process doesn’t stop with sourcing; if you’re bringing a robust slate of diverse candidates into your pipeline, but very few candidates from underrepresented groups are actually hired, you may have a barrier somewhere else in your process: This could be an assessment with an unintentional bias; a recruiter or hiring manager who could benefit from more training; or an issue with your employment offers. In this situation, the right data can help determine exactly where the issue is occurring in your process and whether changes would result in a more equitable recruitment process.

data accurately. Then, in your reporting tool, you’ll be able to identify if a particular step in your process precipitates a drop in candidate diversity.

For instance, your reporting may show that a recently added video interview step resulted in more candidates from diverse backgrounds dropping out of your funnel. In this case, you could try converting the video interview to a phone or on-demand audio interview to see if it improves results. Similarly, your reporting could show that you have one recruiter or hiring manager with a higher percentage of diverse candidates falling out, which could lead to an opportunity to implement more training. Or, you could see that candidates from diverse backgrounds are successful throughout your recruitment process, but then turn down your employment offers. If that’s the case, then you may want to look at your benefits, offer process or employer value proposition.

Identifying Barriers in Your Process Data to gather • Candidate and new hire self-identification • Candidate progress through the recruitment funnel • Reason for candidate rejection • Recruiter and hiring manager trends Goals • Identify where candidates from underrepresented groups are dropping out of your interviewing and screening process • Adjust to reduce unconscious bias in diversity sourcing

Using Surveys to Improve Inclusion

Our first examples focused on improving diversity sourcing and equity in the recruitment funnel, but you can also use data to measure and improve inclusion. Your goal is to understand how candidates feel about your hiring process, as well as how new employees feel about your onboarding process and company culture—and the best way to measure this is to simply ask them.

In fact, you can and should survey candidates at different stages of your recruitment funnel. Fortunately, there are a variety of candidate survey tools that you can integrate into your ATS to automatically ask candidates for feedback about their experiences, which can then provide critical insights about points where you may be alienating certain candidates. Yet, very few employers regularly ask candidates for feedback about the recruitment process: According to a survey by PeopleScout and HRO Today, only 29% of employers in North America regularly ask for candidate feedback, while 33% never do so. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the data is somewhat better, with 42% of recruiters reporting that they regularly request candidate feedback, whereas 24% say that they never do.

Essentially, there are two different ways you can gather and gauge the results of your surveys, and it all comes down to the questions that you ask. A strong survey will have a mixture of both scored questions and open text responses; the scores help you identify trends over time, while the text responses help you drill into specifics.

Surveys can also help measure your success and identify problem areas—especially when coupled with your recruiting data. For example, if you ask candidates how they feel about the interview process and those scores start to trend downward, you can review your recruiting data to see if you notice any changing trends. Likewise, if you see more candidates from underrepresented backgrounds dropping out just before or after an interview, you can evaluate and determine why your interview process is negatively affecting candidates—especially if you also have text responses that provide specific feedback.

Going a step further, you can also survey new hires to measure inclusion in your onboarding process. A Gartner study featured in the Harvard Business Review identified seven factors that can provide a holistic view of inclusion within your organisation:

  1. Fair treatment: Employees at my organisation who help the organisation achieve its strategic objectives are rewarded and recognised fairly.
  2. Integrating differences: Employees at my organisation respect and value each other’s opinions.
  3. Decision-making: Members of my team fairly consider ideas and suggestions offered by other team members.
  4. Psychological safety: I feel welcome to express my true feelings at work.
  5. Trust: Communication we receive from the organisation is honest and open.
  6. Belonging: People in my organisation care about me.
  7. Diversity: Managers at my organisation are as diverse as the broader workforce.

Then, if your survey finds that new hires from underrepresented backgrounds feel less of a sense of belonging or less safe expressing their true feelings at work, you can evaluate and improve your onboarding process and, through further surveys, measure the influence of any changes you make.

Using Surveys to Improve Inclusion Data to Gather • Candidate and new hire self-identification • New hire survey responses • Onboarding survey responses • Candidate survey responses Goals • Identify and remove barriers in your hiring process • Identify and remove barriers in your onboarding process • Measure employee engagement and inclusion

As employers continue to work to improve diversity sourcing, equity and inclusion within their organisations, it’s critical to have the right tools in place to identify opportunities for improvement and measure success. Talent acquisition leaders play an important role in achieving those goals, and a trusted RPO and technology partner can provide valuable insights and market trends. To learn more about what talent leaders can do, download our ebook, Progress in Action: Moving Toward a Globally Diverse and Inclusive Workplace.

Evolve Your Recruitment Programme with Globally Dispersed Talent 

Posted on by jpatel

As organisations continue to adjust to changes caused by the pandemic, access to skilled talent remains a key factor preventing them from accelerated recovery and growth. However, with work-from-home and hybrid models becoming the new norm, organisations have the unique opportunity to expand their talent network across borders. And, for workers looking to relocate for greater job prospects, crossing borders for work is becoming easier than ever for both employees and employers: According to Harvard Business Review, “Many countries have now put the legal framework in place to hire and relocate global talent at a cost and speed that is broadly comparable with hiring domestically.” 

Furthermore, in a 2021 survey by Boston Consulting Group and The Network, about 50% of respondents were either already working abroad or willing to move abroad for work. Moreover, 57% of respondents said they were willing to work remotely for an employer that didn’t have a physical presence in their home country. 

global talent management

In this article, we’ll share the benefits of a global talent programme; highlight considerations to keep in mind; and offer strategies for attracting and recruiting talent around the world. 

Benefits of Globally Dispersed Talent 

The global talent pool is growing and ready to work—regardless of location—and it’s up to employers to seize the moment. Consider the benefits of leveraging globally dispersed talent: 

Expanded Talent Pool 

Many organisations have been struggling to fill open roles because they’re unable to find the talent they need in local searches. But, by expanding your search across borders, you can expand your search for the skills the role requires in a larger talent pool. Plus, you can also start these workers out in remote and contract roles to test whether they would be a good fit.  

Greater Diversity 

It’s no secret that having a diverse team yields better business results due to high levels of creativity and innovation. Consequently, by hiring people from different geographies, you can tap into the knowledge of people from different backgrounds, cultures, educations and more.  

Increased Reach 

When operating in different regions, you have greater access to new markets, as your dispersed team can help build your brand recognition and reputation with new customer bases in their respective locations. Additionally, having teams across various regions may also enable you to expand your business hours so you can improve productivity and be available to customers no matter where they’re located. 

Cost Savings 

Labour costs vary across countries, so it’s often cost-effective to move certain business operations to countries with lower labour costs. For example, many companies offshore manufacturing, call centre and IT operations to places like Mexico, India and the Philippines. Doing so lowers the cost of operations and, therefore, lowers the cost of products for the consumer.  

And, because commercial real estate policies and prices vary from country to country, you can also reduce costs by implementing a remote work programme in other countries before deciding whether a physical office space will be necessary in a given region. 

Considerations for a Global Talent Management Programme 

Before diving into a global recruitment programme, it’s important to consider the key differences between recruiting in different countries. For instance, cultural nuances, policies and legislation will likely be different from your organisation’s primary country and can make or break the success of your global recruitment and employment strategy. Consider the following examples: 

Workforce Planning 

As you plan your hiring in new geographies, it’s important to be aware of the length of the statutory notice period, as requirements vary widely from country to country and can make hiring timelines longer (up to three to six months, in some cases). For example, in the U.S., there’s no legal requirement to provide notice, but it’s customary for employees to give a two-week notice to aid in the transition. Conversely, in Japan, there’s a fixed notice period of 30 days—regardless of the employee’s years of service or seniority. In other countries, an employee’s notice period depends on the terms of their employment contract and may be connected to the number of years of service to the company. 

In places that require longer notice periods, candidate communications are even more essential in order to keep those candidates engaged and to set expectations on next steps. For this reason, incorporating transition timelines into your workforce planning is crucial so you don’t reduce productivity while waiting for your new hire to start in their role. 

Recruitment Marketing 

Notably, if you’re using the same recruitment marketing tactics in every country, you’re missing a trick. Take social media, for example: Different networks work better in different markets. While LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are popular in the U.S., WeChat (a mobile app that focuses on messaging, social media and mobile payments) is heavily used in China. Similarly, XING and Viadeo are popular alternatives for career-oriented networking in Germany and France, respectively. So, understanding social media preferences in each country will help you promote your job ads in a more effective manner.  

Granted, social media and digital advertising may not be the best fit for all roles in all places. In fact, even within a single country, there are nuances to consider. For instance, PeopleScout leveraged physical advertisements at bus stops in the smaller European cities where an RPO client in the manufacturing sector was hiring because we knew that it was less likely that blue-collar candidates in these areas would have internet access at home.    

And, localisation is key—not just in digital channel usage, but also in language and imagery. For example, while an image of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed worker would resonate in North America, the same type of image would not be as well-received by candidates in Asia. In addition, candidates in Europe are more likely to be multilingual, so testing recruitment marketing techniques in a few different languages might prove to be useful when recruiting in that geography.  

Mobile-Friendly Candidate Experience 

A mobile-first candidate experience is more important than ever. In the U.S., approximately 15% of adults are “smartphone-only” internet users, meaning that they access the internet only through their smartphone and don’t have an internet connection at home. And, by 2025, nearly three-quarters (72.6%) of internet users—nearly 3.7 billion people worldwide—will access the web exclusively via smartphone.   

Regardless of where they are in the world, your potential candidates are looking and applying for jobs via their mobile phones. So, consider how your recruitment tech stack supports a mobile-friendly application process to future-proof your global talent acquisition programme. 

Regulations & Compliance 

Due to varying laws and regulations, recruitment processes can’t be the same in every country, and it can be difficult for enterprises to navigate the requirements in each market. For example, in Sweden, you don’t need to establish a legal entity to hire employees in the country, whereas you do in Singapore. Furthermore, statutory requirements for notice periods, probationary periods and permitted pre-employment checks all vary from country to country. In fact, in 22 countries, it’s mandatory to organise a medical exam prior to hiring someone. In any case, it’s imperative that you understand employment law in each country you’re hiring in so you don’t violate your new employees’ rights.  

Granted, the employment law landscape is constantly changing, making it increasingly difficult for multinational companies to stay compliant and avoid damages to the organisation’s finances and reputation. Fortunately, a global RPO partner can support you with global and local expertise to ensure you stay on top of regulations in each country you’re hiring in. 

Strategies for Recruiting Globally Dispersed Talent 

So, how can you overcome these challenges to realise the benefits of expanding your recruitment programme to globally dispersed talent? Here are some actionable ideas to help you adjust your recruitment strategies: 

Map Each Labour Market 

Before you start recruiting in a new market, it’s important to understand the lay of land. Specifically, delving into the talent landscape and competition in each area—not just your direct competitors, but any organisation hiring for the roles or skill sets you’re seeking—can inform your recruitment strategy and compensation packages. In this way, investing the time to map the labour market upfront is invaluable for creating a competitive advantage, especially when it comes to new geographies or remote workers. Then, armed with this data, you can create offers that reflect rates in the new hire’s area and boost your acceptance rates in the meantime. 

As an example, PeopleScout recently helped a manufacturing client recruit engineers in an area in the north of the Czech Republic, where the available talent pool for the skills they needed was low, but the competition was high. After completing a labour market analysis, we advised the team to expand their search area across the border to Poland (where the talent supply was larger) to find talent that would be willing to commute or relocate. By doing so, we were able to fill business-critical automation engineer roles that saved their productivity levels.   

Adapt Your EVP to Your Audience 

Your employer brand—an individual’s perceptions and lived experiences of what it’s like to work for your organisation—helps you attract and retain the right people to help your organisation succeed. According to Gartner, organisations that effectively deliver on their employer value proposition (EVP) can decrease annual employee turnover by 69%. And, in today’s ultra-competitive, candidate-driven market, a strong employer brand can also help you stand out in a sea of job openings. 

Specifically, companies that attract top talent will be those that have invested in developing messaging pillars that allow their employer brand to flex and resonate with talent audiences across the globe. For example, PeopleScout helped global law firm Linklaters revamp and tailor its employer brand to support hiring across 20 offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, while simultaneously boosting its Glassdoor scores and increasing global applications from female lawyers.  

So, to truly understand your ideal candidate, do your homework for every position type in each market and adapt your brand messaging and attraction strategies accordingly. In particular, a candidate persona profile is a great way to capture each position’s requirements, motivations and expectations so you can design your recruitment marketing content around messages that will truly resonate. 

Invest in Your Recruitment Tech Stack 

Investing in standardising your recruitment technology across geographies offers a litany of ways not only to streamline the candidate experience, but also your internal programme management efforts and reporting, as well.  

Plus, nowadays, candidates expect a tech-enabled recruitment experience that enables them to search for jobs on the go—and a whopping 89% of candidates think mobile devices play a critical role in the job-hunting process. Therefore, looking for ways to make your application process more mobile-friendly—including leveraging “quick apply” features in your ATS—will pay off in application volumes.  

What’s more, hiring in new geographies or for remote workers will almost certainly involve virtual interviews. Thus, investing in a virtual hiring solution can help you hire the talent you need quickly and with a seamless candidate experience. Unlike typical video meeting tools, modern virtual interview tools offer options like on-demand phone interviews and text/SMS interviews, as well as live and pre-recorded video interviews. 

However, one consideration to keep in mind when selecting technology for global recruitment is where the data will be stored and processed. Regulations (such as GDPR in Europe) limit the amount of data that can be processed in the U.S. So, look for tools that are SOC 2-certified, and assess any vendor’s information on security policies, procedures and practices. 

Put Your Global Talent Programme in Action 

If your organisation is new to global talent acquisition or if you haven’t expanded business operations very far, the considerations and strategies highlighted above can seem daunting. But, the good news is that a global RPO partner can be a valuable partner to help guide you through your global talent acquisition challenges. Moreover, with a wealth of knowledge and experience gained through working with clients spanning a variety of industries and countries, an RPO partner can also help you navigate the complex compliance and cultural issues that accompany a multi-country recruitment programme. 

So, what should you look for in a global RPO partner? Well, you’ll see the greatest benefit from a provider that is able to offer a customisable solution that’s flexible enough to support everything from your niche hires and short-term needs to your high-volume roles and full-cycle recruitment processes. 

Talking Talent: Talent Technology and the Human Touch, Building a Balanced Recruitment Process with Rick Betori

Posted on by nfuqua

Rick Betori’s role as PeopleScout’s managing director of the Americas has a few similarities with a previous leadership position he held as coach of his children’s baseball teams.

“The ball is always going to roll in between someone’s legs,” he told me from his home in the Chicago suburbs. “And, it’s not about the fact that it went through their legs; it’s what they do after and how they respond when things don’t go according to plan. That’s one of the most important things I can do in my role as a leader.”

Rick thrives when there’s a challenge to tackle, when there’s a problem to solve and when there’s the opportunity to connect the right person with the right job in a difficult labour market. It’s an important quality as employers face a talent landscape that has been transformed by the pandemic.

Although Rick joined PeopleScout in 2021, he has been a part of the TrueBlue organisation since 2011, most recently leading delivery operations at PeopleReady, where he helped spearhead the company’s digital transformation. As such, he understands how technology, combined with human expertise, can solve the toughest talent problems. We talked to him about the role of talent technology in 2022.

You’re not new to TrueBlue, but you are a relatively new face here at PeopleScout. What makes you really excited about talent acquisition right now?

I’m excited because I believe that we can truly help companies that are facing some of their largest hiring challenges in their histories. Talent acquisition teams need creative partners to help them succeed, and I’m thrilled to be a part of finding those solutions.

I’m also passionate about our talent technology platform, Affinix™, and what it does to help candidates seamlessly move through the application process. Candidates have so many choices today; when they’re searching for a new role, they expect a great experience, and they want it to be fast. I also think that now more than ever, data and analytics will be key in helping employers stay ahead of their competition in a difficult talent market.

And finally, I’ve been a part of the TrueBlue family since 2011, so I’ve been able to witness the passion and energy of the PeopleScout team working to put our clients first. It’s been great to dig in with the team in these last few months. They bring this infectious energy to do what’s right for our clients and their applicants. I’m proud to be a part of this organisation moving forward.

Throughout the last couple of years, we’ve seen a lot of employers add technology to their recruitment process out of need. For talent acquisition leaders, where do you think their relationship with talent technology stands today?

I hate to start the answer to a question with “it depends,” but it really does vary.  We have seen many employers add technology solutions to deal with increased workload, compliance concerns, and to eliminate or simplify administrative tasks.

More recently, employers feel the pressures of attracting top talent, so they’re taking the next step, focusing on easing and improving the process for candidates. More companies are starting to leverage technology to reduce friction for candidates in the application process and at the same time, building a stronger employer brand.

Finally, we’re seeing leaders stepping back and asking, “How can technology, data and analytics inform our decision-making from a talent standpoint?” These leaders want more information around changes in roles; how the market is responding in their specific area; and how factors like the rise of the gig economy and the COVID-19 pandemic have influenced their prospective talent pools.

The right technology can really make the recruitment process feel even more personal and enhance an organisation’s employer brand. How can you make that happen?

It’s about more than the right technology; it’s about the right technology at the right time. Employers can make the greatest impact by targeting specific points in the candidate’s journey.

For example, we know that candidates want to feel a sense of control in the process, and they want to feel as though things are moving forward. That means employers need to keep candidates feeling engaged and empowered. So, the right technology intervention could be implementing a pre-screen that candidates can complete by text or adding an interview self-scheduling tool. These give candidates the ability to feel like they’re taking the next step in the process, rather than waiting to hear back from someone.

Employers should also evaluate specific tools to ensure they fit with their brand. For example, candidates applying to a technology company would expect the process to include more advanced technology, more automation and a more cutting-edge approach to the recruitment process. On the other hand, candidates for positions where the work is focused on manual tasks or face-to-face interactions may expect a different experience. It’s not one size fits all.

Why should employers reevaluate their technology stacks now?

In the current market, talent acquisition teams need to move faster than ever to identify and secure talent. The days of long recruitment processes, multiple interviews and multiple steps are over.

Candidates have so many opportunities facing them today…and it’s not just different employers. Think about the impact of virtual work. It used to be that companies simply competed with other organisations in their area, but now, they compete for top talent with companies across the globe.

Add that to that the fact that many employers are reporting a record numbers of job openings and they can’t ramp up their internal teams fast enough to keep up with the number of requisitions they’ve got to fill. The right tools, and the right partner, can make the process easier and even provide them a competitive advantage.

Adding new technology to an established process can be scary. What advice do you have for talent leaders to help them gain buy-in in their organisations?

First off, I’d say, if there wasn’t any fear, I’d be surprised. It’s human nature. But that’s not a reason not to automate.

It starts with having a good, strong, proactive communication plan around the process—explaining what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. It should be transparent and easy to understand. The plan should clearly demonstrate the benefits for the team, and then, it’s important to gather feedback. There must be open lines of communication. It’s about letting people weigh in as you fine-tune the process. Finally, it’s great to recognise and celebrate the early adopters. We’ve seen a lot of success in highlighting the employees who engage and really embrace the change early on.

With internal buy-in, it’s tough, and you can’t underestimate the challenge. However, a good, solid plan executed by leadership goes a long way.

Are there any final thoughts you’d like to leave us with?

I want to put an exclamation point on something I said earlier about the importance of speed in the current talent market. I know the types of pressures that talent leaders are under right now. I don’t have a crystal ball to tell you how long it will last, but I can say that when you find the right partner, they can help you start this process in a way that feels manageable, and that can also help you prepare for whatever challenge lies ahead.

What is a Staffing Agency? 7 Top Differences Between RPO and Staffing Agencies

Posted on by akessler

In our competitive labour market, many organisations are looking for support as they struggle to attract and hire the talent they need to remain productive and competitive. There are a lot of staffing service providers out there, and it can be difficult to understand which model best aligns with your recruitment goals to ensure you get the results you need. Two options that many organisations choose between are recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) or a traditional recruitment or staffing agency model.

So, what is the difference between a staffing agency and an RPO solutions provider? In this, article we’ll cover the major differences between RPO and direct-hire staffing agencies and how to know what’s best for your global talent acquisition programme.

RPO vs Staffing Agencies: Which Recruitment Model is Right for You?

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a type of business process outsourcing in which an employer transfers delivery of some or all portions of the recruitment process to an external service provider. RPO is a long-term partnership that helps you evolve your talent acquisition strategy to attract and retain high-quality talent to meet your business goals. Outsourcing through an RPO lets you scale up or down during high and low volume periods. RPO recruitment could cover everything from high-volume hiring to niche roles and can be regional or cover your global hiring requirements.

Staffing agencies focus on finding candidates for a specific vacancy. They can be a good option for when in-house teams need a bit of support, especially for low-volume recruitment or one-off staffing for roles. Some staffing agencies may also specialise in temporary, temp-to-hire or contract roles.

Main Differences Between RPO and Recruitment Agency Staffing Process

1. Partnership

Your RPO team acts as an extension of your in-house team and your strategic partner in creating a talent acquisition programme. RPO recruiters may sit on-site, work remotely, work offshore or a combination, and they’ll usually take on your company name and email domain in their communications. An RPO partner will come to understand your business deeply, which means they are best suited to help you evolve your talent acquisition programme to meet your needs now and scale into the future. By accumulating knowledge of your organisation over time, an RPO partner develops efficient processes and brings a strong, consistent representation of your employer brand to all the markets where you’re hiring.

Agency recruiters typically act as a finder—sourcing, pre-screening and introducing candidates to the client (often the hiring manager) who takes it from there. Agency recruiters keep their own company email and brand when interacting with candidates.

2. Staffing Process Improvements

An RPO partner will look at your current recruitment processes across all regions, identify efficiencies and make recommendations based on best practice. Not only does this reduce time-to-fill, but it also improves the candidate experience as candidates increasingly crave timely feedback and clear next steps. A process evaluation will also include your talent technology. Your RPO partner will assess for any gaps, make recommendations for new solutions and support the implementation process.

For a staffing agency, the hire-by-hire nature of their work means they’re often not looking for ways to improve your overall staffing processes.

3. Talent Pooling

One huge advantage of the long-term relationship you build with an RPO partner is taking advantage of their ability to create talent pools. Having a pool of active and passive candidates speeds up time-to-hire by giving you access to a pool of qualified candidates when a new vacancy opens.

Agencies focus on finding candidates for a specific vacancy. It tends to be a reactive model, in which they work from requisition to requisition. Agency recruiters maintain a pool of candidates, but these candidates are not necessarily found with your company in mind.

4. Quality of Hire

Both a staffing agency and RPO will vet candidates—including screening résumés or CVs and conducting initial screenings or first round interviews—before involving your hiring manager.

Leading RPO providers also offer talent assessment solutions to ensure you identify high-performing candidates with the right skills and experience for the role. An assessment solution includes the design and administration of the assessments, which is done in a bias-free way, so only the best, most diverse candidates pass to the interview stage.

With a staffing agency, you’ll use the assessments you already have in place. They generally won’t be responsible for administering them or advise on how to improve them.

5. Talent Advisory Consulting

RPO partners bring added value through their expertise in talent advisory, including employer branding, recruitment marketing, candidate communications, assessment services, labor market insights, workforce planning and talent acquisition strategy. These capabilities are vital for positioning your organization to efficiently attract, recruit and retain top talent in today’s competitive hiring landscape.

Staffing agencies usually post job ads and promote your vacancies under their own employer brand and use their own recruitment marketing tools and techniques. In addition, most lack the expertise to provide talent advisory consulting.

6. Technology Consulting

RPO partners increasingly offer tech consulting and can show you how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics can boost your ability to attract top talent. Some RPO providers offer some kind of recruitment technology component, whether it’s a propriety system or expertise in a variety of talent technology systems. They’ll be comfortable working with your existing systems and can consult on the right tools to help you meet your recruitment goals.

Agencies likely won’t offer technology consulting. Since many of these engagements are short-term in nature, most employers aren’t comfortable giving access to their recruitment technology, and these activities remain in the hands of in-house teams and hiring managers.

7. Reporting and Analytics

As a result of taking over your talent acquisition programme, your RPO partner will assume responsibility for your recruitment results. They’ll work with you to define metrics, KPIs and SLAs, and report on them quarterly. This could include time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, source-of-hire, candidate or hiring manager satisfaction and retention levels.

Forward-thinking RPO providers leverage tech-enabled dashboards that show open requisitions, time-in-step metrics and more. Plus, these interactive reports let you slice and dice the data by recruiter, location, role, candidate NPS, etc. You can also break down your DE&I metrics to understand more about your candidates and those who receive offers.

In addition, leading RPO partners are well-versed in labour market analytics which can help you understand the available talent pool in the locations in which you’re hiring and recommendations on how to adjust your strategy.

Agencies generally won’t supply reporting since their responsibility is to fill individual positions.

Blending RPO and Staffing Agencies with Total Workforce Solutions

While RPO offers many great benefits for permanent recruitment, it may still make sense to use staffing agencies in some cases, especially if you have a need for contingency workers. Moving to an RPO recruitment model doesn’t mean you have to give up agencies altogether. Many RPO providers offer total workforce solutions (TWS) that combine RPO and managed service provider (MSP) solutions.

In an MSP programme, your partner will take responsibility for sourcing and engaging your contingent workforce. They’ll also manage the programme administration, including supplying a Vendor Management System (VMS), reporting on contingent worker spend, managing agencies, invoicing, executing compliance checks and more.

Integrating talent acquisition for permanent and contingent workforces under one delivery team through TWS not only helps reduce your agency spend, but it also ensures a consistent experience throughout for hiring managers, HR, procurement, staffing suppliers and candidates alike.

Conclusion

RPO and recruitment agency models serve different needs. By understanding your recruitment objectives now and into the future, you’ll have a clearer understanding of which model is the right choice for your business. You may find that RPO is a perfect option, but that you’ll still engage with agencies for specialist skill sets, contingency workers or certain geographic locations. Total workforce solutions may offer you a holistic approach that combines RPO recruitment and management of your agencies and contingent workforce hiring.

Recruitment Technology: How to Build the Ultimate Tech Stack

Posted on by akessler

Digital transformation has hit HR, and the world of recruitment has rapidly evolved with the growth of mobile apps, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics. Candidates now expect a tech-enabled recruitment experience, and building a talent acquisition tech stack has gone from a nice-to-have to a critical part of a global recruitment strategy for any enterprise. However, with the influx of new talent acquisition technology—from foundational platforms like an ATS to point solutions for sourcing, interviewing or recruitment marketing—it can be hard to navigate the recruitment technology ecosystem and know where to invest your budget.

In this article, we’ll help you make sense of all the available talent tech and how each recruitment system can benefit your business. You’ll learn some important things to keep in mind as you build your tech stack. Plus, we’ll provide some details on what features to look for as you evaluate solutions.

Working with a Tech Capable RPO Partner

One of the biggest value-adds that RPO brings is experience with the latest talent technology innovations. In fact, in 2021 PeopleScout saw new RPO engagements with technology included increase from 40% to 67%. An RPO partner can help you assess talent acquisition software to address all aspects of your recruiting process, from identifying talent to creating a more efficient candidate experience. Your provider can show you how emerging technologies like AI, machine learning and predictive analytics can boost your ability to attract top talent. 

In addition to consulting, some RPO providers are investing in proprietary technology solutions including application tracking systems (ATS), candidate relationship management (CRM) tools, analytics platforms and automation tools. This can come in the form of a single platform or as a set of integrated systems, providing a modular approach that lets you add and remove solutions from your tech stack as your needs change.

Integrate Recruitment Technology for Seamless Operations

Any new recruitment tool you consider should integrate with your current talent acquisition and HR systems. Not only does integration let you benefit from existing investments and grow as your needs change, but it also helps you streamline operations by eliminating the need for manual data entry—saving time and effort. 

When evaluating any solution, ask about built in integrations. If one doesn’t exist for one of your existing systems, evaluate the vendor’s ability to support you through an API. An application programming interface, or API, is a connection between pieces of software. Open APIs let you build a custom solution by connecting your talent acquisition technology systems with each other and with your other HR systems—boosting the flow of data and improving operational and cost efficiencies.  

A Word on Security

Any technology you do add to your talent tech stack must comply with data privacy regulations in all regions where you’re recruiting. Pay attention to any rules about where data can be stored, like those stipulated by the GDPR. Look for tools that are SOC 2 certified, which shows they maintain a high level of information security.  

Building Your Recruitment Tech Stack

Now that we’ve covered some important things to keep in mind when evaluating software, here are some tech solutions to consider when building your talent acquisition tech stack.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

An ATS is the foundation upon which you will build your tech stack. This platform acts as the system of record for your talent acquisition programme. As a repository for applicants, it helps you manage the hiring process for all your requisitions and satisfies compliance requirements for record keeping.

Some ATS systems let you create branded career sites and landing pages where candidates can learn more about your company, search jobs openings and even apply for a role. Look for a platform with a “quick apply” feature that lets candidates apply in a few clicks even via mobile devices—which has been proven to increase application conversion rates. ATS platforms may also support the candidate selection process through AI-powered keyword scanning and other automated features like approval workflows, candidate and hiring manager notifications, offer letter generation and more—all with the benefit of reducing time-to-fill and streamlining the candidate experience.

AI Sourcing Tool

AI-powered sourcing tools review, sort and rank talent on the open web using sourcing criteria you’ve previously specified like current or past job titles, companies, diversity attributes, industry experience and more. Algorithms crawl resumes, social media profiles and other sources of data to find candidates that match your job requirements. This increases your potential applicants while speeding up your search and reducing the manual repetitive tasks for recruiters.  

AI sourcing can also help reduce bias as it only looks for what you’ve specified and disregards other factors like race, gender or age. It can also be applied to internal candidates by screening the existing employee profiles within an organisation to find strong matches for current open positions.

When designed correctly, AI can help you create a better candidate experience. However, there are dos and don’ts when it comes to automation. Proper testing at each stage coupled with human oversight will go a long way to catching biases or negative hiring experiences, so you can pause and reconfigure your strategy.

Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) Software

Many analysts believe that 70-80% of the recruiting process could be handled by the CRM, so it’s worth looking into complementing your ATS with a candidate relationship management (CRM) system. This recruitment marketing platform helps recruiters create talent pools based on geographies, level of interest and skills. With a CRM, you can differentiate your organisation by nurturing these candidates through automated recruitment emails, SMS messages and more—whether to keep them informed during an active application process or to keep them warm until a suitable position opens up. Communications can be personalised to the candidate for a more engaging experience.

A whopping 89% of candidates think mobile devices play a critical role in the job-hunting process. So, meet your candidates where they are, and look for solutions that are mobile-first and create a consumer-like experience your employer brand deserves. Other features to consider are custom landing pages and careers sites as well as event management tools to support specific recruiting goals. 

Recruiting Chatbot

Consider adding a chatbot to your careers site or investing in an ATS that offers this functionality to modernise your candidate experience. As a conversational interface, chatbots leverage natural language processing to screen candidates, answer candidate queries and schedule interviews. Some even offer candidates the ability to check the status of their application. This reduces the burden on recruiters and hiring managers by taking on some frequently asked questions from candidates, freeing them to focus on other things.

In addition to process efficiencies, chatbots can also be a great way to bring your employer brand to life. We implemented a chatbot for The AA, a UK-based motoring association offering roadside breakdown assistance, as part of their reimagined careers site. Candidates could ask AAbot questions and were served with information tailored to their interests. Not satisfied with a run-of-the-mill experience, we gave AAbot a big personality, reflecting the organisation’s playful employer brand. As a result, we boosted career site traffic by 60% year-over-year and applications by 275%. We even used AAbot in recruitment marketing campaigns and social media posts.

Virtual Interview Management System

A Gartner HR Survey revealed that 86% of organisations conducted virtual interviews during the course of the coronavirus pandemic, and this isn’t likely to decline as businesses recover. A dedicated virtual hiring solution can help you quickly hire the essential talent you need, no matter where they live or how the demand for remote working changes.

Modern candidates expect a hiring experience to be personal, quick and convenient. Rather than just leverage video meeting tools, look for dedicated virtual interview tools that offer multiple options for virtual interviews, including on-demand phone interviews, text interviews as well as live and pre-recorded video interviews. Additional features, like self-scheduling tools and automated candidate advancement tools, help dramatically reduce time-to-hire and enhance the candidate experience.

Virtual Assessment Tool

Speed up the candidate review process by investing in virtual pre-employment assessment tools. Modern options include AI that can evaluate writing samples, phone and video interviews and skills test responses. Digital assessment solutions examine the candidate’s aptitude, personality and skills using predictive analytics and machine learning, ensuring you hire the highest quality talent. This also has the added benefit of reducing bias, as the AI focuses on the content of the responses not the candidate or what they look like.

Platforms range from those providing code evaluations for software development roles to language aptitude tests. Make sure you look at the assessment experience from both the candidate and hiring manager experience before committing to a tool.

Recruitment Analytics

With data flowing across your integrated systems, investing in a recruitment analytics platform offers you a single source of truth for understanding your end-to-end recruitment process. Whether you’re hoping to track time-to-fill, DE&I efforts or overall talent acquisition performance, these tools will satisfy your C-suite’s hunger for insights into your recruitment programme.

Look for a tool with interactive dashboards that make it easy to visually monitor trends and slice and dice the data to identify areas of opportunity—and gain the full value of your recruitment data. Modern analytics tools leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to highlight insights, anomalies and predictions so you have the data you need to drive informed decisions.

New analytics advancements mean cutting edge tools can now provide the ability to query your data via natural language processing. For example, our Ask Affinix feature, powered by Amazon’s QuickSight Q, lets you ask questions of your data in plain language and receive accurate answers with relevant visualisations in seconds.

Onboarding Tool

The new employee onboarding process is an essential element of creating a positive employee experience. Not only should it get new hires up-to-speed on your company and their role, there’s also crucial paperwork steps for payroll, taxes, benefits and more. Consider implementing an onboarding software to automate and support the onboarding process—especially if you’re doing a lot of remote hiring. Checklist features guide your candidates and hiring managers through the first days on the job, so they don’t miss any important steps. Self-service tools let new hires work through all those first tasks and training modules at their own pace. They won’t miss any crucial policies or compliance training, and you’ll have a record of when they completed it in the event of an audit.

Look for tools that let your new hires upload documents online like signed employment contracts, tax forms and right-to-work documents to speed up your payroll procedures. It’s also imperative that this integrates with your ATS and HRIS platforms to keep your employment records up-to-date and eliminate any manual steps which are prone to human error.

Internal Mobility Software

It’s no secret how important career pathing and development are for retaining employees and saving on sourcing costs. In fact, a study of LinkedIn users showed that employees who were promoted within three years of being hired have a 70% chance of staying with the company and those who made a lateral move have a 62% chance. Meanwhile, those who didn’t make an internal move only have 45% chance of staying.

An internal mobility platform lets you share vacancies internally first and help you identify existing employees who may have the skills and experience to move laterally or vertically into a new role. Look for a tool that offers a seamless experience by letting you post to internal and public job boards and view internal and external candidates together in one place, with internal candidates uniquely identified. The system should feature automation like automated invitation emails to qualified internal candidates to speed up time-to-fill and reduce administrative burden.

Conclusion

The recruitment technology landscape is complicated, with new solutions being added all the time. It can be confusing to plan a talent acquisition tech stack but selecting the right tools can boost access to data and help you create both operational and cost efficiencies. Employers should work with a talent partner who can help them customise a technology ecosystem that meets their needs now and prepares them for what’s next.

Learn more about how technology is transforming recruitment in our ebook, Six Tech Trends Shaping the Talent Landscape.

Leveraging an Effective Hybrid Hiring Strategy for the New World of Work

Posted on by jpatel

Now more than ever, an organisation’s hiring strategy should adaptable. Throughout the last two years, many employers have had to reimagine their recruitment processes. Due to the pandemic, organisations rapidly moved recruiting processes to virtual models, shifting in-person interviews to digital and transitioning traditional office roles to remote.

Today, as businesses bounce back and job vacancies are at record highs, employers need to hire top talent—and fast. And, just as a hybrid approach to in-person and remote work for employees has become the norm, so, too, will the need for a blended recruiting strategy that will optimise the candidate experience by keeping the advantages of in-person hiring, while also continuing to leverage the benefits of virtual.

In this article, we’ll walk through what a hybrid hiring strategy is, discuss the benefits of in-person versus virtual techniques and provide tips for how to create a hybrid hiring strategy that works for your organisation.

What is a Hybrid Hiring Strategy?

Hybrid hiring—or hybrid recruiting—is a strategy that allows organisations to maximise the benefits of both in-person and virtual hiring techniques. Specifically, a hybrid approach allows employers to leverage the advantages of virtual recruiting when it makes sense, while simultaneously using strategic, in-person methods to add value to the candidate experience along the way.

A hybrid approach to hiring isn’t new. Many organisations employed a mix of virtual and in-person techniques prior to 2020. However, COVID-19 rapidly accelerated the need for safe, efficient hiring models, thereby leading to greater adoption of virtual strategies. Now, because employers have seen the advantages of virtual recruiting, the benefits of a hybrid model have become clear—regardless of social distancing rules. Depending on the type of role you’re hiring for, having a strong hybrid hiring model in place makes it easy to recruit staff 100% virtually when needed, or to use a blended approach.

hiring strategy
Source: Workest by Zenefits

Benefits of a Hybrid Hiring Strategy

Leveraging a hybrid hiring strategy means you get the best of both worlds. But, what does that entail? Here are some of the biggest benefits of both virtual and in-person hiring techniques—and how they’ll play out post-pandemic.

Benefits of Virtual Hiring Techniques

Reduced Cost & Greater Efficiency

When you remove the physical component of recruiting, you see a greatly improved speed-to-hire and an overall reduction in costs. Plus, expenses that would normally be spent on hosting recruiting events—such as travel costs, venue fees and printed materials—suddenly drop to zero. Additionally, your employees save time by hosting events remotely and also reap the benefit of having more candidates in attendance.

Expanded Reach & Reduced Bias

With travel out of the equation and with remote job options in place, employers can then expand the geographies from which they source talent. This offers greater opportunities for candidates and opens up your candidate pool to top talent who may not have been on your radar previously.

Virtual hiring also reduces the amount of hiring bias experienced during in-person interviews. As humans, we judge people on many things (unconsciously or not), including how a candidate may look. But, with virtual interviews, recruiters are able to focus less on a candidate’s appearance and more on what they have to say.

Research from CV Library reveals that a staggering 79% of Brits think that your physical appearance can affect your chances of landing a job.

Overall Convenience

Virtual interviews and other virtual recruiting tactics are convenient for both candidates and recruiters alike. For example, candidates can schedule on-demand interviews at a time that is most convenient for them, and recruiters can watch those recordings at their own convenience. What’s more, through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, candidates can also self-schedule follow-up interviews, ask questions and receive real-time responses that would have previously taken much longer without the technology that has come from the rise of virtual.

Benefits of In-Person Hiring Techniques

Showcase Your Company Culture

One challenge of virtual recruiting is the ability to effectively showcase your company’s culture. Whilst there are certainly ways to do so, nothing quite compares to experiencing how individuals in an organisation interact with one another in-person. Especially for roles that are required to work in an in-person or office setting, providing a time to come in for an in-person interview or assessment can be a great way to show your candidate what it would really be like to work for your company on a day-to-day basis.

Human Touch

Whilst AI and automated tools help with efficiency, improve candidate experience, and speed up the overall time-to-hire, today’s talent pool can also find benefits from a blended model. A phone call and video interview can get the candidate in the door, but an in-person conversation can seal the deal. This is especially true for senior talent who appreciate being brought in for the final stages of the interview process.

Added Value

Furthermore, utilising in-person techniques can also add value to the candidate experience overall. From office tours to final interviews, it’s difficult to recreate the human touch and employer brand when completely virtual. To that end, where it makes sense, in-person meetings can help sell a candidate on why they should work for your organisation, as opposed to the competition.

How to Recruit People Now: Balancing Your Post-Pandemic Hybrid Hiring Strategy

Types of recruitment

Your hybrid hiring strategy will likely depend on your organisation’s needs and what your workforce will look like on the other side of the pandemic.

For example, if some or all of your teams will work entirely remotely, it would make more sense to complete the entire recruiting process virtually. Inevitably, bringing the candidate in for an in-person interview or office tour would waste time and money, and would likely confuse the candidate, leading to a poor candidate experience. Instead, recruiting for remote roles with virtual tools—providing opportunities for human interaction and culture along the way can help candidates know what it will be like to work remotely for your company.

“How do we show candidates our company culture when we can’t invite them to the office? We send personalised, handwritten cards to candidates before their start date (as well as some swag!). We want to give them a feeling of being really welcomed into the company—which is what we’re really about.”

Ewa Zajac, Recruiting Operations Manager at Zendesk

On the other hand, if some of your teams will be working both from home and from the office, a hybrid hiring approach would be the best fit. Virtual options save a lot of time and money in the beginning stages of sourcing, screening and interviewing. Plus, candidates will want the flexibility to complete those initial interviews and assessments from the comfort and convenience of their own homes.

Then, when it comes to final interviews, an in-person interview is a great final step before extending an offer. The candidate will appreciate the time you’re investing to bring them in, and they’ll get a taste of what it will be like to work in-person. This will be especially important for roles that will be primarily in the office or for which relocation is necessary.

In the end, hybrid hiring won’t be a one-size-fits-all strategy. Whether your organisation opts to keep recruiting fully virtual or leverages in-person connection, the candidate experience must remain at the forefront of any model. Think about what candidates want and the recruiting model that makes the most sense for the role you’re trying to fill.

Three Potential Pitfalls of High-Volume Hiring and How to Avoid Them

Posted on by akessler

A fairly large handful of colleagues and clients are aware that my family and I are having some fairly extensive renovation work done on our home. Partly because I have moaned about it on a weekly basis since January. Partly because the endless background sounds of drills, hammers and circular saws— and on one particularly fraught occasion, a builders exposed backside descending from a loft ladder behind me—have all permeated some of my Zoom video calls. 

Now that the work is 90 percent finished, I look back on the project, and there are some aspects of it that I wish we had done differently. In doing such a lot of work at one time, we inevitably compromised on our standards in some small ways when faced with the size of the project ahead. 

Hopefully, you can see where the analogy is leading. When we, or our clients, are faced with a mountain to climb in terms of the complexity or scarcity of required talent in big numbers, it’s easy to deviate away from best practice. And this is never more common than now. 

As organisations switch from hiring freezes to acute growth mode, we are seeing a dramatic shift back towards a candidate-driven market. As the next 12 months play out, I personally believe this will prove to be one of the most dramatic shifts in several decades, and employers will be scratching their heads at just how they are going to close the hiring gap. 

During these impending and inevitably large-scale campaigns, there are three potential risks that stand out to me:

1. Introducing new people will impact the company culture.

Firstly, hiring lots of new people can present a risk to the company culture you’ve spent a lot of effort crafting. This may be more prevalent within smaller organisations or for those hiring at the leadership level, but no organisation is truly immune. With any hiring that significantly impacts a team, you must consider not only the skills and competencies match, but also how the existing cultural makeup of that group will be affected. One way to counter this is through thorough training to help align old and new employees on the same cultural path. This should be led by leadership and serve as a catalyst for people—old and new—to embrace your organisation’s mission and values. 

2. High-volume hiring can increase the risk of compromising on quality.

When it comes to high-volume hiring, hiring managers are more inclined to drop their standards on quality-of-hire. Not so much in terms of matching skills and experience, which tends to be a more objective. Plus, a deviation away from the requisite profile can be harder for the hiring manager to justify in their own mind. However, I’ve seen a “lowering of the bar” when it comes to the softer skills—the personality traits and competency matches which are naturally more subjective. One effective antidote here is robust candidate assessment practices. Backing up your gut feel with a bespoke or even “off the shelf” assessment package can help make your judgement more objective. 

3. Diversity amongst new hires suffers.

Thirdly, there is naturally a risk to diversity in your hiring. We’re all hopefully well-versed on the myriad benefits that fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce can bring. But, what is a valid, primary consideration when hiring one or two team members can begin to feel like an added challenge when filling a large number of openings starts to weigh down on a manager. Is there a temptation to let diversity standards slip if the challenge of filling critical gaps on your team already feels impossible? Is one allowed to be pragmatic in the circumstances and just hire, regardless of the diversity credentials? 

I would argue that you wouldn’t hire someone who has the wrong skills for your team, so you shouldn’t be any more inclined to lower standards on diversity. As we all know, the wrong hiring decision now, only costs us in the long-term when we have to re-hire down the line. Better to get it right first time, whether that be a diversity match or a skills match. 

Ultimately, any short-term concessions we might be tempted to make under pressure to hire at the time will be a source of regret. So, don’t lower your standards and suffer from these pitfalls. Take it from me—the decision not to fit underfloor heating in our family bathroom will likely haunt me for the next decade or two!

9 Strategies for Solving High-Volume Hiring Challenges

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