Automation is coming to recruitment. As we enter this new age, it’s important for recruiting teams to embrace these new tools in order to keep up with the times. Those that don’t embrace automation will fall behind and candidates will notice. Thankfully, most recruiters have seen the light. According to one 2019 study, over 80% of recruiters agree that recruitment automation software can help increase their productivity. And the most successful talent organizations see automation as a core component of their recruitment strategy.
Though some may think that it may be hard to see how automation and candidate engagement can coexist, there is a way to ensure the right balance. It starts by looking for aspects of your workflow where a machine can replace a human. Then its a matter of finding and selecting the right platforms to make that automation a reality.
The question surrounding recruiting automation is no longer “should we?” but rather “how do we?” With 75% of recruiters indicating that technology will play a larger role in their companies hiring process in 2019 and 22% increasing their spend on recruiting automation, it’s absolutely critical that these talent teams get the “how” piece right. ~Entelo
With that in mind, here are five ways to better engage candidates with automation.
- Set their expectations. More information about your company’s recruiting process is needed for your website and on the ‘Thank You for Applying‘ autoresponder. Tell candidates what they can expect to happen next. Spell out your entire hiring process for them so they can be at ease after applying. Doing so will also prevent questions later down the funnel. Insurance giant GEICO does this well (example). There’s no reason you couldn’t replicate something similar and deliver it to job seekers in an automated message.
- Talk to them through chatbots. Having a chatbot that can answer basic FAQs about your company, culture and process is a no brainer these days. It acts as a virtual recruiter saving your humans valuable time instead of having to respond to individual emails.
- Keep them updated. Most modern ATS (applicant tracking systems) allow for automated emails to be sent as recruiters change the candidate status. Be sure your workflow is set up to trigger these alerts so you can keep candidates in the loop about their application. Nothing frustrates a job seeker more than NOT knowing where they stand. Automated alerts can aleve some of that pain. If your ATS doesn’t have automatic triggers give our friends at Greenhouse or SmartRecruiters a call.
- Let them self-schedule. The scheduling of phone screens and interviews is ripe for automation especially on the high volume side of recruiting. Home Depot allows candidates to self-schedule interviews with their store hiring teams once they pass the online screening. Tools like Calendly can be used on an individual basis to let candidates pick a time slot that works for them.
- Stay on their radar. Lastly use automation to stay in touch with candidates with important company news, job alerts and more. For instance in the email tool Mailchimp, you can create automated newsletters using RSS feeds. If you blog, you can automatically send out a newsletter at a scheduled day/time each time you post a piece of content. Just set it and forget it once its in place.
What is recruitment automation?
Recruiting automation is where the candidate experience is headed. It is going to free up immense amounts of time for your recruiters so they can return to the more valuable parts of their day—connecting 1 on 1 with candidates and holding meaningful conversations with them. Automation is already part of today’s workflow via tools like the ATS and HRIS system that provide self guided funnels into the apply process or employee experience.
So get them involved to help you map out your automation strategy. Ask your vendors how they specifically automate certain functions. Devise a rollout plan with milestones, and work closely with your team to identify specific needs by walking through your hiring process step by step. If you lay the groundwork upfront your recruiters will see firsthand the benefits of recruitment automation software for getting candidates in the door faster.
