Rohan MathawanAn ideal day for a recruiter looks like this: You walk into the office, grab your morning coffee, walk on to your desk and check your email. Out of the ten candidates you approached, eight wrote back asking for more information. Also, the most talented candidates are looking to see you for lunch. They say they like the culture of your organization! What’s more, the recruiting process is down to 12 days. Everything is just so great that you think you’re dreaming about it.
You’re probably there! While recruiters all over the world dream of days like this, in reality, things are far more challenging. From recruiting talented people to retaining millennials, these are the most popular recruitment issues backed by appropriate figures.
Here are some of the common recruitment challenges and how you can fix them:
Alignment of Recruiters to the Hiring Strategy
The broad hiring strategy laid out in the C-suite needs to be downgraded to the recruitment function—even for entry-level positions. But sometimes, recruiters may feel like they’re not thoroughly informed about the job they’re recruiting for. This will cause more recruitment complications and contribute to ineffective hiring.
How to fix it?
Recruiters need to consider both the tactical skills needed by the job and the strategy to represent that position. Thinking of the career trajectory of each role is important. It’s hard to find the best applicant for a job if you don’t know where the recruiting manager is planning to take the employee in the future. Encouraging communication between recruiters and hiring managers will serve to offer much-needed transparency.
Ensuring Human Touch Throughout the Process
Technology continues to play a vital role in recruitment, and this role is rapidly expanding as more organizations are switching to on-line recruitment processes. Also, recruiters who have never used automation now rely on it for their day-to-day operations. Applicant-based technology, such as video interviewing tools, extends the applicant pool to include distant or out-of-state applicants, whereas technology usage on the back end allows recruiters to optimize their functions. Candidates aren’t really interested in the technology framework. They’re all wanting to be engaged, valued and kept in the loop.
How to fix it?
Use technology to support human touchpoints. Communication is one of the fundamentals of providing a great candidate experience. Maintaining centralized communications through the applicant tracking system (ATS) will help recruiters keep in contact with candidates and provide timely feedback through automated correspondence. Having candidates aware indicates that you appreciate their time and job-seeking journey. Take advantage of technology to overcome recruitment challenges and to approach applicants as individual people they are—not yet another application.
Effective Communication with the Candidates
Knowing when to connect with applicants and what to say are common recruitment hurdles. The best practices are to be clear and to leave the communication channel open. If you’re not actively recruiting, spend time producing content that adds value to your prospects. This could include career tips or stories about your employees.
How to fix it?
Keep in touch with the candidates. Be honest and transparent about the status of the application, whether it’s a weekly email update to the talent pool or a text that lets an applicant know that their application has advanced to the next level. Continued communication will keep candidates engaged in the company and set the tone for a good partnership.
Selecting Candidates with Right Skills
You have a particular skill set in mind when you’re searching for a potential candidate, but finding a job-seeker with the right expertise is challenging. Candidates either have too little expertise or experience in the wrong area. How are you going to choose the ideal candidate? Sometimes you don’t need an applicant with the same skills set you’re searching for, particularly when the technical skills are continuously changing.
How to fix it?
If you are unable to find a candidate with the perfect skill set, seek applicants with a go-getter mindset who are willing to be challenged. Look for training programs and opportunities to prepare employees for the duties needed for their job. When possible, give in-house coaches and networking programs to help them get quicker.
Investing Time in Repelling Wrong Candidates
The most overlooked task in recruitment is to repel the wrong applicants. Recruiters spend a lot of time sifting through candidates who are not eligible or expected to be successful in their positions. This takes precious time away from applicants who are better qualified for the role. It may sound counter-intuitive to deliberately repel contestants, but it does yield a better outcome than welcoming everyone—and not getting enough time for everyone.
How to fix it?
When writing job posts, endorse authenticity. Being realistic about the pitfalls found in the open vacancies can help you screen applicants, but will not dissuade the right applicant from applying. The right candidate who is excited about the job and motivated to excel will see the negatives as invigorating obstacles.