In today's digital age, automation is becoming increasingly vital across all business sectors. It not only boosts efficiency but also saves time and costs. One area set to benefit significantly from this trend is recruitment. According to a study by PwC, a staggering 72 % of companies plan to invest in workforce automation technology over the next three years, highlighting the growing demand for automation in the recruiting field.
In this blog post, we'll dive into the world of recruiting, exploring which recruitment processes can be easily automated and how companies can gain numerous benefits by integrating automated solutions.
What does automation mean?
Before delving into the specific application in recruiting, let's take a brief look at the meaning and benefits of automation in general. Automation refers to the use of technologies and software solutions to handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks that would otherwise need to be done manually. This frees up human resources to focus on more complex tasks, while automation takes care of routine processes.
Automating Recruiting Processes
Within the realm of recruiting, there are various stages that companies go through to identify and hire suitable candidates for open positions. One of the primary goals of optimizing the recruiting process is to minimize time investment.
The main processes encompass a series of steps, which we have summarized for you:
Job Postings and Sourcing
In this stage, job postings are created and published on various platforms to attract potential candidates. Sourcing also entails proactively searching for suitable candidates across online job boards, social networks, and other sources.
The duration for creating and posting job advertisements typically ranges between 1 and 3 weeks. Sourcing candidates, which involves actively searching for potential candidates, can also take several weeks, depending on the complexity of the search and the availability of suitable candidates.
Applicant Evaluation and Pre-selection
After receiving applications, candidates are evaluated based on their qualifications and experiences to make a pre-selection.
The duration of applicant evaluation and pre-selection depends on the number of received applications. It can take several weeks to review all applications, examine resumes, and assess the candidates who meet the minimum requirements.
Interviews
In this phase, interviews take place to further assess the suitability of the candidates and select the best applicant. Typically, an interview lasts 30 to 60 minutes, but it can take several days to schedule and confirm an appointment. The average 'Time to Interview' (duration until the interview) can vary based on the company, industry, and region. There is no fixed standard value, as various factors can influence the timeline, such as internal processes, the volume of incoming applications, HR department capacities, and more.
Decision-Making and Hiring
After the interviews, the final decision is made regarding which candidate to hire. It can take several weeks for the final decisions to be reached and offers to be extended to the selected candidates. This timeline depends on the complexity of the decision-making process, any internal approval procedures, and the availability of decision-makers.
Onboarding
The selected candidate is seamlessly integrated into the company, embarking on their new role. The duration of the onboarding process, too, exhibits variability. Ranging from a span of a few days to several months, this timeframe hinges upon factors such as the role's intricacies and the company's specific requirements, all of which contribute to the comprehensive assimilation of the new employee into the organizational fabric.
It's important noting that these timeframes are approximations, and real-world scenarios might deviate. Certain companies could feature expedited recruitment processes, whereas others may allocate more time to ensure the meticulous selection of the right candidates.
Automating Processes
Many of these recruiting processes can be automated thanks to modern technologies and specialized software solutions. According to a Glassdoor study, hiring a new employee takes an average of about 23 days. Process optimization can help to shorten this timeframe and enhance efficiency in the hiring process. Additionally, automation can lead to cost reduction and redirect valuable resources to other endeavors.
Five Processes Well-Suited for Commencing Automation
Automated Job Posting
In the dynamic realm of recruiting, numerous job platforms such as Stepstone, Indeed, and more, abound. Crafting and disseminating job postings across all these platforms demands considerable time, particularly in times of talent scarcity, where a multichannel strategy becomes indispensable. This is where the support of recruiting software comes into play, facilitating the automatic publication of job listings on diverse platforms (Multichannel Posting). This significantly mitigates manual effort and augments the reach of the listings. The Multichannel Posting feature is often integrated into Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Furthermore, these systems aid companies in efficiently monitoring the performance of their campaigns.
Candidate Screening
AI-powered tools enable the automatic analysis of applications and their sorting based on predefined criteria.
Due to the high volume of applicants, it was customary for recruiters to have only a few seconds to categorize application documents as relevant or irrelevant, sometimes leading to potential talents being overlooked if their profile did not immediately align with the stated requirements of the job posting.
AI-powered tools, on the other hand, can review the entire set of documents within seconds, thereby capturing potential candidates and career changers. Another advantage is that these tools operate without biases, provided they are designed accordingly. This makes them highly efficient and reliable assets in the recruiting process.
Monitoring is Key
Moreover, monitoring recruiting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is a crucial aspect of process optimization. To achieve this, data such as reach, introduction rate, and other metrics need to be collected and analyzed. AI tools can assist companies in automating the collection of these data points, facilitating the comprehensive evaluation of recruitment performance.
Appointment Scheduling
Automated calendar tools facilitate the scheduling of interviews and minimize communication efforts between companies and candidates.
Given the shortage of skilled professionals in the job market, it is increasingly important for companies to provide a positive experience for incoming candidates. This strengthens the employer branding and demonstrates that the company values its applicants. When candidates are provided with an easy way to book a suitable interview time, it often positively impacts the candidate experience, fostering a stronger rapport with the applicant.
Communication with Applicants
Predefined emails or chatbots can keep applicants informed about the current status of their applications and address any questions they may have. Once again, Candidate Experience emerges as a pivotal aspect. A positive Candidate Experience is instrumental in attracting top talents and bolstering employer branding. According to a survey by CareerArc, 60 % of applicants indicated that they would withdraw their application following a negative Candidate Experience, and 72 % mentioned they would express a negative opinion about the company. Automating applicant communication can foster a positive Candidate Experience, culminating in enhanced employer branding.
Onboarding-Process
The orientation of new employees can be made more efficient through digital onboarding platforms, automating the provision of crucial information and documents. Onboarding bots prove extremely beneficial as they save significant effort and automatically guide new employees through their initial steps within the company. Additionally, they provide a central hub for addressing questions and offering feedback. Especially during the pandemic, the demand for automated onboarding solutions has grown, as in-person onboarding became less feasible and many individuals were working remotely. Therefore, it holds immense importance to possess robust onboarding tools for the future, relieving pertinent departments and ensuring a seamless entry for new team members.
The Human Element
Recruitment automation is a powerful tool for optimizing the personnel acquisition process. By automating repetitive tasks, HR teams can redirect their time and resources towards more demanding aspects of the recruitment process.
Companies investing in automation have the opportunity to enhance their recruitment success rate, thereby achieving sustainable overall performance improvement. According to a survey, 85 % of business leaders state that they need to take significant steps towards digital transformation within two years, lest they risk financial losses and falling behind their competitors. Through strategic partnerships with experienced providers, pioneering opportunities arise to adeptly address the challenges of modern recruiting.
Key Considerations for an Automation Partner
A significant automation partner embodies specific crucial attributes that are essential for a successful collaboration:
- In-depth Recruiting Knowledge: The partner should possess a comprehensive understanding of recruitment processes to effectively address your needs.
- Familiarity with Internal Processes: Grasping the specific processes within your company is indispensable to ensure seamless integration of automation.
- Recruiting and Automation Expertise: The partner should boast extensive experience both in the realm of recruiting and the successful implementation of automated processes.
- Personal Point of Contact: A direct, personal connection is invaluable to ensure prompt responses to queries or potential process adjustments.
- Subtle Automation: The most effective form of automation operates in the background, preserving a personalized touch, ensuring that candidates hardly perceive processes as automated. Even if direct outreach is automated, potential applicants should not discern it.
By considering these essential traits when selecting an automation partner, you can ensure that your recruitment strategies are effectively and efficiently optimized, while ensuring a positive candidate experience. Close collaboration with a partner meeting these criteria promises smooth operations and successful realization of your automation endeavors in recruitment.
MoBerries as Your Recruitment Automation Partner
MoBerries stands as a dependable partner for recruitment automation, offering innovative solutions to enhance efficiency across various stages of the recruitment process.
With our Social Recruiting offering, we empower companies to seamlessly engage in automated Social Media Recruiting through an out-of-the-box package. You simply outline your requirements and submit job listings. MoBerries then takes charge of sourcing suitable applicants aligned with your criteria, delivering tailored Social Media campaigns to connect you with the right candidates.
We invite you to a personal conversation where we can provide further insights into our automation solutions. Our experts are readily available to showcase how you can benefit from our offerings.
MoBerries offers various cutting-edge automation solutions tailored to elevate your recruitment process. Among these options, our Virtual Recruiters stand out as an innovative tool, designed to empower companies to conquer intricate hiring challenges through the utilization of automated active sourcing. By initiating direct communication with specialized professionals and executives, even the most challenging positions can be effectively and precisely filled. Our Virtual Recruiters seamlessly engage with well-suited candidates, harnessing invaluable best practices in personalized candidate interaction.
Delve into our Case Studies to discover the triumphant accomplishments our clients have achieved with the aid of Virtual Recruiters. Integrating our automation solutions not only saves time in the recruitment process but also enhances candidate selection quality, ultimately fortifying your enduring competitive prowess.
