Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by JF Poirier – Content Marketing Specialist at VidCruiter. His opinions are his own.
Many hardware and software technologies have modernized the hiring process for both applicants and recruiters. However, with so many options on the market, it can be tough to know where to start. Let’s explore the types of technologies that offer the most benefit for recruiters.
Collaborative Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
An ATS is one of the most practical pieces of technology a recruiter or hiring team can implement to lessen their everyday workload. When people apply for jobs, the ATS uploads and organizes applicants’ information in a centralized database that HR professionals can easily access and search.
Sometimes called talent management systems, an ATS streamlines information management by electronically reviewing and sorting job applicants, filtering candidates based on their responses. Good applicant tracking systems are collaborative, so everyone involved in the hiring process can leave feedback on applications.
An ATS not only makes tracking information easier, advanced customized workflows within the ATS can automate simple (but time-consuming) tasks, too. Automation can eliminate routine tasks such as letting candidates know their application was received, or sending emails to unqualified candidates. This frees up more time for hiring managers can focus on more productive activities—like finding the perfect person for the position.
Moreover, an ATS can identify if previously rejected candidates apply for new positions. It can also track where people learned about the job posting (through your website, a job board, a referral, etc.). Use this information to help you make more informed decisions about where to focus your recruiting efforts in the future.
Interview Scheduling & Video Interviewing
When trying to arrange multiple people’s schedules for job interviews, it’s common for there to be considerable back-and-forth—especially when people are working in different time zones.
Technology helps talent acquisition specialists by digitally arranging interview times and by facilitating virtual interviews.
Video interview software can be live or pre-recorded. In live video interviews, recruiters interview candidates face-to-face without being in the same room (similar to Skype, Zoom or Facetime). In pre-recorded video interviews (also known as one-way or on-demand video interviews), applicants are asked questions one at a time and then record their answers for recruiters to review on their own time. It’s easy to see how this option helps recruiters save time and money.
Sophisticated HR technologies will also allow you to add time limits and restrict the number of attempts when answering screening questions. This allows HR professionals to simulate high-pressure situations, eliminating candidates who would not perform well in that kind of environment.
Digital Structured Interviews
We all know hiring decisions should be objective and based on a candidate’s ability to do the job well. But, unless we apply a consistent structure to the questions we’re asking each applicant, hiring prejudices can sneak into job interviews, negatively influencing our judgment.
The solution? Structured digital interviews. In these types of interviews, all candidates are asked the same questions in the same order in the same way. Structured interviews are far more reliable than unstructured interviews, allowing hiring teams to make smarter, more legally-defensible hiring decisions.
Technology makes it easy to implement the structured interview methodology into your recruitment process. First, clearly define metrics for success according to each question. This establishes a scoring baseline to help reduce bias. The right HR software will allow you to set up a custom scoring system for interview questions and offer an option for multiple people to add comments to the responses. The technology should automatically compile and calculate the scores of each candidate, making it easy for recruiters to compare applicants and determine who’s the best person for the job.
Multilingual Capabilities
The hiring process can be complicated by language differences. Some companies and organizations are required by law to make job applications available in multiple languages. This is especially common in multilingual areas of the world such as Europe. Other times, recruiters simply want to be proactive and willingly make the hiring process more accessible.
HR technology can help address the challenge of language differences when hiring new employees. Some of the most requested languages for recruitment include English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese and Korean. Look for a software that goes beyond basic translation. You want a fully-multilingual online recruiting tool that works in many languages—not just a rough Google translation.
You’ll also want to investigate what people can update the technology’s language preferences (recruiters, administrators, applicants, references) and when this change can be made throughout the hiring process. The best answer is everyone, anytime. This offers much more flexibility and enhances the hiring experience for all.
Electronic Skills Testing
Skills tests are one of the best ways to determine an applicant’s fit for a position. Digital skills testing platforms mirror real workplace scenarios, allowing the candidate to prove that they have what it takes to succeed in the position.
Thanks to technology, online skills tests can be conducted in a variety of ways, including text, video and audio questions and responses. These digital tests help hiring managers measure many different skills, including typing speeds, Excel knowledge, RFP simulations, script reading and much more.
Set an objective standard early in the hiring process by asking applicants to complete a skills test before an interview. Once the skills tests are created, recruiters can repurpose these pre-employment assessments for future job openings. Some technologies will even offer customizable templates so you don’t need to start from scratch.
Online Reference Checks
Another way technology helps recruiters and hiring managers become more efficient is through online reference checks. Collecting references can be time-consuming. Imagine if you could gather information on hundreds of applicants without picking up the phone or sending multiple emails. Technology makes it possible!
Certain HR softwares allow recruiters to create a private online report with questions you want references to answer. The applicants are the ones who contact their references to complete the report, which they can answer at their convenience without the need to coordinate schedules. Applicants do not see the responses and recruiters connect with more references in less time.
These are just some of the many ways that technology is helping to simplify and streamline the hiring process. It’s incredible to see how much progress has been made in the last 20 years. We can’t wait to see what’s next.
Author
Jack Flynn
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
