5 Areas where you should be Taking Advantage of Tech

We are living in a time that is characterized by almost daily advancements in technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data collection. In order for organizations to stay relevant and top of mind, it’s necessary to grow and adapt in this environment. According to Pew Research Center, 77% of Americans now own a smart phone, and they’re using it for everything from streaming media to banking. While, you may already recognize the need to engage your customer base in ways that are mobile-friendly and paper-free, you also need to do this to attract top talent to your organization. Everyday procedures and documents should be readily available to ensure that you are not missing out on the kind of candidates that will be force multipliers in your business. Here are a few areas where you may have room to improve your processes using available technology.

Finding and Attracting Candidates
94% of smartphone owners use their device to look for local information, according to Google. Regardless of the nature of your business, a fast, user-friendly and mobile-optimized website is absolutely necessary today to ensure that the best candidates can find your company and easily find out information about your organization. You need to anticipate job seeker’s needs and share relevant information online where they’ll find it. At minimum, this means having a presence on social media and posting content to optimize your online presence. Social media campaigns can be super-targeted now to reach an audience in your local area that is interested in the services your company provides. Facebook’s “Local Insights” allows users to view the demographics of people in the area and target other users with specific interests. Facebook and Instagram also have call-to-action buttons to allow customers to “call now” or “contact us.” You can take advantage of these options to attract new employees as well, in arenas where they are already engaged. Consider innovative options like video job posts that can be sponsored to reach candidates in your area. There are also ways that you can streamline your internal processes to enhance the overall candidate experience. For example, an effective Candidate Relationship Manager (CRM) can help you keep track of how you reach out to candidates, facilitate follow up and manage resumes and interviews. Something as simple as Google Spreadsheets is free, and can be very effective. If you’re lucky enough to already have a CRM in place, there are a lot of capture tools that make it a breeze to pull a candidate’s information into your system. WebClipDrop.io is a capture tool that can clip and drop information from job boards, career sites and social profiles into most ATS and CRM systems. Evernote is a plug-in you can use to pull LinkedIn profiles into your CRM.

To Conduct Background Checks
We recommend that our clients conduct a comprehensive background check including criminal history, salary history, education and past positions to ensure that they have chosen the most honest and trustworthy individual and discover any potential issues that could affect the business. Many employers are limited by cost and resources, and often need to make placements quickly. With greater advancements in technology and artificial intelligence, third party companies like GoodHire are able to complete background checks within 24-72 hours and provide timely communication and support to candidates while still maintaining necessary compliance standards. Because search technology is more readily available and accessible, the competition among those companies is greater, so pricing packages are more competitive and can be more easily negotiated.

In the Hiring Process
Having a hiring process that is quick, easy and accessible to everyone is one major way you can ensure that you are not missing out on the most sought-after candidates. Because many candidates may not even own or have access to a printer, your application and resume upload options should be accessible and fillable electronically. Paper-free/electronic new hire paperwork such as tax forms, non-disclosure agreements, employee policies should be part of your process as well. Using platforms from companies like DocuSign, you can create a database of electronic documents that can be easily filled out from any device, including a smart phone. Gamification – applying the elements of game playing to other areas of activity – is another way that employers can distinguish themselves and create a unique candidate experience. While typically used as an online marketing technique to encourage customer engagement with a product or service, it can also be effective in recruitment and hiring. For example, consider the use of mini games that can simulate actual company workflow, as a way to assess a candidate’s fit. An article by Recruiterbox suggests that Gamification can have multi-level benefits in your organization. It improves the candidate experience by breaking up the monotony of a normally dry process, helps hiring managers to qualify candidates in more concrete ways, and helps establish the company’s brand reputation online.

To Enhance Onboarding
In many companies, the onboarding process basically consists of filling out paperwork and receiving passwords and login information. We already discussed the importance of having this information readily available, accessible and fillable on a mobile device. However, a 2015 ADP survey of almost 1,500 employees and HR professionals revealed that less than 12% of new hires can access onboarding paperwork from their mobile device. Making the basic tasks of onboarding candidate-friendly can facilitate their transition into a new role by freeing them up to focus on the hard skills of the position. Apart from the need to complete the necessary documentation, onboarding is really an opportunity to engage a candidate and peak their excitement to work for your company. An Entrepreneur article recommends innovative options like video introductions of the team that can be made available to a new employee prior to their start date. This will enable him or her to put names with faces and start to develop a connection with their coworkers.

To Build Your Brand
Progressive companies are using the latest technology to engage their customers through social media and mobile apps. Your organization can use similar methods to enhance your brand image to attract job seekers and retain employees. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends instituting a Social Employee Advocacy Platform to help you get the word out about why your organization is a great place to work. It’s a way of building your brand from the inside out. Allowing your employees to act as ambassadors brings a real human aspect to your brand and marketing content. It also establishes leadership potential and enables employees to build their personal brand. In short, it’s a way to let others see what it’s really like to work for your company. Applications like Trapit and Sociabble help you to generate content within the organization, allow employees to submit content for approval, post it to social media, and share it on their own feeds to reach more people.

While the war for talent persists and the unemployment rate continues to fall to record levels, organizations who underestimate the need to be technologically advanced will have even greater challenges securing top performers. Even the smallest adaptations to your process can be game-changing in this job market. For now, just start with the basics and then look to add more enhanced features in the future.

Bradley Staffing Group is a full-service staffing firm based in Wayne, PA. We are committed to matching A-level talent with best-in-class businesses. Our knowledgeable and well-trained staff brings a combined 70+ years of staffing experience to our clients and candidates alike.  http://useful-sock.flywheelsites.com/employers/