Can Automation Supercharge Your Hiring Process?

In today’s race for talent, companies are looking for any advantage to stand out to candidates. Job seekers have a lot to consider when comparing employers including benefits, flexibility and competitive pay. In addition to these factors, the overall hiring experience is the candidate’s first look into what the company’s culture is like. From the candidate’s initial conversation with a recruiter, to onboarding and the days leading up to their start, the candidate will analyze the ways in which the organization is keeping them informed, communicating effectively and supporting them throughout the hiring process.

How can employers create an efficient and effective hiring process? As the nation’s leading STEM-focused™ staffing partner to Fortune 500 organizations, we’ve placed thousands of professionals throughout the past 15+ years. We understand that the hiring process should be continually evolving to meet candidate needs and expectations. Paige Pezzato, Recruiting Account Manager at Hunter Recruiting explains, “Automation has been a game-changer in our hiring process. Through new technology integrations and a holistic look at our candidate experience, we have been able to increase our capabilities and offerings for the candidates we are working with at every stage of the hiring process.”

How are your staffing partners  utilizing automation throughout their recruiting process? Those that are prioritizing the candidate experience by implementing these tools into their workflows are likely providing your candidates with a better, and more effective hiring process than the partners who are not. In today’s market, can you risk losing out on top talent? Read below for the reasons why implementing automation throughout the hiring process can lead to better results.

1. Automation Increases Communication and Transparency

According to a study conducted by CareerBuilder,78 percent of employers feel that they do a good job of setting expectations upfront and communicating throughout the hiring process, while only 47 percent of job seekers agree. In the hiring process, it is better to err on the side of over-communication rather than not communicating enough. How can you set clear expectations to the candidate about the overall process and what they can expect next?

At Hunter, we set a precedent from the beginning of the hiring process. Pezzato explains, “From the first conversations that we are having with candidates, we try to understand when and how they want to be communicated with. Some prefer calls and emails, while others like to text back and forth throughout the day. This helps us meet candidates where they are.” In addition to this, we automate the messages that are relevant to all candidates. She describes, “Our candidates like to get interview confirmations, reminders and general check-ins from our team. We have seen an exceptional increase in candidate engagement since automating these touchpoints.”

2. Automation Can Help You Support Candidates Beyond The Interviewing Process

Once the candidate receives and accepts an offer, they are highly engaged with your organization and are looking for support and guidance on what is next. This period is important for making a good first impression on the employee and ultimately has an impact on their willingness to stick around in their new role.  Research by Brandon Hall Group found that organizations that have a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82 percent. To help create a successful onboarding process, employers can utilize automation to communicate effectively, provide useful materials and make it simple for the candidate to complete all necessary paperwork.

“A good example of how Hunter’s human resources and recruiting teams are using automation in onboarding is through candidate check-ins and surveys,” Pezzato describes. “These are used to gauge candidate experience and to make sure that we are catching anything that could become a larger issue down the road.”

3. Automation Helps us Push The Boundaries of What is Possible

As the world of work changes and candidates demand more from employers, automation could be the key for hiring teams to do more, without sacrificing the personal connection. It allows recruiters to explore new methods of communication, be flexible to candidate situations and ultimately provide a more engaged candidate experience overall.

At Hunter, we are always exploring new ways of automating our workflows. Pezzato explains, “We are constantly asking ourselves how we can better understand the experience our candidates are having so that we can make decisions about how to better serve them throughout this important time in their career.”

Your company’s staffing partner is an extension of your hiring team. Are they making the investment in creating an effective hiring process for your candidates? If not, you may be losing out on top talent for your open roles.

Want to learn more about how Hunter can utilize automation to provide a better candidate experience for your candidates? Fill out this form to talk with a member of our team today!