How Organizations Can Engage Blue-Collar Workers through Recruiting Technology

Are you looking to recruit blue-collar workers, but aren’t sure what is the best way to get him or her interested in your company? Using recruiting technology—such as social media, texting, etc.—is a great place to start. If you’re unsure of how to recruit this workforce, fear not, we’ve got you covered. In the below Q&A, Kurt Heikkinen, President and CEO of Montage provides great insights into how you can engage blue-collar workers using recruiting technology.
Recruiting Daily Advisor (RDA): Why do you think that blue-collar workers are interacting with interviewing technology more now than ever?
Heikkinen: Blue-collar workers carry their smartphones with them just as often as they carry their hard hats at construction sites. Being able to conveniently schedule jobs, send proof of work, and stay in touch with supervisors on the go during an active workday gives blue-collar workers the opportunity to be more efficient in their roles. This shift also has allowed blue-collar workers to become more comfortable with mobile technology, which, in turn, has led to them to embrace recruiting technology to find their next jobs.
It’s no secret that convenience is at the forefront of our society—we text rather than call and use social sites to communicate with friends and family—and by completing on-demand text or voice interviews, blue-collar workers prefer the same convenience and flexibility when searching for new jobs. When it comes to in-person interviews, it’s often hard to schedule a time that works for the candidate as he or she is working a 40-hour workweek. Offering candidates a flexible approach will increase your interview response rates.
For example, integrating automated scheduling technology allows candidates to schedule an interview at a time that works best for them. Using on-demand technology for voice and text interviews gives candidates the freedom to complete interviews at any time—which can often mean during nights and weekends. In fact, interview data from Montage show that over 70% of interviews are completed either on weekends or outside of traditional business hours, proving how much candidates value interview technology and companies that respect their time.
Additionally, integrating automated scheduling technology significantly speeds up the interview process. Candidates are being vetted, communicated with, and moved through the process at a faster rate, which allows recruiters to fill positions with higher-quality candidates quicker. It also ensures that candidates have access to more opportunities.

RDA: Which technologies or tools tend to be the most popular among blue-collar workers?
Heikkinen: When it comes to interviewing technology and tools, organizations achieve the most success when they can match the interview type to the role. The term “blue collar worker” is broad—it could be a skilled or unskilled role—but most often, it means that the work is being done outside of a traditional office setting.
Because these positions tend to be filled by more mobile employees, on-demand voice and text interviews often generate the greatest response rates. Candidates are completing the interviews on their own time, typically on their smartphone, and don’t need access to a laptop or desktop computer. When the interview type matches the job, not only are candidate responses easily prioritized and shared with hiring managers but hiring decisions are also accelerated, allowing organizations to fill open roles much quicker than usual.
RDA: What are the benefits of blue-collar workers interacting with interviewing technology during the hiring process?
Heikkinen: As today’s candidate-driven job market continues to become stronger and we see more job openings than candidates to fill them, integrating interviewing technology creates the opportunity for hiring teams to hire better candidates in a faster, more efficient manner. Not only does this give candidates (who are probably already working) more flexibility but it also frees up recruiters to become more strategic in their day-to-day roles while also ensuring that their organizations’ open positions are being filled with qualified candidates.
In most cases, the traditional hiring process has not kept up with the needs and expectations of the modern candidate. Regardless of role or job, candidates expect a high-tech, high-touch hiring experience that mirrors their own consumer behavior.
At the end of the day, it’s important for organizations to remember that candidates are interviewing the hiring teams just as much as the hiring teams are interviewing the candidates, meaning that it’s essential for organizations to make sure every candidate has a positive interview experience.

RDA: For organizations that aren’t currently using interviewing technology to recruit, interview, and hire blue-collar workers, what advice do you have for them to implement and begin using the technology?

Heikkinen: Before implementing any type of technology, organizations need to understand the challenges they are facing. Are candidates dropping out of the process because it takes too long? Are you missing out on good talent because you can’t effectively engage and prioritize your candidates? Do candidates feel that their time has been disrespected because recruiters are overwhelmed?
Maybe the answer is all of the above. From there, organizations must work to understand how interviewing technology can fit into their existing workflow and automate some of the time-consuming, low-value tasks. Companies that are leaders in this area have modernized their hiring experience to differentiate themselves in order to accelerate the process and engage the right candidates before their competitors.