As today’s talent acquisition (TA) teams continue to fight for top talent in our tight labor market, a recent joint report of TA leaders from Brandon Hall and Montage revealed that 49% of respondents find the evaluation stage of the hiring process the most impactful, with the exploratory stage (24%) and hiring/offer stage (23%) coming in second and third.
Kurt Heikkinen, CEO of Montage/Shaker International, explains the report in more detail below.
“Despite its importance, however, candidate evaluation still remains underdeveloped in many organizations. Thirty-eight percent of survey respondents indicated that while candidate evaluation in their organization is proactive, it lacks consistency and is not always aligned with strategic goals,” Heikkinen says. “Because of this, it’s critical to understand the four different levels of candidate evaluation maturity:
- Level One: Reactionary Stage—TA teams have no consistent practices, approach candidate evaluation reactively, and may not meet hiring needs. According to Brandon Hall, 16% of organizations report they are in level one.
- Level Two: Responsive Stage—This stage is where the majority (38%) of organizations live. This reflects that TA teams are responding to hiring needs but may not be meeting organizational goals.
- Level Three: Aligned Stage—Levels three and four are what TA teams and organizations should strive to be in. Organizations that report they are in level three (37%) have practices and technologies in place and are aligned with their goals. Additionally, they plan for and meet current needs on a consistent basis.
- Level Four: Predictive Stage—Only 9% of organizations report they are in level four, which includes all characteristics of level three, but organizations in level four go one step further by projecting out and planning for future needs.”
“Organizations with reactive and inconsistent evaluation practices fail not just themselves, but modern candidates, as well,” says Heikkinen. “Those that struggle to meet their hiring needs and live in level one and two categories should shift their mindset to a single focus: improvement efforts on the evaluation stage of hiring.”
Heikkinen adds, “To do this, TA teams may want to consider adopting AI-enabled interviewing solutions into their hiring processes to create the ideal high-tech, high-touch candidate experience for every open position.”
If you haven’t already implemented technology into your recruiting process, Michael Krasman, CEO and Cofounder of UrbanBound, shares four ways you can leverage technology to provide a better candidate experience.
1. Make Your Application Process Mobile-Friendly
To accommodate the modern candidate, make sure your job postings are mobile-optimized. If you don’t know what this means, try it out for yourself! Apply for an open position at your company from your own phone. Is it possible? Does it display correctly? Is it cumbersome? Is there any redundant information? Can you easily upload your résumé? The easier the process is, the more likely someone will apply.
That being said, you can take advantage of our phone-obsessed culture to better communicate with candidates. People are busy, and not everyone has the time to jump on a phone call. Encourage your recruiters and hiring managers to text candidates with status updates about their applications and to answer any one-off questions. If they are really pressed for time, some hiring managers will conduct a text interview, wherein candidates answer interview questions via text message.
2. Utilize Video Interviewing
Video has increasingly become more commonplace in personal and professional environments. Organizations can tap into this emerging technology in their hiring process by conducting video interviews.
There are two types of video interview techniques your company can utilize. The first is a traditional interview that is simply conducted via a video conference. This can be used in place of an in-person interview to save candidates time and money spent on traveling.
The second type of video interview you can take advantage of is sending candidates questions in advance and asking them to record themselves answering the questions. This saves you time and is a great way to cut down on phone interviews.
3. Help Candidates with Their Research
Gone are the days when someone would simply apply for a job blindly without looking into the company first. Thanks to sites like Glassdoor and social media, potential candidates can (and do) research company reviews and salary data and reach out to their connections who work at your company—all before ever submitting an application. Why not help them with their research?
List your company on all review sites, and encourage your employees to leave real, honest reviews. Additionally, keep your company’s social media presence up to date with regular posts, especially ones that showcase your company culture and employees.
If you recruit outside of your company’s location, it’s also a great idea to provide candidates who are farther down the hiring process with education about the city they may be moving to. Things like the cost of living, neighborhood guides, and how current employees get to work are a few examples of things they may want to know. You’ll provide an even better experience when candidates can access this information through your applicant tracking software, website, or another online portal.
4. Technology and Candidate Experience
We live in a modern world, and you want your candidates to experience a modern hiring process. Your recruiting practices cannot be left up to chance. A seamless candidate experience is essential to the success of your hiring efforts.
Leveraging technology doesn’t mean implementing expensive recruiting software. There are many low-cost options that can upgrade your hiring process. From utilizing text messaging, online forums, and video interviewing, there are a number of different ways to leverage technology without spending money and time implementing new software. At the end of the day, you need more quality candidates. Leveraging technology is one way to give the candidates you want the information they need to accept a job offer.