Technology is disrupting the hiring process, banishing the traditional paper-based protocols and job boards to traumatic memories and the pages of history. Data analysis is helping companies to improve the quality of employees while also making the hiring process a more seamless one. As the role of automated hiring systems continue to expand, companies are turning to these technological tools as ways of making substantive decisions about an applicant's qualifications. And with every other department using predictive analytics, Human Resource departments should be utilizing these services as well.
The disruption is very much needed, as online job sites have created an exponential increase in the number of resumes and cover letters companies receive in response to a single job post. With more and more electronic filing cabinets to pour over, the hiring process is becoming progressively more complex than ever before. But today's hiring technologies are making it all the more easier.
To show you how, we put together a list of the top factors applicants and companies alike should know about automated hiring systems.
Giving You Access To Accurate Background Checks
Background checks for potential hires are standard procedure for almost all companies. Still, too many companies fall victim to a lack of understanding the legalities of background screening processes. What's more, too much information can counterproductive and delay the process.
With so many companies becoming dependent on the services of contractors, need for a faster hiring rate has increased and various technological sites have become available to meet the demand. There is now an entire industry of online background check providers, which are attracting the business of companies whose requirements render the cumbersome paper process obsolete. They offer broad background checks that shorten turnaround times and offer thorough background data on a candidate including employment and education history as well as drug and criminal history.
Providing Virtual Interviewing
The new global age is transcending geographical borders and connecting companies with candidates who might not be accessible to them locally. Most employers are stepping up their talent acquisition efforts and expanding employment opportunities to remote workers. Any employer knows that an in-person interview will provide them an invaluable impression of an employee and their ability to meet a company's requirements concerning skills and culture - and many utilize video conferencing software to mimic this experience. Low or no cost services such as Skype and Google Hangouts are giving employers access to this information for nonlocal employees without the expenses that come with international and cross continental travel.
Utilizing Social Media Insights
Overlooking social media when it comes to the screening process is akin to hiring an employee without being aware of a candidate's relevant skills and interests. It should no longer be an option for companies who want proper insight into who they hire. Social media today can allow employers to kill two birds with one stone by recruiting candidates as well as obtaining a relatively accurate reflection of how they'll perform on the job.
Social media can give you an in depth view of the candidate's personality, preferences and opinions which would be off limits as topics in an interview. What are you looking for exactly? In most cases, the prudence to make their social media profiles private. If their profile is not private, then the foresight to keep their posts safe for work and inoffensive. Humor and politics will likely be included, but excessive cursing, inappropriate photos either of themselves or others, or hate speech should be taken seriously.
Analytics For All
Solid hiring analytics can help your human resources team to make data driven decisions and avoid having to fall back on guesswork and intuition. HR departments can discover their ideal model for an employee as well as the skills and qualifications they might possess by setting up talent analytics. Such tools can streamline the process of hiring by extrapolating relevant information about a candidate to estimate how well they match the skills and abilities determined to be the most important for the role.
As with any industry, it's critical that HR professionals make use of the tools available to them. By choosing not to, you'll be handicapping yourself and your brand.