Eliana Willis

Latest story

188 Shares109 Views

The Metrics That Matter: What HR Leaders Need to Know to Track Progress in 2024

by

Though promises of efficiency, productivity, and experience boosts may have served as initial motivators for HR leaders’ investments in connected technology, there’s another benefit that is slowly but surely stepping into the spotlight: objectivity. As digital toolsets expand and their capabilities grow, talent acquisition (TA) teams are increasingly recognizing the value that comes with quantifying outcomes—especially in a field in which “success” often feels like a moving target.
That said, not all data is created equal. Some metrics prove more valuable to teams than others, and knowing which ones speak to your organization’s goals is critical to benchmarking performance and making progress. As recruiting’s digital transformation journey continues, learning about the metrics that digital suites can provide—and which matter in the context of your optimization journey—is critical to improving outcomes.
Seeking success with statistics
Employ’s recent Recruiter Nation study aimed to get to the heart of the matter, asking participating practitioners to rank key TA performance metrics by their value. Here’s what they said…

Quality of hire: Quality of hire was overwhelmingly cited as the most valuable metric TA teams use to evaluate success, with nearly one-third (31%) of respondents putting it at the top of their lists and 73% ranked it in their top five. This metric takes into account employee productivity, engagement, culture fit, and other performance feedback to try to add color to recruiter and TA team performance. It also helps teams correlate skills and qualities with successful hires to build more precise profiles for different roles.
Time to fill: Time to fill reflects the timeline of the average hire, from the day the listing posts to the day a candidate accepts the offer. More than half (59%) of practitioners put time to fill in their top five metrics of value, with 14% saying it is the most valuable metric they use. This information can help highlight opportunities to improve sourcing and interview processes by department, role, or sector.

At present, the average time to fill across industries, business size, and roles is 47.5 days, but it can vary wildly across industries. At one end of the spectrum are things like media roles, which take an average of 62.21 days to fill in today’s market. Healthcare roles, which are on the other end, take just 38.23 days on average. Knowing the timeframe for your industry critical to planning, as is seeing how your company compares to others.

Cost per hire: Cost per hire uses operational data to estimate how much it costs to fill a given role. This metric ranks just behind time to fill, with 12% of respondents ranking it in the top spot and 57% putting it among their top five. Knowing the cost of each hire helps teams contextualize recruitment spending and find opportunities to cut waste by adjusting processes to avoid superfluous costs.
Retention rate: It’s no secret that retention is a top priority in modern businesses, and retention rate data was an easy choice for respondents’ top five lists. Despite only 11% of respondents saying it’s the most valuable metric in their operations, 62% put it in their top five and 14% cited it as their second-most valuable data point.

To determine retention rates, teams calculate the percentage of employees meeting specific criteria that remain employed over a set period. This exercise can help reveal the characteristics that may lead to employees staying at your company for the long haul and signs that someone might be gearing up to leave.

Hiring manager satisfaction: Hiring manager satisfaction rounded out respondents’ top five metrics of value, with 53% of practitioners citing it among their top choices (7% said it was their most valuable). This measures managers’ overall satisfaction with the hires made on their behalf using data from qualitative and quantitative surveys. With this information, acquisition teams visualize performance, evaluate progress, and learn from feedback about areas they could improve.

Of course, all of the above metrics can function at various levels of the business to provide different types of insights and speak to different opportunities for improvement. For example, one company may look at retention rates by department while another may look at this measure through the lens of the recruiter that conducted the search. The former can give insight into ways to improve department-level management practices, while the other may speak to the performance of the TA team member.
The same is true for any of the metrics noted above—and others. As teams filter results down by various criteria, they are able to find patterns, identify correlations, and identify and test possible solutions.
What matters to you
Perhaps the most notable insight is the lack of alignment on the issue overall. Yes, some metrics—like quality of hire—stood out as clear frontrunners. Still, though, none of the options presented were seen as unanimously without value. Even those that scored lower overall were at the top of someone’s list, which speaks to a truth about measuring progress: The perceived value in any metric is directly linked to organizational goals. In short, the difference isn’t between having data and not having it; it’s how you use the data that makes the real difference within an organization.
Candidate relationship management (CRM) platforms, applicant tracking systems (ATSs), and recruitment marketing software (RMS) all serve as records of past successes and failures. For companies that are used to having “lifers” among their ranks, a metric like retention rate may not be important. But for someone else, finally putting retention performance into tangible, quantifiable terms may yield the insight they’ve been missing.
Because the possible variations, combinations, and applications of data made available by CRM, ATS, RMS, and other connected platforms are near infinite, it’s up to each company to identify what matters to them. That’s the beauty of connected operations; if you can capture it, you can track it and measure against it. That’s what allows you to experiment with new approaches and find solutions that move the needle for your business, whatever they may be.
By Josh Jones, talent acquisition manager at Employ Inc.
Share this post: More

More stories

  • 188 Shares109 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    The Metrics That Matter: What HR Leaders Need to Know to Track Progress in 2024

    Though promises of efficiency, productivity, and experience boosts may have served as initial motivators for HR leaders’ investments in connected technology, there’s another benefit that is slowly but surely stepping into the spotlight: objectivity. As digital toolsets expand and their capabilities grow, talent acquisition (TA) teams are increasingly recognizing the value that comes with quantifying outcomes—especially in a field in which “success” often feels like a moving target.
    That said, not all data is created equal. Some metrics prove more valuable to teams than others, and knowing which ones speak to your organization’s goals is critical to benchmarking performance and making progress. As recruiting’s digital transformation journey continues, learning about the metrics that digital suites can provide—and which matter in the context of your optimization journey—is critical to improving outcomes.
    Seeking success with statistics
    Employ’s recent Recruiter Nation study aimed to get to the heart of the matter, asking participating practitioners to rank key TA performance metrics by their value. Here’s what they said…

    Quality of hire: Quality of hire was overwhelmingly cited as the most valuable metric TA teams use to evaluate success, with nearly one-third (31%) of respondents putting it at the top of their lists and 73% ranked it in their top five. This metric takes into account employee productivity, engagement, culture fit, and other performance feedback to try to add color to recruiter and TA team performance. It also helps teams correlate skills and qualities with successful hires to build more precise profiles for different roles.
    Time to fill: Time to fill reflects the timeline of the average hire, from the day the listing posts to the day a candidate accepts the offer. More than half (59%) of practitioners put time to fill in their top five metrics of value, with 14% saying it is the most valuable metric they use. This information can help highlight opportunities to improve sourcing and interview processes by department, role, or sector.

    At present, the average time to fill across industries, business size, and roles is 47.5 days, but it can vary wildly across industries. At one end of the spectrum are things like media roles, which take an average of 62.21 days to fill in today’s market. Healthcare roles, which are on the other end, take just 38.23 days on average. Knowing the timeframe for your industry critical to planning, as is seeing how your company compares to others.

    Cost per hire: Cost per hire uses operational data to estimate how much it costs to fill a given role. This metric ranks just behind time to fill, with 12% of respondents ranking it in the top spot and 57% putting it among their top five. Knowing the cost of each hire helps teams contextualize recruitment spending and find opportunities to cut waste by adjusting processes to avoid superfluous costs.
    Retention rate: It’s no secret that retention is a top priority in modern businesses, and retention rate data was an easy choice for respondents’ top five lists. Despite only 11% of respondents saying it’s the most valuable metric in their operations, 62% put it in their top five and 14% cited it as their second-most valuable data point.

    To determine retention rates, teams calculate the percentage of employees meeting specific criteria that remain employed over a set period. This exercise can help reveal the characteristics that may lead to employees staying at your company for the long haul and signs that someone might be gearing up to leave.

    Hiring manager satisfaction: Hiring manager satisfaction rounded out respondents’ top five metrics of value, with 53% of practitioners citing it among their top choices (7% said it was their most valuable). This measures managers’ overall satisfaction with the hires made on their behalf using data from qualitative and quantitative surveys. With this information, acquisition teams visualize performance, evaluate progress, and learn from feedback about areas they could improve.

    Of course, all of the above metrics can function at various levels of the business to provide different types of insights and speak to different opportunities for improvement. For example, one company may look at retention rates by department while another may look at this measure through the lens of the recruiter that conducted the search. The former can give insight into ways to improve department-level management practices, while the other may speak to the performance of the TA team member.
    The same is true for any of the metrics noted above—and others. As teams filter results down by various criteria, they are able to find patterns, identify correlations, and identify and test possible solutions.
    What matters to you
    Perhaps the most notable insight is the lack of alignment on the issue overall. Yes, some metrics—like quality of hire—stood out as clear frontrunners. Still, though, none of the options presented were seen as unanimously without value. Even those that scored lower overall were at the top of someone’s list, which speaks to a truth about measuring progress: The perceived value in any metric is directly linked to organizational goals. In short, the difference isn’t between having data and not having it; it’s how you use the data that makes the real difference within an organization.
    Candidate relationship management (CRM) platforms, applicant tracking systems (ATSs), and recruitment marketing software (RMS) all serve as records of past successes and failures. For companies that are used to having “lifers” among their ranks, a metric like retention rate may not be important. But for someone else, finally putting retention performance into tangible, quantifiable terms may yield the insight they’ve been missing.
    Because the possible variations, combinations, and applications of data made available by CRM, ATS, RMS, and other connected platforms are near infinite, it’s up to each company to identify what matters to them. That’s the beauty of connected operations; if you can capture it, you can track it and measure against it. That’s what allows you to experiment with new approaches and find solutions that move the needle for your business, whatever they may be.
    By Josh Jones, talent acquisition manager at Employ Inc.
    Share this post: More

  • 113 Shares159 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    10 Ways to Mitigate the Risks of AI-assisted CVs

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of job recruitment, a groundbreaking study by Oriel Partners, a London-based PA and administrative recruitment agency, has shed light on a significant shift: the rising influence of AI in enhancing CVs.
    Our agency embarked on a research project to delve into the capabilities of ChatGPT, an AI tool increasingly used in CV creation. By modifying 100 real CVs for a specific job listing and comparing them with their original versions, we aimed to uncover the extent of AI’s role in this domain.
    The results were eye-opening. ChatGPT made an average of 14 embellishments per CV, with changes ranging from slight rewordings to substantial additions in skills and experiences. This finding raises critical questions about the authenticity of AI-assisted CVs.
    We categorised these modifications into three main areas:

    Embellishments to CVs
    Avg. Number of Embellishments

    “Embellishments” to Profile section
    7

    “Embellishments” to Key Skills & Attributes
    4

    “Embellishments” to Professional Experience
    3

    Total
    14

    This led to a noticeable discrepancy in scoring between the AI-enhanced and original CVs when using an AI-powered screening tool. The embellished versions scored an average of 9.4 out of 10, contrasting 8.3 for the unaltered ones, suggesting a potentially unfair advantage for candidates using AI tools to “improve” their CVs.

    Type of CV
    Agv. Scores

    Embellished CVs Avg. Score
    9.4

    Normal CVs Avg. Score
    8.3

    The implications are profound, especially considering a recent Kaspersky survey that found 42% of workers would consider using AI like ChatGPT for their job applications. This trend marks a significant shift in recruitment dynamics and highlights the need for new strategies to maintain fairness and authenticity in the hiring process.
    As Co-Founder of a recruitment agency, I find these developments concerning. The ability of AI to fabricate details on CVs challenges the traditional methods of screening candidates. This necessitates more rigorous measures in the interview process to distinguish genuine applicants.
    Therefore, we advocate for a balanced approach to using AI in recruitment. Employers should develop methods to detect AI-enhanced CVs, potentially integrating more thorough interviews and skill assessments. For job seekers, this serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of authenticity in their applications.
    Our study marks a crucial step in understanding and managing AI’s role in recruitment. We call for responsible and ethical AI practices that safeguard the interests of both employers and job seekers.
    Here’s how to mitigate the risks of AI-assisted CVs:
    1. Enhancing Awareness Among Employers
    Employers need to be educated about the capabilities and limitations of AI-assisted CVs. Understanding how AI can embellish or alter CV information is crucial in developing a discerning eye when reviewing applications. Workshops, webinars, and training sessions can be instrumental in raising awareness.
    2. Implementing Advanced Screening Technologies
    As AI evolves, so must the technologies used to screen CVs. Employers can invest in advanced software differentiating between human-generated and AI-assisted content. These tools could look for patterns typical of AI, such as overly polished language or skills that seem incongruent with the applicant’s experience level.
    3. Encouraging Transparency from Job Seekers
    Organisations can encourage applicants to disclose if they have used AI tools in their CV preparation. This transparency allows employers to view the CV in the proper context and appreciate the candidate’s honesty. A statement or a checkbox during the application process could facilitate this transparency.
    4. Incorporating In-depth Interviews and Assessments
    To counterbalance the potential inaccuracies in AI-enhanced CVs, employers should place greater emphasis on interviews and practical assessments. Behavioural interviews, case studies, and skill-based tasks can provide more accurate insights into a candidate’s true capabilities and fit for the role.
    5. Building AI-Proof Job Descriptions
    Refining job descriptions to be more specific and detailed can help in attracting the right candidates. By clearly outlining the required skills, experiences, and qualifications, employers can reduce the effectiveness of AI in overfitting CVs to job descriptions.
    6. Fostering an Ethical AI Culture
    Companies should advocate for ethical AI use in job applications. This involves setting industry standards and best practices for AI tools in CV preparation, ensuring they enhance rather than fabricate an applicant’s qualifications.
    7. Regularly Updating Recruitment Policies
    As AI technology evolves, so should recruitment policies. Regularly reviewing and updating these policies will help employers stay ahead of the curve in managing AI-assisted applications effectively.
    8. Collaborating with AI Developers
    Engaging in dialogue with AI developers can provide insights into how these tools operate. This collaboration can lead to the development of AI that supports the recruitment process more transparently and ethically.
    9. Promoting a Culture of Authenticity
    Organisations should promote a culture where authenticity and genuine skills are valued over polished, potentially misleading resumes. This cultural shift can discourage candidates from overly relying on AI for CV enhancement.
    10. Legal and Ethical Compliance
    Finally, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards is paramount. Organisations should be aware of the legal implications of AI in recruitment, including potential biases and discrimination, and take steps to ensure their recruitment processes are fair and compliant.
    Bottom Line
    In conclusion, integrating AI into the recruitment process, particularly in CV creation, is a trend that cannot be ignored. The challenges it presents, such as potential inaccuracies and fairness issues, require a multifaceted response. Employers need to become more adept at identifying AI-assisted CVs, ensuring their hiring processes remain grounded in authenticity and fairness.
    Simultaneously, job seekers must be aware of the importance of maintaining integrity in their applications. This balanced approach, commitment to ethical practices, and ongoing adaptation to technological advancements are key to successfully navigating this new era of AI-assisted recruitment. By taking these proactive steps, we can harness the benefits of AI while mitigating its risks, ensuring a recruitment landscape that is equitable, efficient, and true to the values of both employers and job seekers.
    By Olivia Coughtrie, Co-Founder, Oriel Partners.
    Share this post: More

  • 125 Shares139 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    New Research Exposes the Dog-Eat-Dog World of Big Tech Recruiting

    A recent study from Switch On Business delved into the dynamics of talent recruitment and retention in the competitive tech industry.
    It provided detailed insights into the transfer of talent among rival tech giants like Google, Meta, IBM, Amazon, and Apple. For instance, it showed that 26.51% of Meta’s workforce has previously worked at another tech giant. At the same time, the study highlighted how Apple’s recruitment policy is driven by poaching staff from Intel, Microsoft, and Google.
    The main takeaway for tech recruiters is straightforward: There are so many opportunities to bring in talent from rival firms. However, recruiters must take a proactive and creative approach to capturing and holding the attention of highly skilled professionals who know they are in high demand.
    You can find the full details of the study in the charts below, as well as some tips and advice on becoming a more successful tech recruiter.
    The challenge of being a big tech recruiter
    Recruiting top talent for big tech roles presents many challenges.
    Firstly, the demand for tech talent far exceeds the supply, creating a severe talent shortage. The competition is fierce, with tech giants and startups vying for the same pool of candidates. This scarcity forces recruiters to think creatively and proactively reach out to passive candidates who may not actively seek new opportunities.
    The rapid pace of technological innovation means that the skills required for these roles are constantly evolving. Keeping up with these changes and accurately assessing a candidate’s proficiency in emerging technologies is now an essential part of any big-tech recruiter’s job.
    Then there’s the critical issue of diversity and inclusion. To satisfy big tech’s commitment to diversity, recruiters must actively seek out underrepresented talent and ensure their hiring processes are inclusive and unbiased.
    Why big tech recruiters should be headhunting from rivals
    Recruiters for big tech companies target talent from rival big tech firms for several reasons, including:

    Industry-Specific Expertise: Employees from rival firms come with relevant industry knowledge and technical expertise, reducing training time and allowing for a smoother transition into new roles.
    Proven Track Record: Professionals from other big tech firms have a proven track record of success in high-pressure, innovative environments. They’re the kind of people who can hit the ground running.
    Cultural fit: Having worked in similar corporate environments, these individuals are more likely to adapt quickly to the culture of another big tech firm. They’re also more likely to stay long-term, which is good for them, the company, and a recruiter’s bonus structure.

    How to entice big tech talent away from rival firms
    Software engineers, coders, and data analysts are never short of offers. As any recruiter will tell you, big tech recruitment is the epitome of a buyer’s market.
    So, if recruiters want to poach the best talent for their clients, they need to understand what that talent is looking for.
    Here’s a list of top tips for recruiters on the hunt for big tech talent:

    Understand the Candidate’s Motivations: Research what motivates candidates. Ask about career advancement, better work-life balance, exciting projects, or a more attractive compensation package.
    Personalize Outreach: Customize communications to show that you’ve done your homework about the candidate.
    Highlight Unique Opportunities: Emphasize unique opportunities that the candidate might not have in their current role, like working on cutting-edge projects or a more relaxed corporate culture.
    Offer Competitive Compensation Packages: Be prepared to offer add-ons to compensation packages, including benefits, bonuses, stock options, and relocation expenses.
    Stress Cultural Fit: Show how the candidate’s values and work style align with your company’s culture. This is often as important as a big salary.
    Prepare for Counteroffers: Be ready to negotiate if the candidate receives a counteroffer from their current employer because this will happen.
    Be Patient and Persistent: High-caliber candidates often require a more extended courting period. Be patient, keep the lines of communication open, and regularly check-in.

    Recruiting for big tech roles is a complex process defined by talent shortages, evolving skill requirements, and intense competition.
    Recruiters must adapt and employ innovative strategies to identify and attract the best candidates in this ever-evolving landscape. It’s not an easy job. But those who master the process will smash their targets and make some very nice monthly commission payments.
    Ashley Murphy graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Manchester. He began working as a freelance content writer in 2015. He covers technology, business and careers for Switch on Business. 
    Share this post: More

  • 100 Shares129 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    Using Data-driven Hiring to Edge out the Competition

    When times are good, and business is booming, companies can afford to make a few mistakes and sweep a few imperfections “under the rug.” And that’s okay. No process is perfect. However, when business slows down and it’s time for spring cleaning, what was swept under the rug comes to light.
    In other words, during periods of quick growth, companies tend to sacrifice quality of hire for speed. The effects of these decisions surface most clearly when the pace slows down. That can be a sobering moment for companies that stop and take stock of the decisions that worked for them and the ones that worked against them. Recruiting efficiency is an area that is quickly and clearly exposed when this happens. The inefficiencies and the lack — or absence — of sound hiring practices can be seen in cost per hire, turnover, and retraining costs.
    To find improvements in any process, businesses look at data.
    Data, data, everywhere
    We’re not talking about boiling the ocean, but there is meaningful information that can be gathered and put to use everywhere in the recruiting process. Hiring leaders who do not operate with this mindset leave money on the table, which again, is easy to measure in terms of increased cost per hire, decreasing retention, or unsustainable retraining costs.
    Without data measurement, organizations cannot optimize for “all-weather” efficiency.
    Smashfly CMO Lori Sylvia goes all in on the importance of measuring talent data when she says, “If you can’t measure it, it didn’t happen.”
    This is not a call to recruiters to build sophisticated data models, but rather to critically think about how data can help determine who they should be hiring for and how they can best appeal to them.
    Knowing that data is all around us, the question needed to make use of it is: “What data points are the most meaningful to me for this process?” Here are a few tips for recruiters — of all levels — to make leveraging data easy, impactful, and second nature.
    Ask yourself who fits into the talent pool for your business
    The last part is important here. Someone may check all the boxes for the job description and still not succeed at your organization. It can come down to various factors, like culture, level of training, the ability to multitask, or teamwork. Whatever the reason is, hiring success depends on going a level deeper into the candidate profile than the resume.
    Let’s go over an example where the goal was to reduce the number of conversations and increase the quality of conversations with candidates. Brendan Browne, VP of Global Talent Acquisition at LinkedIn, was looking for candidates to fill an engineering role. They took a quality-affinity approach that measured the candidate’s qualifications (their quality) and how highly they thought of the company (their affinity). The criteria for affinity included asking three yes/no questions:

    Do they follow the company?
    Do they share relevant content on their profile?
    Do they have a meaningful first-degree connection?

    Upon reaching out to candidates who ranked higher in affinity, the team experienced a 57% increase in the response rate.
    There was nothing highly technical about the process. It just came down to the team figuring out what data points from each candidate were meaningful to collect. It’s an easy exercise that can be applied across companies and roles.
    Take a microscope to your outreach
    Keep track of your messages. Recruiters shouldn’t shy away from testing new copy, subject lines, and time of day for their candidate outreach. It’s the most obvious yet overlooked metric to gauge the effectiveness of your outreach. Doing this enough will give you a sense of what tone is resonating most with your candidate pool.
    To have reliable data, one cardinal rule is to test one thing at a time. For example, measure how two different groups react to a different subject line or call-to-action alone rather than changing both at the same time.
    If your message has reached a point where you feel it is well and truly optimized and it’s still not meeting your goals, shift your focus to identify weak spots in the candidate journey. There may be moments where engagement is dropping off for enough candidates, signaling a trend to address with an alternative approach — and then measure the success of.
    Think about who else is talking to your dream candidate
    Chances are, the competition is also talking to the same candidates as you. Keeping tabs on competitor hiring activity can help inform your hiring strategy. Think about what the hiring experience is like for the candidate when they talk to you, versus the competition. Check out competitors’ job descriptions and ask yourself:

    How do they communicate the employer value proposition to prospective candidates?
    How candid are they about the salary and benefits they’re offering?
    How much of the company culture and company values shine through in the description?
    How easy or intuitive is the application process?
    Do they show the prospect genuine gratitude for their consideration?
    What would I look to improve in this experience?

    Doing this, even once in a while, helps make sure you’re not falling behind the competition and gives you an opportunity to raise the bar by brainstorming and implementing improvements to your candidate experience.
    Being data-savvy is simply knowing how to answer your biggest questions
    For recruiters, useful information is everywhere. The easiest way to benefit from a data-driven mindset is not to overthink it. Simply start asking questions about any aspect of your recruiting process, and then take measurements to uncover answers.
    The more confident you are about the data you have on talent, their affinity for your company, and your competition’s practices, the better your process will be in finding and appealing to the best candidates.
    Shannon Pritchett is Head of Community at both hireEZ and Evry1 (which she co-founded in 2021). As a talent acquisition leader, she remains passionate about connecting companies with their most valuable asset — people.
    Share this post: More

  • 150 Shares199 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    Getting Ghosted by Talent? The Four Jobseeker Personas Recruiters Need to Know

    In today’s competitive market, finding the best candidate for the role is no easy feat. While we generally find more available talent in the pool, ensuring a high-quality candidate with a strong fit for the position compounds the complexity of recruiting. Recruiters have to embark on candidate conversations while unsure what’s driving each candidate to seek a new position and how that motivation affects their outlook during the search process.
    Defining a persona framework can help recruiters get to the heart of what’s driving each applicant, what they’re looking for in a new opportunity, and which tactics will keep them the most engaged throughout the process.
    Recent data from Employ shows that today’s jobseekers can be divided into four groups based on a combination of two key traits:

    How consistently they search.
    The number of positions to which they apply.

    These two traits interact in the following way to create four primary persona categories:

    When recruiting teams understand these four personas—and how to spot them—they are more prepared to understand candidates and empowered to customize the candidate experience in a way that resonates with each person they speak with. This often results in better placements, shorter time-to-fill, and more successful hires.
    All About Diligent/High-Volume Applicants
    Diligent/High-Volume applicants make up about 10% of the current market, and they are driven by economic and employment market conditions. These applicants are primarily triggered by job posting alerts and will apply to a wide range of positions with various responsibilities and job functions.
    Traits
    Diligent/High-Volume job seekers tend to be optimistic, believing it will take less than a month for them to find a job, and they apply for jobs with large salary ranges. Additionally, this type of job seeker tends to gravitate toward roles at companies with strong leadership, room to advance, and resources for career development.
    Approach
    Diligent/High-Volume job seekers will use social media and subscribe to job advertisements and will likely mention their research during the interview process. As frequent resume updaters, these candidates tend to begin their job search within their current organizations and will apply for jobs at other companies even if there isn’t an opening.
    Engagement tactics
    These workers tend to appreciate simple, straightforward interview processes. These candidates are likely to abandon opportunities if they find them too time-consuming, so streamlining the interview and scheduling process is likely to impress.
    All About Sporadic/High-Volume Applicants
    About 25% of applicants in the current labor market are considered Sporadic/High-Volume applicants. These are the people who turn to LinkedIn or other job boards after a particularly bad or frustrating day at their current position.
    Traits
    These applicants are usually satisfied in their current roles. They may be seeking out organizations that tout career advancement opportunities. As a result, they tend to apply to multiple jobs that they have no intention of accepting. They tend to be just beginning their career, have taken a new job in the past year, and apply for jobs with large salary ranges. Like their Diligent/High-Volume counterparts, these job seekers frequently update their resumes, and keep an eye on their current companies’ financial positions.
    Approach
    Recruiters can identify Sporadic/High-Volume job seekers by their application method. They regularly search job boards and appreciate easy scheduling. If the interview went well, an offer was made, but the job seeker sends an impersonal response or even goes dark, a Sporadic/High-Volume job seeker may have crossed your path.
    Engagement tactics
    To capture these applicants, stay away from hiring channels that require registration as a part of the hiring process. They’re likely to abandon applications that require any registration elements. Even though they are likely to be satisfied at their current role, recruiters that think a Sporadic/High-Volume applicant is a perfect fit may get their attention with an incredibly compelling offer but should be ready to negotiate and to respond to their current employer’s counter.
    All About Diligent/Selective Applicants
    Diligent/Selective job seekers are triggered by burnout, and about 40% of applicants fall into this category. Since burnout is a trigger, they are hesitant to apply for jobs they feel they are unlikely to get and prefer efficient processes. They are serious about their search and conduct it over a long timeline.
    Traits
    Diligent/Selective job seekers are not interested in applying for positions with wide salary ranges. They know what they are looking for and stick to those parameters. They are less inclined to search for new opportunities within their current organization and motivated by specific roles that excite them.
    Preferences
    Diligent/Selective job seekers tend to stick to a single application method: the company’s website. Additionally, they are highly prone to abandonment and prefer short and efficient recruitment processes.
    Engagement tactics
    These applicants tend to be targeting companies or roles that speak to them, so defining a company mission, vision, and value set is incredibly important when encountering Diligent/Selective job seekers. Make highlighting these aspects of the company a priority early in the interview process and try your best to keep initial applications brief, yet comprehensive.
    All About Sporadic/Selective Applicants
    Sporadic/Selective job seekers are triggered by boredom in their current situation and make up about 25% of today’s applicants. Like their Diligent/Selective counterparts, they are unlikely to submit applications to employers that they deem unlikely to hire them.
    Traits
    These applicants tend to be later in their career. They rarely apply for open roles at their current company, do not apply for jobs with large salary ranges, submit few applications for new roles, and do not use social media to find open roles.
    Preferences
    Sporadic/Selective job seekers’ applications tend to favor brevity and their resumes tend to possess stale skills as they have not likely invested time in their own learning and development. Since they’re motivated primarily by boredom and exploration, they’re also hesitant to spend time on additional application materials, preferring to let their experience speak for itself.
    Engagement tactics
    To engage these applicants, create highly personalized, effortless recruitment experiences. They’re applying to see what’s available to them as they currently are, so if you think a Sporadic/Selective applicant is the perfect fit, it’s best to keep extraneous tasks to a minimum. They also strongly believe that the modern hiring process is excessive, so it’s critical that recruiters communicate decisions or next steps and their reasoning throughout the process.
    Setting up for success
    In today’s market, recruiters need to go the extra mile to ensure success along each step of the recruiting process. Using the four personas as a baseline can help recruiters begin the process of tailoring their hiring strategies to a given candidate’s needs.
    Finding talent is tough, and recruiters need to arm themselves with tools to find quality candidates for open roles. Though each candidate is unique, keeping the four personas in mind throughout the process helps remind recruiters that hiring is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Understanding the four job-seeking personas and their associated triggers helps recruiters provide high-quality candidate experiences and fill skill gaps more quickly and successfully.
    By Corey Berkey, SVP of People, Employ Inc.
    Share this post: More

  • 75 Shares149 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    The Rise of Passive Candidate Recruitment

    The global talent shortage is a major challenge for businesses of all sizes. In the United States alone, there are currently 11 million open jobs. This means that there are more job openings than people are looking for work.
    One way that businesses are addressing this challenge is by targeting passive candidates. Passive candidates are people who are not actively looking for a new job, but who might be open to a new opportunity if the right one comes along.
    There are several reasons why businesses are targeting passive candidates. First, the pool of passive candidates is much larger than the pool of active candidates. This means that businesses have a better chance of finding the right talent by targeting passive candidates.
    Second, passive candidates are often more experienced and qualified than active candidates. This is because passive candidates are typically already employed and have been successful in their current roles.
    Third, passive candidates are more likely to be a good fit for the company culture. This is because passive candidates are not actively looking for a new job, so they are more likely to be happy with their current situation.
    Atlas World Group’s Approach to Passive Candidate Recruitment
    Atlas World Group is a global logistics company that has been struggling to fill key positions in IT and technology. In order to address this challenge, they have shifted their focus to primarily targeting passive candidates.
    Atlas’s approach to passive candidate recruitment is two-fold. First, they use LinkedIn Recruiter to target passive candidates who have the skills and experience they are looking for. Second, they leverage the social media of their current team members to share job openings with their networks.
    The Benefits of Targeting Passive Candidates
    There are several benefits to targeting passive candidates. First, it allows businesses to reach a wider pool of potential talent. Second, it gives businesses the opportunity to build relationships with passive candidates before they are actively looking for a new job. Third, it allows businesses to target passive candidates who are a good fit for their company culture.

    Start by building a strong employer brand. Passive candidates are more likely to be interested in your company if they have a positive impression of your brand.
    Make it easy for passive candidates to learn about your open positions. Your job postings should be clear and concise, and you should make it easy for candidates to apply online.
    Personalize your outreach. When you reach out to passive candidates, take the time to personalize your message. This will show that you are genuinely interested in their skills and experience.
    Highlight your company culture. Passive candidates are more likely to be interested in a company that has a strong culture. Be sure to highlight your company culture in your outreach materials.
    Offer opportunities for growth. Passive candidates are often looking for opportunities to grow their careers. Be sure to highlight the opportunities for growth that your company offers.

    Conclusion
    The global talent shortage is a major challenge for businesses of all sizes. However, by targeting passive candidates, businesses can increase their chances of finding the right talent. Atlas World Group is a great example of a company that has successfully implemented a passive candidate recruitment strategy. By following Atlas’s example, businesses can overcome the challenges of the global talent shortage and find the right talent to help them achieve their goals.

    To follow Kelly Cruse’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
    Share this post: More

  • 88 Shares129 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    Getting Ahead in the War for Talent

    Navigating a world in the throes of rapid change as we are in today is a challenging feat. The war in Ukraine, energy price spikes, higher borrowing rates, and chronic inflation affect consumer and business confidence domestically and internationally. The impact on organisations – employers and employees alike – is enormous, and we must adapt to survive.
    Recruiters have long grappled with the ever-shifting tides of uncertainty as the employment sector often resembles a wild rollercoaster ride. From the disruptive onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic to the subsequent post-pandemic boom, the rise of the ‘Great Resignation,’ and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, recruiters have weathered these storms with varying degrees of confidence.
    The UK recruitment sector is optimistic
    Against this backdrop, including concerns about a possible recession, a recent survey of 2,500 industry professionals by independent research firm Dynata on behalf of recruitment firm Monster shows that UK recruiters are optimistic about the future, with 87% looking to hire in 2023.
    Also, on the positive side, 92% of recruiters are confident (45%) or very confident (47%) of finding the right candidate. This sounds high, but UK recruiters are less confident than their compatriots across Europe or the USA. Why is this? It’s because The UK is facing a unique set of circumstances, including Brexit, that have created significant economic uncertainty.
    Nevertheless, recruiters across all sectors still believe that they can scope out the terrain of roles, define them with precision and assess candidates through the interview process, according to our survey. However, addressing the talent shortage is still the number one task facing industry professionals across the UK, Europe and the USA, and a constant challenge persists: the need to identify, interview and secure candidates faster than the competition.
    UK recruiters struggle to access talent as the skills gap widens
    The same survey highlights how amidst this battle for talent, 51% of UK recruiters claim that finding candidates with the necessary skills is the most significant challenge they will face in the next three years. The report reveals that finding candidates with the right skills is the biggest obstacle to recruiting in 2023, with 29% of recruiters indicating that the skills gap has widened compared to a year ago. 86% of recruiters “sometimes” or “very often” struggle to fill vacancies due to this. Of the 87% of recruiters looking to fill vacancies, 44% are replacing or backfilling roles, while 43% are hiring for net new job requirements. Only 13% of recruiters anticipate hiring freezes.
    The UK’s battle for talent is intensifying
    Across all sectors, accessing quality candidates is getting harder and is especially difficult in automotive (57%), leisure & hospitality (46%), education (45%), and insurance (45%) sectors. The survey also found that recruiters are searching for radically different soft skills from candidates from different generations. For instance, 13% of Gen Z recruiters are searching for dependability, compared to 57% of Boomers. In contrast, 40% of Gen Z recruiters seek managerial skills, compared to 17% of Boomers.
    To survive in 2023, recruiters must develop new strategies for success
    To thrive in this challenging environment, recruiters must forge new strategies for success. The reliance on traditional approaches is no longer sufficient; embracing innovative technologies and solutions becomes imperative to match talent with opportunities effectively. Casting a wider (digital) net offers recruiters many opportunities to engage with potential applicants.
    The battle for benefits
    To help them secure top talent, recruiters may need to engage in a “battle for benefits” to attract the top talent.
    The demand for flexibility takes centre stage in 2023, with 53% of candidates expecting more flexibility in where they work and 39% expecting more flexibility when they work. However, the survey reveals a disheartening reality: only 25% of businesses offer genuine flexibility to new hires.
    To succeed, recruiters must balance the demands of employees and employers and address candidates’ extended benefits wish list. As flexible options, including increasingly a four-day week, become standard in many industries; salary is no longer the primary determining factor.
    The top five benefits employees are seeking in 2023 are remote flexibility (50%); flexible work schedules (49%); skills training/learning and development (45%); salary protection/fair compensation (44%); and healthcare benefits (41%) according to the survey.
    Improving search techniques
    In addition to honing the quality and range of benefits they offer, firms need to improve their candidate search techniques. Our survey found that only 24% of UK recruiters leverage online recruitment sites, tools, and new technologies to engage talent – far lower than recruiters in the USA and Europe – and are less confident of finding suitable candidates. This means that 76% of recruiters should improve their search methods or face being left behind in the battle for top talent.
    Matching your benefits offerings to your candidate’s requirements and improving search techniques will go a long way to helping businesses find and recruit the individuals that will ensure the business survives and prospers in a challenging economic environment.
    By Rod McMillan, Marketing Manager, Monster UK.
    Share this post: More

  • 150 Shares99 Views

    in Talent Acquisition

    4 Ways to Use Today’s Global Mobility Trends to Recruit Top Talent 

    Are you searching far and wide for new talent? Is that search feeling farther and farther afield? There is roughly a one in four chance (27%) that your company is struggling to find qualified employees locally or feels that the Great Resignation significantly impacted relocations in 2022. This comes despite relocation volumes and budgets increasing by 7% from 2021 to 2022 and is expected to increase in 2023 for 58% of companies of various sizes across industries.
    As pressures from the pandemic continue to ease, employees considering relocations also have evolving needs. Below are a few ways organizations can keep up with them:
    Continuously review benefits.
    When was the last time your organization conducted an in-depth review of its benefits? If it was a year ago or more, it is time to review them again. Simply put, organizations must continuously review their job offerings and relocation benefits to ensure they remain competitive and attractive in a dramatically changing environment.
    According to Gartner, just 32% of workers feel that they are being paid fairly due to inflation and recession concerns. Further, Jobvite shares that 52% of American workers across industries believe they could simply make more money by switching jobs. If the grass looks greener everywhere an employee looks, your organization must be equally appealing. Important questions to ask during your benefits review include:

    Does your organization’s compensation meet cost-of-living demands where you are located?
    How do relocation benefits impact general workplace benefits?
    What are our competitors in the region touting?
    Do you have a trusted House-hold Goods Moving provider that can support you and your potential new hire with the relocation process itself?

    Prioritize balance.
    There is far more an employee must consider today when weighing a relocation opportunity than in the past. Develop workplace management policies that take remote work, work/life balance, voluntary relocation, and flexibility into consideration. While many employers want to see their employees back in the office, in January 2023, almost 30% of all work happened at home. This is six times greater than the remote work rate in 2019. How and where we work has changed.
    How does your organization accommodate working from home, and what does that mean for relocating talent? You must have an answer to this question because even if an employee is willing to relocate, it does not necessarily mean they only want to work in the office. What flexibility options are you offering to entice in-office work with the desire to relocate your employee to your headquarters’ hometown?
    Consider family.
    For many families in the U.S., remaining close to home is both practical and personal. Data from the Pew Research Center shows that about three in 10 U.S. citizens live within an hour’s drive of some or all extended family. More adults today are also living in multigenerational households than ever before. One in five adults now lives with parents or grandparents – a rate that has quadrupled since 1971.
    This closeness to family is a preference and value for social and economic benefits, as family members are often available to help working parents, especially in sharing home labor such as childcare. Ensuring your organization’s relocation policies include resources to support the relocation of spouses, children, and residences is vital for prospective employees considering moving away from extended family.
    Offer guidance.
    Moving to a new city or state can be intimidating. New residents want to know where the best schools are located, where the best restaurants are, and what the best commute to take is. These are just a few of the barriers holding back prospective residents without someone on the ground to guide them.
    Workplaces that offer robust resources or partners to help guide employees through the relocation process can help. This can be a go-to individual who can share insider information on the most popular suburbs and best nightlife – complete with parking tips – or it can be through lump sums or flexible policies that allow employees to spend time seeking these answers on their own. Allowing time to tour houses while also paying for temporary housing can make a difference in an employee’s willingness to relocate and their happiness once they do.
    The war for talent is in full swing. When many companies are touting remote-first work policies, enticing new employees to physically relocate to a new city, state, or country can be difficult. Of all the stressors related to starting a new job or relocating to a new area, moving there should be the easiest part.
    Mary Beth Johnson is Vice President of Business Development for Atlas Van Lines. 
    Share this post: More