Posted On: January 20th, 2016 By Helen Main No Comments »
Ahh, January. Again! It seems like it was all too few months ago that we were setting up our desks
for 2015, discussing which beach we went to over the break and how it’s not the same now that
everyone else goes there, and settling in for another year. If your 2015 was anything like mine,
you’re probably wondering what happened to most of it!
Unfortunately, we don’t get a refund, and there’s no pause button for life, so as we hurtle into 2016
with already more than 2 weeks of it under our belts, perhaps it’s time to think about your
recruitment resolutions.
The great thing about these resolutions is you don’t have to eat any kale, join any gyms or get up
unreasonably early to fit in that bootcamp class before your brain realises what you’re doing. In fact,
if you manage to tick off all of them, you might even be able to sleep in more often, knowing you’re
on top of your company’s hiring goals (who am I kidding, there’s always more to do, but it’s a nice
thought!).
Obviously, taking stock of where your company is at is important when it comes to setting your own
recruiter resolutions, but here are some ideas to get the ball rolling!
As more and more jobseekers use their mobiles to find and apply for jobs, whether your website and
application process are mobile-friendly could seriously affect the number of applications you
receive. Take a few minutes to assess how easily potential candidates can navigate around your
website, and trial applying for a role from your phone. If you get frustrated, make note of anything
that could be improved upon and talk to someone who can help make these changes!
The best candidates don’t always have the fanciest CVs. Humans are visual creatures, and when it
comes to judging the suitability of a candidate, many of us might fall for well laid out, wittily worded
resumes, ignoring plainer, less interesting ones in favour of them. One way to avoid this is using an
applicant tracking system (ATS) to ensure you are finding the CVs of the most relevant candidates.
The program won’t get distracted by fonts and fancy phrases, but will trawl through every CV looking
for keywords that you have selected, so you know you’re getting the best pick of the bunch!
When you post a job ad, there is a pretty big chance that you will get more applications than you
think you can respond to. Whilst you might think responding to all the hopelessly misaligned
applicants might be a waste of time, when you take the time to find out what applicants think of
this, you might change your mind. One way to make your life easier is to employ an ATS that allows
you to set up customised, automated email responses, depending on whether a candidate has been
found unsuitable, or selected for the next step of the recruiting process.
After spending weeks working through the application process and finally whittling down to one or
two ideal candidates, it can seem like all too much to then spend a few days playing phone tag with
prior managers and colleagues. Unfortunately, in avoiding this seemingly superfluous step, you can
be doing yourself and your business a huge disservice. With over half of all jobseekers admitting to
lying on their CV, according to this research, it certainly pays to fact check with someone who is not
invested in getting the job!
It’s not just your applicants who need to be in the know and constantly improving themselves. As a
recruiter, hiring manager or whatever role you play that involves you in the hiring process, your own
efforts in broadening your knowledge and expanding your collection of tools and skills will help
improve your hiring results. Why not set aside a few hours a month to keep up to date on the latest
tools, tips and tricks being discussed in the HR world. Your business (and applicants!) will thank you
for it.
No credit card, No contract, No pressure
