004 The Future of Talent Acquisition

This week's podcast features our guest Janine Woodworth, Director of Strategic Services at Jobvite. Janine, Keith, and I had a fast-paced conversation about the current state of talent acquisition, why corporations are failing at it, and how to ensure that you don't.

With unemployment rates at their lowest since 1969, a staggering 3.7% (2% if you're a college graduate), competition between companies to hire the best talent is extremely high, and the time of candidates begging for jobs (aka the recession) is long gone.

If corporate recruiters know these facts, then why are they still using the same recruitment process from ages past? Janine points out how she hears rather often, "We posted on the various job sites, so why aren't we seeing the right candidates coming through?" Well, in this technological age, you might as well ask why the "help wanted" sign in your store window wasn't effective for pulling in top talent!

If you're waiting for candidates to come to you and you're not out there aggressively marketing your company, then you're simply going to fail. Every company needs to sell the benefits of WHY your company is a better place to work than where the candidate is currently employed.

Janine is passionate when she says,"Market your business with the thought that you're asking a potential employee to purchase, not a product, but a place to work every day."

Here are a couple key points to consider -

• What's your candidate experience looking like?
• How lengthy and unnecessary are the questions on your application?
• What does the mobile application experience look like?

Just recently, a new client was frustrated they weren't getting enough applicants to interview. Well, we installed an Applicant Tracking System and after just a few weeks discovered that the problem had nothing to do with the applicants or marketing. A quick look at the application report revealed several well-qualified applicants. The problem was the recruiter. She wasn't responding to these applicants for two weeks! By the time she contacted them, they already had new positions.

That is the absolute wrong way to play the game in today's race for talent. To grab the talent you need, your recruitment process must be smart, efficient and fast

Does your current application use lengthy and unnecessary questions? Think about what you need to know now at THIS point in the process. If you don't know, then Janine has a great suggestion - fill out your own application! Think about it, how long has it been since you applied to work at your current place of employment? Better yet, take the application of competitors and see what they're asking, how their process flow works, and what you see being done right or wrong.

Additionally, have you tested your mobile platform? With the majority of candidates applying from their phones, how is your process performing? It's incredible the number of mobile applications that don't work on both Android and iPhones, or don't even work on mobile at all.

This archaic model that companies have been using to recruit needs to change. The model the recruitment process has been built on is flawed and must change with the times.

However, we can't forget the human element that is still very necessary. No, we're not talking about cold calling, BUT it's still important to reach out to potential talent in some way that's not automated. Be it a text or a phone call, extend the hand that shows interest in their specific talents beyond a generic email.