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Technology & Recruitment

05.06.2014

Technology & Recruitment

Change brings both opportunity and challenge; and the I.T. landscape is no different for recruitment.

It’s often a job in itself just to keep up with the latest changes in technology as things seem to move forward at lightening pace.

I am however fortunate in that, for the most part, I believe change is good; but I guess I would with a passion for recruitment.

For me, change brings both opportunity and challenge; and the I.T. landscape is no different. Excellent processes and technology can give any business a competitive advantage, but it’s important to remember to be useful, technology has to solve a problem, not create one.

Mary Kay Ash famously said “A company is only as good as the people it keeps“. It’s a quote I believe to be true and being able to cast your net wider than ever before through online job boards, digital marketing and social networks certainly helps recruiters to find more candidates, but job seekers beware, this can also make us more selective!

Social media is undeniably a useful way to engage and share opportunities with job seekers, but would I say it’s a better platform to advertise vacancies on rather than dedicated online job boards? Not for the kind of roles I recruit, even taking into account the additional costs.

LinkedIn is still the stand-out social network for recruitment. It has always been clear in its intention to support rather than replace the industry, but when it launched in 2003 it was seen by many as the end for recruitment as we knew it.

Of course good recruiters simply use the technology to their advantage, recognising that there still must be a strong focus on people, personalities and culture fit if you want to employ the right person.

With Facebook testing pay-to-contact messaging and reportedly working on an official job board, it will be interesting to see if the world’s most popular social network is yet to transform the recruitment space; although you do feel there would have to be a significant shift in the type of content many users post if Facebook is to genuinely become the first port of call for employers.

The ease of mobile access to video conferencing through Skype and FaceTime has increased the number of ways recruiters can conveniently ‘meet’ with job seekers. Alongside online testing and assessments they can be particularly helpful in the early stages of recruiting, especially if you have someone looking to relocate.

One of the most important developments in recent years has come with the wide range of database and applicant tracking technology that is now on the market.

The choice is huge, but the productivity gains achieved if you fully embed the right one across your organisation are even bigger.

Most systems have the ability to hold a candidate database at the centre of a range of integrated software packages, parsing CVs and automating administration processes that would have previously taken up precious time.

The future seems to be where these databases no longer simply hold CVs and track emails, but instead delve much deeper. They now ensure social engagement is collated and advertising with online job boards is simplified. They’re fully integrated with websites and as a result add a whole new layer of useful data and insight, all hosted securely in the cloud so the information can be accessed at anytime from anywhere.

I think it’s fair to say I’m usually more ‘early majority’ than ‘innovator’ when it comes to technology, but I think it’s an exciting time when some of the best digital minds are turning their attention to recruitment to see if they can capture its human element and put it online.

Personally I don’t believe all the technology in the world will truly change the way we recruit, but the key is to try and keep on top of developments and use technology to make you more effective and efficient, even if, like me, that means stepping out of your comfort zone from time to time!

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