It’s officially the first week back at the office here at MyRecruitment+! Whether you’re already into the working routine, or still adjusting to sound of an alarm clock, we hope that you’re refreshed, motivated and ready to conquer 2021!
Now, we all know about the ‘New Year’s Resolution’ chatter that happens at this time of year…
‘I’m going to lose 5 kilos..’
‘Learn to speak French’ …’
‘Save more money…’
I’m certain we’ve all heard our friends and family rattle off these empty promises… which are often neglected by February. Maybe you’re even guilty of it – I know I can be!
However, this blog isn’t about these trivial resolutions. Rather, we’re going to talk about recruitment-specific resolutions to be implemented by HR professionals, to find the top-quality talent you need in 2021.
Unsure where to start when setting recruitment goals for the year ahead? Keep on reading for some ideas…
#1 Be strategic when searching for candidates
Finding those goldilocks candidates requires you to be calculated. It involves role-specific targeting, and the collaboration of multiple job-advertising channels. Posting an ad on a single job site just won’t cut it. Adopt a marketing mindset – who is your target audience? Or in this case, target candidate?
So, how do you know which job boards to choose? Modern recruitment software should have advanced, in-depth reporting capabilities, showing users which candidates have applied through which platforms.
Set the foundations for this resolution in the first quarter. Perhaps adopt a trial and error strategy! Post to a variety of job boards, interpret the data reports, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Maybe engineer candidates flood in from Seek, marketers apply through LinkedIn, but top-quality sales representatives organically make their way to your careers site. Hiring for an entry-level role? Maybe social recruiting will reach the bright university graduates you are looking for? You might even have talent pools or candidate databases, ready to be contacted when a position goes live! The only way to know is with cold. hard. data.
The image above showcases an example of a ‘Source of Data Report’ from the MyRecruitment+ platform. The report displays data from a previous job advertisement, detailing the number of applicants who applied through each job board used. The report also demonstrates where the high quality applicants were sourced from; seen through the applicants who were interviewed, and placed successfully. This information is invaluable when considering where to spend those advertising dollars!
Does your recruitment software offer you these metrics? If not, I think it’s time to reconsider your options in 2021! You can’t expect perfect candidates to fall into your lap. Embrace your inner sniper… be proactive and hunt them down in their natural habitat!
#2 Prioritise diversity when hiring
Having a diverse team is not optional in 2021… it’s a necessity. It has absolutely nothing to do with ‘ticking boxes’, and everything to do with having a diversified workforce to provide depth in experience, knowledge and perspective for your company.
Workplace diversity encompasses so much more than race and gender. Let’s break up workplace diversity into two key classifications; internal and external.
Internal Diversity
This is the type of diversity that involves the characteristics that a person is born with, and is impossible for them to change. This includes:
– Race
– Ethnicity
– Age
– Sexual orientation
– Gender identity
– Mental and physical ability
External Diversity
External diversity refers to characteristics related to an individual that are environmental. This diversity type is often heavily influenced by one’s upbringing and surroundings, but can ultimately shift and develop with time. Examples of these include:
– Religion
– Education
– Life experiences
– Socioeconomic status
– Relationship status
– Personal interests
Another diversity type to consider is worldview diversity – a marriage of both internal and external diversity. Worldview isn’t objective; it has nuances and variables that evolve as an individual goes through life. Some examples include:
– Political beliefs
– Outlook on life
– Moral compass
After considering the many factors, it can be overwhelming for a HR professional to;
a) Know which diversities they need to target , and
b) Find candidates that represent those diverse groups.
How could one possibly cover all the bases? Especially if the company has limited manpower in their HR department?
Ultimately, it’s all about authenticity. No HR professional is perfect, but if you have genuine intentions, you’ve already made a leap in the right direction.
The first step to achieving this resolution is to educate yourself. Read books, watch videos, enrol in courses and talk to experts. The more you know, the more clarity you will have as to how to tackle diverse recruitment. The next step is to minimise conscious and unconscious bias. This can be achieved with recruitment software that supports video interviews and AI generated psychometric assessments.
#3 Place emphasis on candidate’s soft skills
Last year taught us to expect the unexpected, as we never know what is around the corner. Who would have thought we’d live through a global pandemic? As the saying goes, adapt or die. Seeking out employees that not only survive, but thrive when faced with challenges, will allow you to create a robust team in 2021.
If you’ve been paying close attention to HR media, you may have come across the term ‘antifragile’. The concept was popularised by author Nassim Talib. Anti-fragility goes beyond resilience, as instead of ‘bouncing back’, one flourishes when confronted with tough times, using the adversity to their advantage. As I’m sure you can recognise, this concept is more relevant than ever, making it the ultimate soft skill of 2021.
I highly recommend viewing this discussion between Natal Dank of PXO Culture, and Tom Haak of the HR Trend Institute, where they delve into the concept of anti-fragility. It’s definitely worth the watch!
As an HR professional, how can you accurately determine a candidate’s soft skills, while still being time efficient? Recruitment software tools of video interviews and psychometric talent assessments are key to pre-hire candidate screening for soft skills. Any high-quality recruitment software should provide such capabilities. If you aren’t currently utilising the advanced technology available… you need to make it a top priority for 2021.
#4 Provide a positive candidate experience with seamless onboarding
Time for a hypothetical…
You’ve achieved your resolutions and found the ideal candidate for an available role. Good on you! You’re ready to send them their onboarding documents and contracts. You forward them an email containing various PDF documents that they need to print, sign, scan and send back to you.
The days tick by with no response, and you send a follow up email to check in. The successful candidate responds:
Good morning (enter your name here),
I regret to inform you that I must decline your formal offer. After much consideration, I have decided to accept an offer at another company. Thank you again for the opportunity.
Regards,
(Your dream candidate)
All that hard work has gone to waste. The reason? A poor candidate experience has occurred as a result of inefficient onboarding.
Even if a candidate has verbally accepted the job offer, a less-than-impressive onboarding process can send them running to competitors. Those top-quality candidates are a precious commodity – they expect a seamless recruitment and onboarding experience. If your onboarding process is manual, clunky and time consuming, they will assume your company is behind the times, and not a place they want to work.
Digital onboarding is the solution to minimise (or even eliminate) candidate drop-off. When a successful candidate is provided with a link to a beautifully-presented online onboarding pack, with a clear flow of data, digital signatures, mobile compatibility and a visible completion cut-off date… there is no reason to keep their options open!
If the final interaction between a potential employee and their new company is negative, all the time and effort spent in the lead up becomes redundant. Take a moment now to assess at your onboarding processes. What do they say about your company? If they suggest anything less than “cutting-edge, modern, pioneering, professional corporation” , then add ‘implement digital onboarding software‘ to your 2021 recruitment resolutions.
We’ve determined the resolutions… How do we stick to them?
Once you set the resolutions, rejig them to become SMART goals. Incase you need a reminder…
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound
Break the goal down into digestible, quarterly targets. Don’t be too hard on yourself; no one can expect to make these drastic changes overnight. You should share your resolutions with your team and/or supervisor, and even include them in your quarterly KPIs to keep yourself accountable.
Check out this blog post on tips to meet your KPIs, and apply the strategies to your recruitment resolutions!
Conclusion
It’s time to rethink the intention behind our ‘New Year’s Resolutions’, and take meaningful actions in order to achieve them.
As HR professionals, it’s the ideal time of year to reflect on our current recruitment processes, and set clear targets to ensure that positive change occurs.
Whether your 2021 resolutions include strategic job advertising, prioritising diversity and soft skills, implementing digital onboarding, or anything else, you must equip yourself with the necessary resources in order to be successful. Modern recruitment and onboarding software can help turn resolutions into realities.
What are your recruitment resolutions for 2021?
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