(Psst.. read the first part of the series here if you haven’t) Here’s the second part of how I’ve challenged my recruitment process… Putting together the recruitment strategy! This was crucial to me finding the right people because it’s all well and good to want to do things differently but without a plan I know…
Howdy ho! I hope everyone’s rugged up and staying warm – this weather is cray cray! I’m secretly loving it though. I love layering and winter fashion and pubs with fireplaces. For the regular TWIT readers, you’ll know that I’ve been trying something different with my recruiting recently. I wanted to test myself to see…
It’s me – Jody! If you’re a regular TWIT reader, you’ll know that I’ve been trying something different with my recruiting recently. I wanted to test myself to see if I could create a process without a single behavioural question in it. Working in the Government for a long time has conditioned me into thinking…
Looking for a TA career change but not too sure how to get there? Our ‘So you wanna be a…‘ series of articles takes a look at some of the more niche TA roles and digs deep into the who, how, and why behind them. Our resident editor Jody Smith will chat with some of…
We recently heard about the stellar job that MRPV (and the other major transport infrastructure project departments within state government) did recently on their grad recruitment campaign, and we just had to pick Jodie Le’s brain about some of the challenges her and her colleagues faced when tasked with running a volume recruit online at…
This interview is part of a 1-on-1 series featuring TA Leaders across Australia to see how their teams have responded to COVID and what they believe the next 12 months will look like. Click to read my chat with Ryan Biggs (AFCA), Tim Bartley (Grill’d Healthy Burgers) and Andrew Retschko (Medibank). Coles is an instantly…
When we talk to employers about their high volume recruitment needs, you can literally see the associated challenges reflected in their facial expressions. While finding niche, scarce skills is tough enough, the sheer magnitude of work that goes into high volume recruitment processes makes it one of Talent Acquisition professionals’ least favourite tasks. One of…
When we talk to employers about their high volume recruitment needs, you can literally see the associated challenges reflected in their facial expressions. While finding niche, scarce skills is tough enough, the sheer magnitude of work that goes into high volume recruitment processes makes it one of Talent Acquisition professionals’ least favourite tasks.
One of the primary reasons for this is that effective workforce planning remains an elusive goal for many large organisations. The challenge for internal recruiters is to remain equally responsive to all business functions when there are conflicting volume priorities and limited options to scale at short notice. How do you drive proactive Talent pooling when the population moves so quickly and a lack of workforce planning regularly places you in reactive mode?
In addition, recruiters need to create a meaningful candidate experience yet hiring managers often fail to understand their responsibilities in this process. Screening every candidate who has applied for your roles is the aim, but most people lack the time required to do so. On one hand you are so flooded with applicants for metropolitan roles that you cannot respond to everyone, while on the other there is a shortage of the right Talent for regional jobs.
So, what are the key success factors in the world of high volume recruitment? The first step is an effective job analysis to ensure that each role description accurately reflects the job and is aligned to the broader business strategy. The best place to start is by talking to employees who are currently in the roles you are reviewing. This gives you relevant insights into any gaps between the job description and what the role requires in reality.
Next, ensure you have robust selection practices in place that remove any biases and deliver consistent, objective and fair assessment against a fixed set of criteria. Design bespoke assessments that give you a holistic view of each candidate and their ability to meet the requirements of the job, both now and in the future.
While a growing number of AI tools allow you to assess every candidate application within minutes, it is important to ensure that hiring leaders have the necessary skills to select and recruit the right people. Therefore, offer coaching and provide reliable and validated interview content. After all, poor assessment practices will only lower candidate quality due to the inadequate evaluation of all critical attributes.
Thirdly, given that candidates can also be your customers, it is important to design all Talent Acquisition practices and processes around the candidate experience. Recruiters need to identify candidate suitability quickly, rather than failing to inform a candidate of their progress. So, make sure you engage with them through every step of the process with multi-faceted communication plans supported by technology alerts. Survey every single candidate, not just those who were successful, and use this data to continuously review your processes.
Finally, understand the ability of emerging technology to improve the candidate experience. With the right use of technology, the infamous communications black hole disappears and you can engage with and respond to all applicants meaningfully. Technology plays a critical role in high volume recruitment, provided you have a deep understanding of the candidate journey and where to apply digital versus human engagement.
Given all this, it is understandable that companies are outsourcing their high-volume recruitment to RPO providers – such as ourselves. RPOs provide the right level of high volume focus and expertise, freeing up a business and internal Talent Acquisition teams to focus on core and strategic roles. RPO providers also stay on top of the latest emerging technology and have a suite of tools that you can access and implement to drive better outcomes. After all, given the rapid rate of workforce change, flexibility and scalability remain highly relevant key benefits.
As I mentioned above, candidates are often your consumers. Therefore, you can’t afford not to give them the best possible engagement experience with your brand. High volume recruitment is fun, fast-paced and requires a lot of energy! But it is not for everyone – so, if it is a challenge for you or your organisation, perhaps you could consider the outsourcing route?
Cover image: Shutterstock
This article is contributed by Hays Talent Solutions.
