Josh TolanWith St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, let’s talk about luck. In the recruiting industry, skill is absolutely essential but you have to admit, it doesn’t hurt to be lucky.
All in all, it is a lucky time to be a recruiter. Current trends and technology make it easier to find great talent quickly and effectively. We talked to four experts about what’s making them feel lucky when recruiting right now. Here’s what they had to say:
High Demand for Talent
We’re fortunate that there is a massive skills gap in the technology industry at the moment, meaning there aren’t enough workers to fill the positions available. At the same time, the number of jobs is increasing, so the combination of a candidate-short market and the speed that companies need these workers on-site means our contract divisions are performing really well. It’s definitely great news for us as recruiters.
Recruiters spend years building up relationships with professionals who trust us to place them in the right jobs, and companies also trust us to supply them with the best talent available. So as the demand for those people increases, recruiters who can find that talent will also be sought after.
With the massive skills shortage within technology, we’ve launched the Mason Frank Tech Academy to find, train, and deliver experienced and qualified candidates back into the ecosystem.
Zoe Morris, president of Mason Frank International
Inbound Recruiting
Inbound recruiting is a huge trend in the talent acquisition space right now. Instead of taking a more reactive approach, recruiters are starting to be more proactive and keep an active pipeline of candidates ready to go. This has helped cut down on time-to-fill for growth and backfill roles. Recruiters should be constantly sourcing and bringing awareness to their company — whether that be through job boards, sourcing tools, their ATS/CRM platform, or social media.
Be sure to broadcast posts on LinkedIn, utilize LinkedIn Recruiter’s “Open to New Opportunities” insight, and use recruiting marketing to keep the influx of candidates and increase brand awareness. Not only does this help keep a healthy pipeline of open candidates, but also it gets your company’s name out there and helps to gain followers. Someone might not be open to new opportunities today, but tomorrow could be a different story.
Camden Rendon, talent acquisition manager at The 20
Social Media
This is an amazing time for recruiting because of social media. We now have the ability to reach potential candidates through countless ways and most of them are free. There used to be a time when advertising was not as inexpensive as it is now, but with social media outlets, employers can recruit for $0, if done properly.
Recruiting is much simpler because of platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. It saves time because even though most posts won’t be shared, job postings usually are. You not only have your sphere of influence, but also the power and connections of those that re-post.
When I left my previous position, I was asked to help find a replacement. Through the use of social media, we were not only able to fill the position, but also it was filled with someone who was overqualified. She is still working with the employer and brings fresh ideas to the table regularly.
Jen Teague, recruiting and hiring consultant at Jen Teague, LLC
Time-saving Tech
Cloud-based recruiting software that includes tools like AI resume scanning and the ability to input applicant screening questions are huge time savers even for the smallest of employers. In the past, businesses had to purchase expensive applicant tracking systems (ATS) to be able to receive and store applicant resumes. These days, newer, affordable online software like Freshteam allows multiple users to view applicant data.
In the past, a job posting for an administrative assistant or marketing manager might receive hundreds of applications. These days, I can screen those applicants for basic skills — such as having them complete an online test, or having them answer specific questions at the time of application. Those who don’t answer correctly get screened out automatically by the cloud-based software, meaning that I have fewer applicants to look through. It’s a huge time saver and results in more qualified candidates.
Laura Handrick, careers analyst at FitSmallBusiness
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