Staffing and recruitment personnel are increasingly under pressure to place candidates at short notice. Many clients require high-volume staffing and recent labor shortages have caused many recruiters to panic. The temptation is to ‘fast-track’ candidates that don’t necessarily meet job criteria, but this can lead to major issues further down the line.
Shortcuts are certainly appealing, but if recruiters sacrifice due diligence for speed, they run the risk of placing the wrong candidates.
If a placement doesn’t work out, the recruiter may end up re-advertising the position and starting the hiring process from scratch once again. This exercise cancels out the time saved by skipping vital procedures first time round, so it pays to follow all the necessary procedures from the outset.
Hiring the right candidate
Sourcing the best candidate for the job has become harder than ever. Increases in demand have coincided with a lack of suitable workers to cause staffing issues for a number of employers, particularly those in blue-collar industries.
With such pressure being applied, recruiters are frequently failing to consider role requirements and candidate skills adequately in an attempt to fill positions quickly. In fact, there are some alarming statistics that highlight the prominence of this fast-track approach.
Although exercising less scrutiny can save time in the short term, it can come back to bite employers. A candidate with the right blend of hard and soft skills is likely to be more productive and remain in the job for longer than a poorly matched candidate – regardless of whether comprehensive training is being offered in order to address the skills gap.
Careful candidate selection is clearly beneficial – but can it be done quickly?
Efficiency is the key to fast-paced staffing
Removing specific phases from the hiring process is risky, the focus should instead be on making each of them as efficient as possible. Technology is pivotal to unlocking this efficiency – without the support of an intuitive and reliable applicant tracking system, recruiters can get caught up in tedious task repetition.
Workflows
A predetermined workflow keeps recruiters organized, focused, and efficient. Mindscope applicant tracking software (ATS) allows users to create rules-based workflows that provide a clear pathway to placing a suitable candidate.
Recruiters can set specific criteria that need to be met before moving candidates down the recruitment pipeline. This ruleset can be fully customized depending on the client, company, and job order – steps can be added or removed as necessary and saved in preferences for future use.
Boolean advanced skills search
The search phase of the recruitment process can be made faster and more effective using an advanced ATS search function. Mindscope’s Boolean Search feature enables users to quickly filter candidate lists and select individuals with the appropriate skills and experience.
Workspace pipeline
Recruiters are always looking for quick ways to screen candidates and move them through the hiring process.
Mindscope applicant tracking software contains a Workspace feature that displays every candidate that has been attached to a job but is yet to be moved into the recruitment pipeline. This typically includes individuals who have applied online, been attached via email, or found using the candidate match function.
Each candidate in this list can then be assessed by the recruiter, and if viable, moved into the first stage of the recruitment pipeline. The system allows recruiters to maintain a meticulously organized pipeline of quality candidates – making placements as straightforward as possible.
Candidate engagement
Technology has advanced to make communicating with candidates faster and hassle-free. For example, recruiters can utilize the Kaptivate candidate engagement tool to set up automated chatbot-style conversations with job seekers to update their status in the candidate database. It’s possible to check an individual’s location, availability and pay expectations without picking up the phone.
Candidates can upload documents such as their latest resume, which can then be parsed into the Mindscope ATS platform in order to update their profile accordingly.
Kaptivate campaigns can be sent out in bulk via text, WhatsApp, or email to save recruiters from spending countless hours contacting individuals directly.
Client transparency portal
Tight deadlines go hand-in-hand with staffing and recruitment these days, and clients are always keen to know how the hiring process is progressing. Mindscope’s client transparency portal enables agencies to give clients more visibility and involvement.
Clients can track recruiter activity (resumes reviewed, phone calls made, screening sessions conducted, etc.). The portal also gives them the opportunity to become more involved in reviewing candidates by providing access to blinded resumes, before requesting interviews with recommended candidates.
Mindscope offers applicant tracking, CRM and digital marketing tools that combine effortlessly to give agencies the best chance of navigating the fast-paced staffing and recruitment sector. Request a demo today and discover how Mindscope can transform your approach to candidate and client management.
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