Businesses are constantly looking for more ways to increase efficiency and save time, from production to sales and customer service. The hiring process isn’t exempt from this – businesses use automation in staffing to bring in new employees faster and improve the quality of hires.
Automation in the workplace involves utilizing technology to perform tasks previously done by humans, enhancing productivity. We detail below how staffing automation works and a list of the best automation tools you need to know today!
What is Automation in Staffing?
Automation in staffing refers to any software program or system that enables you to hire more quickly and efficiently. Automation in the workplace includes streamlining repetitive workflows, processes, and communication throughout the hiring process. The goal is eventually to improve bottom-line and top-line growth.
Automation as a service (AaaS) is a model where businesses can access and implement automation software and tools without significant upfront investment. In staffing, this could mean using cloud-based applicant tracking systems or AI-powered candidate screening tools.
According to Entelo’s Recruiting Automation Trends Report, 75 percent of recruiters look forward to technology playing a bigger role in their recruitment process. This makes you ask, why does automation matter so much for recruiters? It’s because when staffing agencies can measure and improve every single part of their operation, they can create a structure and momentum for growth and improvement.
Read More: Automation 101 – Why, How, and What It Can Do
What Can Automation Do for You?
There are so many benefits that recruiters and hiring managers can realize from recruiting automation in the workplace. Here are some of the most impactful ones:
- Increased Productivity – Automation empowers you to work more efficiently and make better decisions faster. However, it’s not meant to replace recruiters. Instead, it lets them focus on more meaningful work by leaving the manual screening of curriculum vitae and prerequisites behind.
- Higher Quality of Hire—Automation increases efficiency and improves the quality of an organization’s recruitment efforts. It removes many unpredictable variables for job performance, leading to more consistent hiring decisions.
- Improved Candidate Experience – Through automation in staffing, recruiters can eliminate redundant steps in the hiring process and focus more on building relationships. Candidates also experience a streamlined process with faster responses and less waiting time on hiring decisions.
- Bias-Free Hiring – When screening, assessing, and ranking candidates becomes automated; common hiring biases are removed. As a result, ensuring that the entire process remains completely objective paves the way for increasing diversity in the workplace.
- Reduced Hiring Time – Companies face potential losses in profits and productivity each day a job opening goes unfilled. Because automation quickly processes candidate pre-screening, nurturing, and assessments, the recruiting team can save valuable time.
How to Get Started
Since many aspects of the recruitment process are subject to automation, it’s important to have a clear overview of what you can automate and which parts you can’t yet. This helps you better plan how to execute the recruitment automation in your company or organization.
Remember, automation enhances efficiency but does not replace human involvement. Your recruiting team remains essential for meaningful engagements that automation cannot replicate.
To get started, visualize your current end-to-end process and see where you can incorporate automation in staffing. Consider a standard Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) workflow, which typically includes:
- Job Posting: Posting the job opening in compliance with PERM requirements.
- Recruitment: Conducting recruitment activities to attract qualified candidates.
- Application Review: Reviewing applications to identify suitable candidates.
- Interviews: Conducting interviews to assess candidate qualifications.
- PERM Compliance: Ensuring all steps comply with PERM regulations.
- Labor Certification: Obtaining labor certification approval from the Department of Labor.
Next, analyze each phase closely: What could be automated? How? Which tools to use? For example, in the job post phase, you might use automated job advertising tools to post across multiple platforms simultaneously. For Application Review, an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) could help filter and sort candidates based on predefined criteria.
Read More: What Staffing and Recruitment Industry Leaders Should Prioritize in 2023
How is Recruiting Automation Used in the Hiring Process?
Here is an overview of how modern technologies and tools are introduced to each phase of the hiring funnel to give you a clearer picture of how automation in staffing works.
Job Advertising
Job advertising can be automated through numerous programmatic job advertising tools. Considered one of the best ways to use automation in staffing, programmatic job ads effectively cut advertising costs. You can purchase digital advertisements and take advantage of targeted, personalized advertisements based on set parameters through these tools.
It also helps improve employer branding efforts by pushing out compelling branded content via automated employment marketing across various platforms. Job postings now provide candidates insights into what it’s like working for an organization. You can paint a positive picture of organizational culture rather than just listing job requirements.
Job advertising tools to check out: Appcast | Joveo | Recrutics | Wonderkind | XR Xtreme Reach
Applicant Tracking
Commonly used as a recruitment automation technology, an Applicant Tracking System or ATS collects and tracks the recruitment process in a hiring database. ATS makes it easy for you to access details on which stage a candidate is in. As a result, your team can collaborate in the hiring process from the moment a candidate applies until onboarding.
Also, ATS tools have numerous functionalities such as careers site management, sourcing extensions, and video interviews. This automated system is invaluable for keeping organized and ensuring you don’t lose top talent by not paying attention.
Applicant Tracking Systems to check out: Oracle’s Taleo | Jobvite | Trakstar | Greenhouse | Workday | Lever | SmartRecruiters | Recruitee | Rival | Workable
Social Recruiting
Almost every social media platform nowadays is used for recruitment. Having a good social media recruitment strategy lets you be where the candidates are. Social recruiting tools also allow you to automate campaign launches and social network posts.
Plus, it lets you scan your employees’ connections as well as aggregate and sort data from social networking sites to source potential talent.
Social recruiting tools to check out: LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions | Hootsuite
Candidate Pre-Screening
Candidate pre-screening tools rank and grade candidates to move those who qualify forward to the recruitment funnel. It can evaluate and assess candidates based on skills, experience, and characteristics through their submitted resumes and other information.
Though many ATS features basic resume screening, built-in chatbots and virtual recruitment assistants are also often used for pre-screening.
For instance, chatbots gather basic information by asking questions, assessing answers, and interacting with candidates to determine their suitability for open positions. Additionally, chatbots can provide immediate answers to commonly asked questions candidates may have.
This feature can improve the candidate experience and leave more time for recruiters to accommodate more complex queries.
Candidate pre-screening tools to check out: Ideal | Freshworks
Chatbots to check out: Olivia by Paradox | Xor | JobPal | HireVue
Pre-employment Assessments
Pre-employment assessment platforms review candidates’ relevant skills and characteristics and automatically rank them based on the results. These platforms can also conduct quick tests and interviews.
Based on your needs, you can set up these assessments, from technical skills and cognitive ability to personality characteristics and situational behavior. These assessments are meant to provide you with a holistic profile of a candidate.
They can also integrate easily with the ATS you use to ensure you always have the most current information available about candidates as they move through the recruitment funnel.
Pre-employment Assessments tools to check out: Harver | Mettl
Interview Scheduling
One of the most tedious tasks in the recruitment process is going back and forth to check all of your candidates’ availability for interviews. Automating this part of the process is invaluable for saving precious time and providing a top-notch candidate experience.
Through automation, candidates can self-schedule their interviews if their assessment scores pass your hiring requirements. The good news is this functionality is common in most ATS.
Interview scheduling tools to check out: Harver
Candidate Nurturing
Maintaining a positive relationship with candidates throughout the recruitment process is important in building a strong employer brand. You can make this candidate relationship-building initiative through Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) systems. This tool allows you to check in on your candidates via automated emails.
Email automation in staffing ensures that your candidates stay engaged and don’t lose interest along the way. You can send out reminders to keep candidates posted on their next steps, such as interviews or other requirements to be sent.
CRM systems to check out: Beamery | iCIMS | Symphony Talent | Radancy | Yello | Avature
Background Checks
Before you officially hire a candidate, it’s best practice to conduct a background check first. Automated background checking tools feature name-matching technology, candidate research, red flags, and false hits removal. This can exponentially improve the speed and accuracy of your background checking initiatives.
Background check automation tools to check out: Checkr | GoodHire | HireRight | Intelligo
Candidate Rediscovery and Ranking
In today’s competitive recruiting landscape, it’s too much of a loss when you lose track of great candidates with promising profiles. This happens when you have to inevitably choose only one person to hire, even when you have a fantastic lineup of qualified candidates to choose from.
To build an organized talent pipeline to tap into for future roles, you’ll need an automated candidate rediscovery and ranking technology. It helps you identify past candidates and pull up their information and assessment results to speed up your hiring process.
Candidate rediscovery and ranking tools to check out: HiredScore
Automation is the Future
The hiring process can be difficult, but thankfully, smart technologies are now out there to automate it for you. By investing a bit of your budget in the right tools, you can save your company loads of time and money in the long run by hiring faster and smarter.
In a market that requires recruiters to find creative ways to compete for top talent, automation in staffing offers irresistible perks that you should start taking full advantage of. Free yourself from manual tasks and refocus your attention on getting to know candidates by using this guide!
READY TO REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR HIRING PROCESS?
At Allied Insight, we specialize in cutting-edge recruitment marketing and automation strategies to scale your business. As a fractional CMO and growth marketing company for staffing agencies, we excel in recruitment marketing, inbound marketing, SEO, lead generation, account-based marketing, and sales enablement.
Let our expert team drive your growth and efficiency. Contact us to discover how we can support your success.
