Written by Andrea Frith

What is digital recruitment?

In summary, digital recruitment, also known as social recruitment or online recruitment, is when hiring managers or recruitment professionals use any form of technology to attract or hire the best talent available.

 

 

There are many different examples of the tools available, all with lots of positives and depending on opinion some negatives:

 

1. ATS (Applicant tracking system)

A good ATS allows much better filtering of candidates, allowing companies to optimise their time and money. Some advances come with various competency monitoring cloud-based tools with analytics, which enables powerful insights about potential hires.

Algorithms can be used to analyse and predict the personality of someone through the way they write their CV. Many would ask how effective this is and it will really depends on what you want to find out. A good example of this is that it can be used to identify how many jobs someone is applying for and if these are specific or candidates are just simply pasting their CV everywhere.

The data from a good ATS can be used to analyse the successful recruits. A recruiter can look at algorithms used to source talent and then look for how those they hired performed in the job. If there is a common theme or pattern, these can be replicated for future use.

Usage of a recruitment chatbot can be integrated into a good ATS and will allow for information from candidates such as their resume and contact information. It can ask screening questions about experience/skills and rank candidates on metrics, such as qualifications, engagement or recent activity.

All of the above are and will continue to change the way we recruit, but it is important to remember two things:
> The system is only as good as the data in it
> Candidates become smarter and out-wit the systems by knowing ways of creatively writing their CV in order to be found

THIS MEANS THAT THE HUMAN ELEMENT OF TALENT ACQUISITION IS STILL ALIVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE.

 

2. Virtual job fairs 

What is a virtual job fair? An interactive traditional job fair but within a virtual environment. This allows employers to:

> Interact with job seekers without time and expense of travel, as well as an obvious alternative during the
Covid-19 pandemic.
> Allows access to a larger number of potential candidates with no geographical restrictions

The advantages are attendance. On average virtual job fairs attract 7 times more attendees due to the unlimited capacity and round-the-clock convenience. But do either party get enough exposure to each other to determine cultural fit and sell themselves to each other? 

3. Social Searching

What is Social searching?

Social recruiting refers to the process of recruiting candidates through social media platforms like LinkedIn,
Facebook and Twitter. You can use social media networks to proactively search for potential candidates, build a relationship with them and encourage them to apply for opportunities.

It is perceived that the number one reason for using social media is to build a brand. Whilst sourcing candidates and potential employers offers short-term reward by building the brand it brings greater long-term benefits.

 

4. Video Interviewing

Obviously in recent times, video interviewing has allowed recruitment to continue. There are a variety of options available other than just using Microsoft Teams/Zoom to act as way of communicating.

Options available include voice-only interviews and on-demand videos/pre-recorded interviews. Many purpose built solutions now also include automated scheduling, assessment and AI-enabled virtual recruiting assistants. Many of these can integrate with an ATS.

In summary, there are a variety of tools available all of which can, if used correctly, enhance the success rate of jobfills, the candidate journey and save both time and resources.

I have to add though, recruitment is not an exact science, and nothing beats face-to-face contact and your gut feel!