A company is only as good as its hires, and a good Human Resources team is the backbone of a successful company. Hiring is a process that takes a lot of skill, effort, and time. According to Aviation JobNet’s post on “Tips on Hiring the Best People”, it outlines that appointing the ideal candidate for the job involves looking at attitude, allowing for flexibility, encouraging diversity, and asking thoughtful questions. These and many other factors are involved in selecting the right candidate, but the downside of being thorough is that it can lead to the hiring process taking up a lot of time.
Luckily, living in the digital age means that hiring managers can take advantage of technology to streamline their processes and make hiring faster and more efficient. Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli says that the U.S. fills over 66 million jobs every single year. Sifting through hundreds of applications can take up a lot of time, so it’s beneficial for managers to make use of current technology and ease the burden on both the HR team and the applicant. Here are some of the top trends in HR today that make the process of selecting the best candidate easier than ever.
AI Assistance
Artificial Intelligence may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but it’s technology that’s been aiding HR processes for years. In a post by Toolbox they list the three different ways that AI can enhance and improve the work of hiring teams. First, AI can be used for talent engagement potential candidates, automating communication and making coordination with applicants faster and easier. It can also be used to make processes more efficient, such as scheduling, completing time sheets, and training staff, which leaves more time for the HR team to work on more important tasks. Finally, it can be used to log and create a network of freelance and other per-project workers, who are expected to make up half the workforce by 2020. The trend of machine learning and analytics will only continue to grow in the coming years, so HR departments would do well to invest in training and systems related to AI.
Applicant Tracking Systems
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are another type of technology that HR teams have been using for years to much success. ATS is an automated system used to process job applications, as well as organize and manage the hiring process. Using ATS saves HR teams both time and money, and makes applicants’ information easily searchable and accessible. Learning to master and make the most of an ATS is essential for any hiring manager in the modern era. However, ATS does have its failings, and people in the HR field should be careful to treat it as a tool in their arsenal, rather than a replacement for an actual hiring manager. Automated screening under ATS makes use of specific keywords, so you may need to do a second sweep for good candidates who are switching careers or coming in from another field.
Social Media
In the decades before the advent of the internet, hiring a candidate was based solely on their resume and performance during the interview process. Nowadays, however, social media makes it easier for hiring managers to get insight into what kind of person an applicant really is. Hastac found that 84% of recruiters were using social media to seek out candidates, up 30% from 2011. Those numbers are steadily on the rise, and social media has become an important part of any candidate’s screening. HR teams can not only use social media to screen candidates, but can also use it as a platform to attract more applicants. Learning to maximize Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media platforms is a skill that hiring managers would do well to master.
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