Does your staffing firm need to catch up?
Many firms are tied to archaic processes and technology that frustrate candidates and recruiters alike. Most critically, outdated processes and technology cost you.
Time. Productivity. Placements. Revenue.
Make this the year you modernize your staffing operations.
It can be difficult to embrace and implement modernization in an established organization. Making multiple changes at once can be pretty dizzying. But in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, these investments are necessary to preserve both the short- and long-term success of your staffing firm.
We’re not talking about a full-scale revolution -- do not be afraid! In fact, we’ll help you identify where to focus your time, energy, and resources in 2019:
Technology.
You knew this had to be first, right? When you think about modernization, technology is of course at the forefront.
But modernization of your staffing firm doesn’t just mean a new ATS or another shiny new tool. It means strategic vetting and implementation of technologies that will streamline operations, improve candidate experience, and foster innovation and better prioritization among your team.
There are two specific areas of technical innovation we recommend placing your focus this year:
Let’s take a closer look:
Artificial Intelligence
Unsure how AI fits into the staffing industry? Do a quick Google search for “AI in the staffing industry” and you’ll find no shortage of headlines (10 million of them in fact), including:
10 Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Change Recruitment Practices
What Artificial Intelligence Could Mean for Staffing
Artificial Intelligence - The Future of Staffing
Most of these articles were written in the last 12 months, and with good reason. AI has quickly emerged as a transformative tool for our industry. We are just scratching the surface of how AI can impact the staffing industry, yet it’s already having a profound impact.
Here are just a few ways AI recruiting is impacting the staffing industry:
Automation
The value of recruiting automation is proven. It saves time, makes employees more productive and ultimately saves organizations substantially while reducing or eliminating errors.
This is one area of modernization where the staffing industry is woefully behind. Research shows that 35% of staffing firms don’t automate during prospecting, client engagement, or account management, and 40% don’t automate candidate selection, screening, or candidate engagement.
Here are just a few ways automation can make an impact on your staffing firm:
Employer brand and social media.
Branding and marketing are becoming increasingly personal. Your branding and online marketing efforts should reflect that important shift. Although it’s safe to say that candidates have never enjoyed being seen or treated like a “number,” that distinction is more important than ever as contractors seek to make personal connections with their employers.
While many staffing firms see social media purely from an advertising standpoint, it is in fact a highly personal platform for contractor care and candidate engagement.
When a contractor or prospect connects with your brand on social media, they are inviting your content into their feed along with news and stories from family and friends. You’re essentially being invited into their digital “homes.”
How are you responding? Most companies take that privilege and spam followers with ads, or toss links to blog posts. Still others automatically post links to their jobs, which means followers are greeted by sometimes hundreds of barren posts with plain links to jobs. No explanation, no personal invitation to apply.
When used properly, social media can attract, build, and nurture contractor relationships. It’s just that right now, very few staffing firms actually use social media in this very powerful way. And that’s a shame.
Understand and define what defines your employer brand and makes it resonate with candidates.
Although there are certainly some jobs that are more attractive to certain candidates than others, generally speaking, most staffing firms have access to great jobs. That’s not enough to woo (and retain) top talent.
Instead of relying on your jobs to do the work for you, focus on defining and communicating your employer brand. Who are you? Why are you a good choice for contractors?
New channels of communication.
Standbys like email and calls/voicemail aren’t going away anytime soon. You can still call candidates and leave voicemails, or send them emails and will often get responses to personal, well-crafted messages. To get your started, here are some cold email examples and templates that you can customize and use.
But to really stand out to candidates and build stronger contractor relationships, staffing firms need to start using preferred communication methods to reach candidates. Yes, candidates are checking email (although there is a trend of checking email once or twice a day rather than throughout the day to increase productivity). Yes, they’re still checking their phones.
But people aren’t checking their phones to make calls or listen to voicemails. In fact, 90% of time spent on smartphones is using apps.
To improve contractor care and candidate engagement, staffing firms will need to explore new channels of communication and tap into that 90 percent. Here are some ideas:
Modernizing your staffing firm doesn’t have to be stressful.
Implementing new technologies and changing old processes can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Our team and simple-to-use technology makes onboarding a breeze, freeing you to more quickly focus on what’s most important.
Contact us to schedule a demo and see how Sense can help you modernize your staffing operations.
