The Digital Future of Recruiting: 5 Solutions to Improve Hiring and Retention
June 18, 2018 – In today’s competitive recruiting market, search firms must be nimble and efficient. One way to get there: Invest in digital tools to hire and onboard best-in-class professionals. Many organizations still use manual or paper-based processes, which are slow, expensive, and error-prone, resulting in inefficient operations and compliance risks.
A new report by DocuSign found that investing in digital operations reduces search time and costs while pleasing candidates and improving security and compliance. “Meeting demand and filling gaps in talent is crucial to success,” the report said. “Yet it is increasingly difficult to fill these gaps in a timely manner. Innovative recruiting firms recognize the need to change and have invested in fully digital operations to simplify workflows, increase staff productivity and improve compliance.”
These search firms recognize that only going partially digital falls short. “Organizations have typically invested in systems like ERP, CRM and HRM, but they find that these systems are often not integrated with each other,” the DocuSign study said. “Many of these systems also fail to connect to key constituents. As a result, even after investing in various technologies, organizations are reverting to paper and manual processes in order to transfer information or documents from one system to another, or across departments – and that’s incredibly inefficient.”
Director of Organizational Services Wanted at Club Quarters
Provide business advisory and HR consulting, resolution, and implementation support on a variety of topics including workforce planning, health and welfare benefits, employee safety, employee relations, recruiting, retention and talent development. Apply on Ezayo!
Digital’s Benefits
To succeed, organizations need to create a fully digital enterprise where all parties and the systems they use are connected, DocuSign said. Benefits of 100 percent digital operations include:
- Speed in attracting and securing talent – differentiate your organization though a simple recruiting and onboarding experience.
- Improved compliance – know when and where documents were completed and signed and access a digital audit trail from any device.
- Reduced costs – experience hard dollar savings from reducing the need to print, mail and fax, and benefit from time savings through improved productivity and lower search costs.
The Top 5 Recruiting Use Cases
“Organizations looking to improve their level of digitization can learn from peers who have invested in fully digital processes for everything from recruiting candidates to onboarding employees,” said the DocuSign report.
The company provided the top five use cases for digital recruiting and how it helps improve hiring and retention.
- Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) — Digital applicant tracking helps organizations reduce search costs, improve applicant matching and make more data-driven decisions. An application tracking system also increases visibility, enables consolidated reporting and improves communication among recruiters, hiring managers and candidates. Leading ATS vendors have customizable systems and integrate with social media
Staying Ahead of Rivals, One Digital Footprint at a Time
An explosive recruiting mandate has been emerging for executive recruiters keen on offering innovative expertise to their clients and finding new avenues to growth: finding leaders who can inspire and direct companies in the digital age.
- Offer Letters — Sending digital offer letters allows companies to accelerate the time to close candidates: the offer goes out immediately and companies secure talent sooner. Companies can also easily use templates and customize offer letters using one system. The ability to use electronic signatures enables candidates to receive their offer letters on any mobile device, so they can quickly review, sign, and return offers. This convenience is crucial when candidates are making decisions, said the report.
- Background Checks — Organizations want to simplify and expedite the background check process so new hires can start sooner. Investing in a 100 percent digital process requires a system that can automate the process of asking for things like education and employment history, and once they come in, verifying them. Going digital allows companies to track candidate history and easily respond to audits.
AI Reduces Hiring Risk
Related: Background Checking Candidates with Social Media
- Contracts — Organizations want to standardize contract completion and sign-offs to reduce errors and complete contracts faster. Digitally managing contracts allows organizations to maintain all contract details, such as pay rates, and companies can receive automatic alerts when a contract is about to expire.
- Onboarding — Onboarding can be laborious for new hires, with multiple documents that need to be reviewed and signed before an employee can begin working and adding value to the organization, the report said. Companies want a system that allows all documentation including I-9s, W-4s, confidentiality agreements and other company forms and policies to be managed digitally. Recruiting firms also want to be able to automate and customize the packages they send out once a placement is made. A fully digital onboarding system gives new employees a positive first impression and improves compliance with regulations, the DocuSign study found.
Top Practices for Successful Onboarding
Starting a new job is exciting, but it can also be stressful and challenging. Without a formal onboarding process, the toughest parts of the first days, weeks and months at work are amplified – which isn’t good for the employee, or for your business, according to a new report by talent solutions company Hudson Global Inc.
Implementing the Top 5 Use Cases
These top five use cases provide guidance for investing in digital recruiting applications, said the company. Identifying processes to digitize is a critical part of a firm’s digital strategy, but there’s more work to be done. The DocuSign study suggested that companies follow the following best practices to maximize the impact of your digital investments:
Related: How Companies Can Build Up Their Defenses Against Talent Raids
- Connectivity: Your technology vendors should work with the systems your organization has and will have in the future. A digital platform that works on any mobile device is also crucial.
- Collaboration: Implementing new digital technologies requires support from CEOs, day to day users, and partners. Successful companies have made digital investments a strategic imperative to drive awareness and adoption across the organization. Partners with experience deploying new technologies provide expertise and services to accelerate adoption and drive more immediate impact from digital investments.
- Compliance: Compliance is crucial. Do not compromise on security standards: Look for a vendor who takes trust as seriously as you do — and can prove it.
Related: How Companies are Preparing for the Future of Work
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media