Anyone who has worked in enterprise recruitment understands the critical need to work as efficiently and accurately as possible. Yet, many of the systems that are in use today for candidate tracking and screening are time-consuming and clunky at best. While there have been some recent innovations that are transforming the way recruiters interact with candidates, recruiters continue to lean on old-fashioned methods that don't scratch the surface of candidate potential.
Rich DiTieri, CEO of Startup Institute, told HR Dive that most of the company's partners are using applicant tracking systems but are increasingly turning to lighter versions. DiTieri also said, “many more candidates are coming from network referrals and industry communities. Yet, it’s still a problem for many recruiters to identify candidates who are coming from more diverse backgrounds because much of the time, these sources produce the same demographics of candidates.”
Faster ways to screen are ahead
New candidate screening platforms that take advantage of artificial intelligence are giving recruiters a fighting chance.
One text-based interviewing platform, Canvas, was launched this summer and could disrupt traditional recruitment tactics. The platform is based on the way that candidates prefer to interact with recruiters, using intuitive text-messaging. This is especially appealing to adults under the age of 50, who prefer texting over phone calls, based on Gallup data.
Canvas enables recruiters to send a series of brief welcome and screening text messages to candidates, while allowing for rich content sharing and corporate branding. A recruiter can quickly begin talking to multiple candidates, enabled by Google keyword recognition technology that automates some responses. Questions are designed to learn more about candidates, and replace phone screens.
“In an average hour, a recruiter can make 2-5 calls to candidates, that is if they actually answer the call," CEO Aman Brar told HR Dive. "Canvas enables recruiters to engage with multiple candidates at once."
Built into the platform are scripts of the most common screening questions, but all of this is fully customizable. Assessments can be deployed. Recruiters can also capture conversations and forward them to hiring managers for review before setting up interviews. Most importantly, Canvas establishes a strong brand proposition with candidates from first contact.
Why new recruiting techniques matter
Text-based platforms also offer opportunities for sharing branded content and corporate culture with candidates. For example, if a candidate asks about the benefits package, an automated response can be triggered that shares a detailed benefits document link.
Brar told HR Dive that one of the things that Canvas focused on heavily is, “how candidates like to be approached, how to use this technology to augment current recruitment practices, and being mindful that it would come across as professional.”
Candidates who might be typically introverted or intimidated by phone interviews can connect with recruiters via text, for example. Brar noted texts can also connect recruiters with passive candidates who otherwise have no time for a phone interview.
“The way in which we do interviews today is terrible. There are no predictable outcomes. We still make bad hiring decisions,” DiTieri said.
Even if a candidate is brought on site for a day, he or she may be able to put on an act for that time period that isn't an accurate reflection of the candidate’s true potential. At SmartRecruiters, once candidates are thoroughly screened, they are tasked with a homework assignment that’s due in a week. This creates observable moments during which their work approach, work style, ethics and other aspects can be determined.
