Changing demographics, a shortage of
qualified workers and the growing
importance of retaining top talent have many organizations modifying their
approach to long-term work force planning. But adjustments are being made to
short-term programs as well — including
processes for screening, interviewing and
hiring employees.
“Forward-thinking organizations are taking advantage of innovative technologies
and applications to streamline the hiring
process, reduce costs and enhance their
ability to identify best-fit talent,” says Kevin
White, director of operations for Spherion
Staffing Services.
Smart Business talked with White about
which automated tools are gaining traction, and why.
Why are more and more companies adopting
high-tech tools in the hiring process?
According to the latest Spherion
Emerging Workforce Study, many employers spend a significant amount of time
interviewing and screening potential candidates. The study found that the typical
human resources manager interviews an
average of nine people for one open position. And nearly half of the employers surveyed (44 percent) believe their hiring
managers are interviewing too many people to find qualified candidates effectively.
In addition, a study conducted by
Aberdeen Group found that 33 percent of
employers cite inefficiency, cost or lack of
timeliness in managing the hiring process
as a challenge at their company.
What’s the first step of the hiring process to
use these tools?
That’s the screening and assessment
function, where we’re seeing a new breed
of tools and processes beginning to change
the way the employment process looks.
Companies are using these tools to more
effectively — and quickly — tap into talent
pools, screen out unqualified candidates,
and assess an individual’s skills, behavioral
or cultural fit with the organization.
Innovations such as the Web, and phone-based technologies like interactive voice
response (IVR), have moved pre-employment screening to the top drawer of HR
hiring tools.
What are some of the benefits of these new
tools?
The use of automated screening and
assessments tools is now considered one
of the most effective HR practices today
for a number of reasons. By delivering tangible results — such as reduced time-to-fill-the-job rates — and intangible perks like
increased job satisfaction among hiring
managers — these tools can make a significant impact on any organization.
You mentioned tapping into larger talent
pools. How does that work?
Casting a wider net to increase your
applicant pool will improve your chances
of finding qualified candidates. Automated
application and screening tools give potential job candidates the flexibility and freedom to apply online anytime from virtually
anywhere — at their own convenience.
This is especially attractive to candidates
who juggle a full-time job and a busy personal schedule.
And when busy candidates are able to
search and apply online, literally around
the clock — the result is a larger, more
skilled applicant pool for the prospective
employer.
With a shrinking labor supply, is speeding up
the hiring process important?
Absolutely. And automating the screening
and application component speeds up the
hiring process dramatically by enabling an
entire applicant pool to be matched against
an organization’s inventory of HR requisitions. Automated tools can immediately
rank potential new hires based on ‘best-fit’
criteria, and quickly alert recruiters to well-qualified applicants when they apply.
By speeding the process, there’s less
chance of having a good candidate get away.
In the current job market, which we expect
to prevail for quite some time, the employer
who can move to hire with speed and agility wins the day (and the candidate).
Are there any quantifiable results from these
tools?
Technology-enabled assessments can significantly improve turnover rates at any
organization. With a poor hiring decision
often costing a company between two and
seven times the employee’s annual salary,
any positive impact on turnover can save
thousands, even millions, of dollars. In fact,
Spherion’s automated assessment tools
have shown to reduce turnover by 35 percent to 45 percent, thus helping companies
reduce employment costs and improve
their bottom line.
Think about it: more candidates, in less
time, at lower cost. When you look at the
results, it’s clear that technology has
improved the way businesses screen,
assess and hire employees. Really, now it’s
not so much a question of how technology
has helped — but more a matter of how
businesses are still managing without a
high-tech hiring process.
KEVIN WHITE is director of operations for Spherion Staffing
Services in the Southeast. Reach him at (904) 358-7864 in Jacksonville or at [email protected].
