With an increasing shortage of talent, recruiters are facing new classes of challenges. Clients want candidates with perfect skill sets to onboard as fast as possible, and candidates looking for assignments often have their pick of roles from several competing agencies.
AI-driven solutions have become the go-to option for solving those problems. Automated processes and chatbots have become mainstream and have expedited the time and energy it takes to find the right fit, engage with candidates, and measure performance.
But one challenge remains that not every AI platform can solve: giving candidates and clients the personal touch that can set one recruiter apart from the others.
As any staffing veteran will tell you, making a human connection is critical when it comes to getting candidates to sign on, and getting clients to feel comfortable bringing workers onto their team. It also builds trust that accrues over time and builds into repeat assignments for workers and clients alike.
But in a remote recruiting world – making that human connection isn’t always easy. Here are four ways that staffing can get personal and make a difference for your team.
1. Make a human connection
It’s easy for human connections to be lost in staffing practices increasingly focused on automated workflows; as it happens, it is exactly those tools that, when used effectively, keep the personal nature of recruiting alive. Automated tools like DivaReach and DivaChat can help staffing agencies stay connected with their prospects by initiating follow-up emails and texts, asking for feedback, and staying connected in the short term. They can prompt insightful conversations on what the candidate is looking or, how satisfied they are with the opportunity, or whether a different contract may be a better fit for their skillset.
Those kinds of connections, even when automated, keep candidates engaged with recruiters and committed to continuing with the hiring process from start to end. They show candidates emotional intelligence and signal to them that the staff handling their application are doing so with compassion and empathy. Live video interviews are especially important for humanizing the exchange between recruiter and candidate. The enhancements that a streamlined ATS brings to the candidate experience are also a determining factor, since it eliminates having candidates jump through hoops on multiple disconnected systems, which ultimately creates barriers to hire and abandonment in the process.
Recruiter-candidate connections have never been more critical to staffing agencies than they are right now. Despite an uncertain economy, the shortage of skilled workers in almost all verticals means that candidates have their pick of jobs, and recruiters need to use every tool to close on a candidate. Connecting with a candidate on a human level can sometimes put one offer just over the edge of its competitor, and make it that much harder for the candidate to say no.
2. Reassure the candidate with clear, transparent, and consistent communication
Just as important as making a human connection is having clear communication because it helps to ensure that the recruiter, the candidate, and the client have a shared understanding of the role, the expectations, and the requirements of the contract. This includes clarity over the assignment, its requirements, terms of engagement, terms of payment, mechanisms, and other practicalities. Clear communication also pays dividends as the candidate is onboarding, making sure there is a proper understanding of what documents need to be signed and when, what type of verifications are needed, and other standard work that could potentially fall through the cracks.
Communication clearly helps to establish trust and respect between all parties during recruiting, helping to build a positive working relationship from the start. This can be especially important for remote or virtual teams where face-to-face interactions may be limited.
3. Make sure the end client agrees about a candidate’s value
Getting personal isn’t a one-way street, and it’s imperative that it extends beyond the candidates and to the hiring managers at the end client. As the company that will ultimately be managing the employee, they are putting tremendous trust in a recruiter to find a person that will meet their needs as much as possible and fulfill the terms of the contract.
Being responsive, transparent, and consistent with your client is one of the best ways to alleviate the anxiety that comes with filling a contract role remotely, especially at a fast pace.
4. Follow up with answers to key questions the candidate may have
The accelerated pace of hiring makes is essential that candidates have quick, reliable answers to any questions about the contract they are pursuing. Questions are often practical –specifically about the skillset needed to fulfill the role, job requirements, and length of the contract, or payment terms.
Chatbots are fundamental to keeping pace. Because recruiters are constantly mired with filling dozens of contracts at any given time, it makes responding to all questions– no matter how concise – unrealistic. Chatbots can be used for the duration of the hiring process, answering questions that a candidate has even before submitting their resume, all the way to the interview stage until the day they are hired. A bot can support a streamlined hiring process that keeps the candidate feeling engaged and expedites the client's hiring.
Of course, bots cannot take the place of speaking to a real recruiter for more complex topics, and recruiters should always be available to speak with a candidate who has those kinds of questions, especially one who is the right fit for a contract. While a chatbot can do much to support a recruiter, it cannot do everything.
JobDiva: A personal touch for an automated world
When it comes to IT staffing, JobDiva gives agencies and recruiters a talent management suite that incorporates and prioritizes the personal touch that can set you apart. Automating a significant part of touchpoints ensures that recruiters are using their time and energy in the most efficient manner, all while keeping candidates continuously engaged.
If you’re curious about how our solution achieves that, feel free to request a free demo today. Or, if you simply have questions for our team, fill out our online contact form and one of our experts will be in touch shortly.
