Automated recruiting expedites the hiring process by tasking computers with work traditionally completed by the HR department. Specifically, applicant tracking systems (ATS) help companies manage a sea of candidates by sorting resumes according to a wide range of criteria and/or specified keywords.
Hiring Technology: Pros and Cons
By sorting out under-qualified candidates, automated recruiting systems save HR departments time and effort. These systems can even be used to schedule interviews without recruiter effort or update candidates on whether they’ve moved on to the next round of the hiring process. As a result, more candidates can be considered for each position, increasing your chances of finding the perfect recruit.
That’s not to say that there aren’t critics of automated recruiting systems. In an article for Inc., Lou Adler, CEO of the Adler Group, states that most automated recruiting options focus on “weeding out the weak rather than finding the best.”
Though these systems help recruiters eliminate candidates that are clearly wrong for the job, they may not help you find the best applicant. Adler recommends developing systems that can “predict success” based on the “available information and data.”
Sep Barkhodaee offers a different opinion in a post for IT Business. Barkhodaee contends that it’s better to rely on data-based algorithms when you’re hiring for a large number of similar roles. Hotels or retailers, for instance, may enjoy better results with automated recruiting.
An Evolving Technology
In the future, however, applicant tracking systems might prove they can do much more than weed out the weak, a new partnership may bring us closer to fully developing recruiting technologies that can pick out the best candidates. Chequed, a cloud-based candidate recruitment software developer acquired by Harver, partnered with Mindfield, a Canadian organisation that recruits hourly workers.
Chequed uses Predictive Talent Selection — software developed with the Psychology Department at the State University of New York at Albany — to assess candidates’ personalities, as well their behaviour and cultural background.
The product not only finds candidates with the right qualifications and experience levels, but also ensures that new hires will prove to be a good fit in the company. Mindfield, whose clients include premiere retail brands, hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores, will integrate Chequed’s technology into its candidate assessment system.
Greg Moran, Chequed’s CEO, describes the partnership as “a perfect storm” of two cutting-edge companies coming together to “transform candidate recruitment and hiring.” According to Moran, the true beneficiaries of this move are “the corporate clients of Mindfield, who will save time and money while attracting and retaining high-quality, high-performing employees that will serve to grow their bottom line.”
The Future of Hiring
Chequed’s recent merger shows that recruiting technologies are expanding and improving, as recruiting software companies build upon automated systems to provide their clients with better information and clearer insight.
Another product of this wave of new recruiting technology is online video interview software, which far more efficiently fulfills the responsibilities of phone screening or first round interviews.
When it comes to automation, Harver allows recruiters to pre-set questions to boost the speed of talent selection. You can also include filter questions prior to the video interview, making sure only the candidates who meet the employer’s requirements spend time taking the interview.
Additionally, organisations can use the platform to send out rejection notices to unsuitable candidates, automating the process every step of the way. Harver can seamlessly integrate into existing applicant tracking systems, allowing you to get a more accurate feel for your candidates’ personalities and attitudes.
Although many arguments focus on the negative relationship between automation and candidate experience, these aspects of Harver’s platform mean a candidate can have the human touch without actually speaking to someone in a live environment.
It also means they know exactly where they stand, promoting your organisation as one that cares about its candidates and ultimately, improving employer brand and perception.
Much like all the other technological advancements in this industry, video interviewing will save you time and resources – without cutting out the best experience for candidates.
If you’re interested in how automation can be applied to improve the recruitment process, you can download our guide to recruitment automation.
