Many companies are struggling to hire talent in today’s eminently competitive job market, but there are certain resources companies can leverage to improve their talent acquisition process and results. The first resource is technology – specifically Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS). It’s nearly impossible to find a company in today’s digital age that is not utilizing technology in their talent acquisition process, and there’s a good reason for that. The second resource is a Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) provider. Companies can hire RPO providers to expertly manage their end-to-end recruitment process and create hiring efficiencies.
In this blog, we will explore the benefits of levering a technology stack and incorporating an RPO program into your talent acquisition strategy.
Top 3 Benefits of Leveraging Technology in Your RPO Program
RPO providers are experts in identifying, recruiting, and onboarding top candidates to fit their clients’ unique hiring needs. And when you work with an RPO team, they frequently provide an advanced technology stack to enhance your organization’s talent acquisition program. If your company has certain technology tools that you do not want to part ways with, you can still keep them. A good RPO provider will integrate your existing technology with their own tools to fill any gaps that are present.
Benefit #1: Streamline and Automate the TA Process
Simply put, an ATS streamlines and automates the talent acquisition process from requisition to onboarding and every step along the way. These innovative technology tools create significant efficiencies for all parties (candidates, recruiters, hiring managers, etc.) involved in the process. We are all busy people – leveraging automation and AI tools to complete tasks quicker will make everyone’s workday easier and allot some valuable time back.
A good ATS allows recruiters to easily move an applicant through the entire recruitment process in a simple and user-friendly system. If your organization has an outdated TA process in today’s world, you are going to miss out on top talent who perceive this as a negative first impression. No one wants to endure a lengthy process that could easily be streamlined with the help of an RPO provider’s leading technology resources.
Many organizations’ primary talent acquisition pain point is a slow time-to-fill. Having technology in place that automates repetitive and mundane tasks improves time-to-fill, as it allows recruiters to simultaneously work on other recruitment tasks which speeds up the entire process.
The time that an ATS saves an organization allows their TA professionals to focus on the human aspects of recruiting that often make or break a candidate’s offer decision. Ultimately, leveraging technology to streamline and automate your TA process leads to increased satisfaction among candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers.
Benefit #2: Improved Awareness and Visibility
An organization is optimized for better performance when high visibility exists at every level across the organization. Being aware of the job requisitions your fellow recruiters are working on and where they are in the process with each candidate in their pipeline will ensure that everyone is working on the best tasks to move the business forward.
Your ATS can also streamline the way in which everyone communicates. Instead of sending emails and scheduling meetings to provide recruitment updates, communication can be executed through the ATS. The technology can be programmed to automatically notify candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers as a candidate moves through each stage of the TA process. Keeping candidates in the loop is crucial because it directly impacts your ability to retain them throughout the entire recruitment process.
It's important to note that this technology is only as effective as the employees utilizing it. When all employees consistently update their activities in a way that everyone can understand, they will always be cognizant of all internal affairs. This feature is most beneficial for companies engaging in high-volume recruiting - as it can be difficult to keep track of everything that is happening - which is why RPO providers prioritize technology that promotes organization-wide visibility. It is best to get ahead of confusion and miscommunication, and having a good technology stack in place will allow you to manage that.
Benefit #3: Advanced Data & Reporting Capabilities
If your company is not tracking the success of its talent acquisition efforts, you will never fully understand which aspects are working well and which aspects you can improve upon. With an RPO provider, however, this will not be an issue. RPO providers have first-hand expertise regarding what metrics you should track to uncover how successful your strategies are and how you measure against the competition. An RPO provider will essentially provide industry best practices and take away the burden of your organization needing to track this data.
Your provider can implement reporting technology to provide pre-determined standardized dashboards so your company can track key performance metrics for its end-to-end recruitment process. If your company is interested in additional data that is not included in the standardized reports, you can easily customize dashboards to include metrics unique to your organization.
One of the primary benefits of enhancing your reporting capabilities is the ability to identify bottlenecks in your recruitment process. Adapting your organization’s strategy based on data-driven decisions to eliminate bottlenecks will improve your talent acquisition process to ensure the best candidates are joining your workforce.
An RPO program will not reach its full potential if the program is not equipped with a solid technology stack. Improving recruiting practices with technology solutions will further your organization’s ability to hire the great talent that can be reached with the help of an ATS.
