Finding new and creative ways to connect with job seekers can be difficult, especially if you’re working to increase the range of talent in your network. If you’re feeling stuck or you aren’t sure where to start, consider the many ways the right software can help. In this post, we outline ten tools all HR professionals can use to enhance their talent pool today!
Why is it important to recruit a broad range of talent?
Studies show that companies that hire people with diverse backgrounds and experiences have better results. When teams are made up of people with unique perspectives, they’re more likely to find creative solutions to problems, drive innovation, and achieve business goals quickly. Differences become a company’s strengths.
Because of this, your recruiting strategy has a significant impact on business outcomes. It’s impossible to see the success of a diverse workforce without first hiring people of different backgrounds, ethnic groups, genders, or ages. And you can’t hire a range of people without recruiting diverse talent before that.
Challenges companies face when recruiting a more diverse workforce
It can be difficult to reach people from various backgrounds if it’s not part of company culture or a priority at your organization. It might seem easier to continue current patterns. Or perhaps your hiring team doesn’t have the resources they need to make a new plan and achieve their goals.
Choosing the right software can help address these challenges. Technology can help source qualified candidates, streamline communication, and increase efficiency. Automation platforms, communication tools, and other recruiting platforms make it easier to build a healthy, diverse talent pool without adding extra stress to the team.
10 Technologies you can leverage for recruiting success
Build a broader network faster with the support of technology. The right tools will save your team time, guide them to more informed hiring decisions, and contribute to long-term organizational health.
1. AI-based tools to screen resumes and applications
Using artificial intelligence to help review resumes is an easy way to save time and energy. Focus on the resumes that fit job requirements and avoid sifting through applications that don’t come close. Allowing software to streamline this part of the recruitment process also ensures fairness. Only objectively qualified applications are surfaced for further review.
2. Job boards specifically designed for candidates from various backgrounds
Including a wide variety of people in your pool of candidates is the surest way to build a dynamic and healthy workforce. Find online communities or job boards that reach people from traditionally underrepresented groups. Many online spaces are dedicated to job seekers of certain ethnicities, genders, or sexual orientations. Visiting these job boards and inviting people to join your talent network increases the chance that you’ll hire individuals with different perspectives, abilities, and ideas.
3. Chatbots to answer initial queries from candidates
Save time and focus on your leading candidates by engaging chatbots early in the hiring process. Chatbots can answer simple questions, match job seekers with open roles, and assist with scheduling. Automated messaging can also deliver reminders, invitations to apply, or notifications that a candidate has been passed over. Handing these tasks to AI will give recruiters time to build relationships with top applicants and have deeper discussions with hiring managers.
4. Technology that supports structured interviews
A structured interview process asks the same job-specific questions of each applicant. Delivering the same interviews to each person makes comparing and contrasting responses easier and leads to a more fair evaluation of each candidate’s skills and abilities. Technology can support this strategy by generating the best interview questions, flagging inappropriate questions, and helping interviewers agree on a scoring system for each conversation. This consistency and structure will help the talent acquisition team make fair and informed decisions faster.
5. Data analytics that track and measure candidate demographics
It’s not enough to assume you have a balanced group of applicants in your network or diverse candidates on your shortlist. A healthy talent pool isn’t skewed heavily toward just one kind of person. Rather, it should be made up of people with a range of backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and skills. For full visibility, keep track of analytics and review your data. It’s only with data that hiring teams can know that their pool is varied and healthy, or if there is more work to do.
6. Software that checks job descriptions for welcoming language
Don’t risk turning away great talent with poorly written job ads or job descriptions. Use software to check for words that attract qualified job seekers. Replace language that inadvertently turns away applicants. For instance, some words appeal to men while excluding other genders, and some language shows a preference for people in one age group or another. A job description language tool can help you check your work and replace any exclusionary language.
7. Software that facilitates collaboration among hiring teams
Teams that collaborate make smarter decisions. Recruitment technology can assist this decision-making process. Video interview software might allow clip-sharing for easy review by stakeholders and executives. Other tools can generate interview insights like sentiment analysis or keyword flagging. These features draw everyone’s attention to the same important moments.
8. Video interviewing platforms to conduct remote interviews
One-way interviews provide helpful context when moving potential candidates through the hiring process. They allow job seekers to showcase their personalities and support more informed hiring decisions. Live video interviews can do the same. With recorded interviews, teams can review conversations for more accurate decision-making. Video interview technology also opens up the talent pool – instead of only meeting local job seekers, talent from other states or countries is available too.
9. Technology for skills assessments
One of the best ways to get to know your candidates is to offer skills assessments. Providing sample projects or virtual reality tasks leads to more accurate hiring decisions. Skills assessments are also great for candidates who might not be comfortable in a traditional interview setting, such as neurodiverse workers or people who aren’t native English speakers. Someone’s ability to interview well isn’t necessarily an indicator of their ability to succeed.
10. Technology that encourages employees to refer candidates
Building a talent pool of people from different backgrounds is an ongoing process. As you continue to foster a dynamic workplace, consider the employees of your organization as a resource. When you make great hiring decisions, each new hire has their own network of connections. Continue your momentum by using software that encourages referrals to your talent pool. Use tools to automate requests and reminders, streamline submissions, and quickly follow up.
Engaging the right software at the right time is a great way to support your talent acquisition efforts. You’ll connect with more talent from different backgrounds and move them through the hiring process with efficiency.
Start leveraging technology in your hiring process
Deciding which software will serve your hiring needs is only the first step – choosing the tech organization to partner with is next. Consider Clovers: a leading provider of recruiting solutions that guides hiring teams to top talent fast. Save money and time, and make great hiring decisions with the help of job description optimization, one-way and live video interviews, and interview guides. Chat with our Clovers team to learn more!