Five Reasons Automated Hiring Systems Unlock Recruitment Success

Your HR hiring software can play a critical role in the success of your business. Aside from sourcing, screening and acquisition, your hiring systems create that all-important first impression and can dramatically reduce the administrative burden on your hiring team. Are you making the most of your technology? Discover how an automated hiring system can transform your hiring strategy

"Digital maturity" - defined by BCG as "a measure of a company's ability to create value through digitalization" - is a reliable predictor of business success across multiple sectors. People, processes and profit are closely linked to digital maturity, and in a world of remote and hybrid working, this has perhaps never been a higher priority.

HR teams are in a unique position to drive digital maturity, and automation can help achieve this more effectively. From simple process automation to intelligent automation and machine learning, replacing manual processes can have a significant and far-reaching impact on the way you attract, engage, hire and retain talent. And at a time when skills shortages are widespread—up to seven million workers are expected to be underqualified for the demands of their jobs over the next decade—any action that can help close that gap is worth considering.

We've gathered some real-world statistics on the biggest challenges facing hiring teams, including document management, and we're going to give you some insight into how this new wave of technology can help you overcome them.

The connection between technology and top talent

Are you one of the many companies looking to attract and retain top talent? If so, you know how important the employee experience is. It starts the moment a candidate clicks on your job ad and continues throughout every stage of an employee's lifecycle. That's why it's so important to create—and maintain—a positive experience from the start.

It's also important to remember that a positive experience can look different for every candidate and employee. The world of work is changing rapidly, and virtual recruiting can be challenging. A volatile recruitment landscape, high turnover rates and the day-to-day challenges faced by most growing businesses make this task even more complex.

But modern problems require modern solutions. Technology, particularly recent advances in automation and AI, can help HR teams reclaim valuable time, improve their hiring strategies and manage hiring processes and procedures more efficiently.

Does technology have the potential to lead the ‘future of recruitment’? Lucy O’Callaghan, Head of Talent at IceHrm, says: “Automation enables your recruitment team to work as effectively and efficiently as possible. By using automation capabilities early in an employee’s lifecycle, we can not only find the right [candidate] for the role, but also provide the best experience for our candidates. It gives them a taste of what it’s like to work at IceHrm.

“Recruitment teams are busier than ever before,” she adds. "With this 'one-stop shop' for recruiting, sourcing, assessing and hiring candidates, we save hours and give the team the autonomy to manage the entire process without interdependencies. An intuitive automated recruiting system is (almost) as good as having an extra team member.

"As we - like many other organizations - enter a digital age, we need to embrace changing technology and make the most of it where it already exists. A cloud-based hiring system gives hiring teams access on demand, which is critical when it comes to filling a role urgently: Since we don't have to be in a specific location, we can respond quickly and hire top candidates in record time. And all without compromising personal data. This can make or break a hiring strategy.

By and large, technology is the foundation of many successful hiring and HR processes. But what are the biggest challenges facing HR teams, and how can you use the features of your hiring software to overcome them?

Five real challenges you can overcome with automated hiring systems

1. Keeping up with technological change
2. The (changing) workforce is more demanding
3. Skills shortages and extended hiring cycles are compounding recruitment challenges
4. Time-consuming processes for common job postings are leading to heavy workloads
5. Employer brand management has never been more important

Problem 1: Keeping up with technological change

You're not imagining it: Smart technology is becoming obsolete faster every year (this phenomenon even has a name: the "velocity of obsolescence"). The more advanced technology becomes, the faster it needs to be replaced - and talent selection software is no exception.

How can companies keep up? Replacing multiple systems isn't nearly as easy as updating your phone to the latest operating system. The trick is to keep an eye on emerging trends: What are your competitors doing differently? What technologies are being adopted by other industry leaders? What are the biggest names in tech talking about on a regular basis? Forbes highlights the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which includes automation, as a trend to be prepared for. Is this an opportune time to be an early adopter?

The solution: Look to the leaders; anticipate the change and embrace it.

How are industry leaders using recruitment automation, and how can you emulate it in your company?

For midsize and large companies that do their recruiting in-house, automation is key to ensuring hiring teams are as efficient as possible. The simplest solution is to embrace change at a scale that's appropriate for your company: take the next step with your technology, either by making better use of what you already have or by upgrading to something that better fits your goals.

Automated hiring systems can help you bridge the gap between tech change and changing needs. Modern recruitment technologies allow you to screen, pre-assess, shortlist, engage with and develop successful candidates, while maintaining high-quality interactions at critical points in the process. Not only does this speed up the normally lengthy hiring process, but when your recruitment software integrates with other HR systems - such as onboarding software, ID and background check systems - you can solidify the candidate experience from the first interaction to their first day on the job. By embracing technological change, your company can show prospective candidates that your company is the right choice for them, and every human interaction can be more meaningful.

Problem 2: The (changing) workforce is more demanding

As if keeping up with technological change wasn't enough, the changing workforce also brings with it a number of challenges and demands. More and more candidates expect their future employer to offer more than the norm; the so-called "great quit" has created a ripple effect in the job market that still favors applicants despite economic uncertainty.

Collectively, younger generations now make up the majority of the workforce. This means that companies must change the way they attract and retain talent to meet the cultural, societal and economic characteristics of Millennials and Gen Z without alienating the other generations. The job market still faces the challenge of difficult-to-fill vacancies, and few companies can afford to let top-notch candidates slip through the cracks.

For Gen Z—the first digital natives born in the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2010s—the relationship with their work team is one of their top concerns, and the majority (68%) of this generation welcome AI and other technologies in the workplace.

Millennials - born between 1982 and 1994 - make up the majority of today's workforce and will spend four years of their lives applying for jobs. They know exactly what makes a good employee experience - and if yours falls short during the hiring phase, you may be missing out on exceptional talent.

The solution: Create a positive employee experience and use technology to create more opportunities

Using automation technology to shorten, simplify and streamline this process will leave a good impression on your candidates and can help your HR team identify the ideal time to reach out in person. Human contact at the right time can improve the experience and open the door to more meaningful conversations.

Digital natives and early adopters are not only comfortable with advancing technology, they expect it as standard. Elements like personalization, rapid feedback and engagement should be a given, and automated ATS recruiting software can help you meet and manage these expectations almost effortlessly. Despite all the differences, all generations of workers agree that employee experience is important, and a well-structured hiring process can improve this.

By taking control of automated processes, companies can provide candidates with all the information they want, such as company culture, compensation and job transparency, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) practices. By providing this information up front, more candidates are inclined to continue with their applications, while HR teams have more opportunities to have meaningful conversations with candidates.

This also builds trust, helps you create a respected employer brand, and helps attract and retain more talent in the long run.

Problem 3: Skill shortages and extended hiring cycles exacerbate hiring problems

Not only is talent difficult to find, but it takes an average of one month to fill a position. Any company struggling with unfilled positions wants their HR team to place a candidate as quickly as possible. Using technology to attract more talent and engage them more effectively only supports the initial stages of the hiring process. Referring the wrong candidate can lead to low productivity, poor morale and reputational damage, to name a few examples. So how can HR teams reduce time to hire without compromising the quality of hires?

The solution: Reach high-quality candidates and hire them more effectively

The talent team at IceHrm has taken steps to shorten hiring cycles by using recruitment technology. "The key to reducing time to hire is having effective processes, and these are supported by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)," says O'Callaghan. "Everything is in one place, which helps keep candidates engaged as the process is easier for the hiring team to manage.

To help you achieve the same results, here are the top recommendations and insights from the IceHrm talent team:

• Automated mass communication speeds up the typically long candidate screening process. An ATS isn't tied to office hours, so you can use automated responses to target suitable candidates even after hours, reducing the time spent on manual communication.
• Posting jobs on multiple job boards helps target and reach different candidates. It's helpful to have a central database (your ATS) to manage multiple job postings and applications.
• Filtering and scanning resumes according to the job's requirements helps eliminate unsuitable candidates. Be sure to include a range of keywords in your filters as applicants from other countries may use different terminology. To avoid being falsely disqualified, your filters must include a matrix of semantic keywords
• Expand your talent pool by retaining the resumes of candidates who are considered for future roles. Your ATS can manage GDPR permissions and securely store resumes so you can consider them for new job openings.

Problem 4: Lengthy, time-consuming processes for entry-level vacancies lead to heavy workloads

While highly skilled roles are problematic and difficult to fill, filling entry-level positions is proving just as difficult. Without automated intervention, you risk missing out on some of the best candidates and the opportunity to recruit faster.

Sifting through 506 applications for a typical role equates to an average of 50-68 minutes of continuous review of resumes per role - not counting errors.

Recruiting is only one part of a hiring manager's daily work, and spending more than an hour reviewing resumes for a role quickly becomes unsustainable. There is also the risk of unconscious bias, which can severely undermine both organizational and role-specific goals.

Whether you're looking for high-skilled or run-of-the-mill roles, relying on manual processes for tons of applications introduces unnecessary risk and places an unfair burden on the hiring manager. Setting up your ATS to automate this process can help you avoid human error and reclaim valuable time while highlighting the most suitable candidates. What's more, there are even AI tools on the market that can speed up (and improve) candidate matching.

The solution: Automate repetitive tasks, save valuable time, and avoid human error

Say goodbye to manual screening: Automate the process of pre-screening, shortlisting, scheduling interviews, and more by setting filters in your automated hiring system.

You can set up your selection criteria to shortlist the candidates with the best skills, experience and qualifications for the role, while reserving the applications of candidates who are close (but not quite “exact”) to the role to manually review and make a data-driven decision on whether or not to pursue their application.

Being able to consider every suitable application without having to spend hours manually processing this task will help you target the best talent every time.

Repetitive tasks such as acknowledgements of receipt, interview invitations and requests for formal interviews can also be automated so that outreach can continue through to the decision stage. This not only saves valuable time but also contributes to a positive experience for candidates.

Problem 5: Managing employer brand has never been more important

So far, we've looked at how companies can keep up with technological developments and employee preferences, shorten hiring cycles in a tough job market, and reclaim valuable time from repetitive processes. But what role does technology play in strengthening your employer brand? How can software honestly communicate your values, mission, and ethos, while giving candidates the information they need to continue their application process?

The solution: Intelligent automation makes it possible

An automated hiring system can engage employees at the right time: preparing for interviews, making suggestions, and providing key information about the company - its values, mission, vision, salary transparency, benefits, and details about what makes the company a great place to work - can all contribute to a positive experience. Instead of trying to persuade a candidate to see their future at your company, you can take control of the narrative by highlighting the benefits and values ​​you're proud of.

Automated communications that attract, engage and delight prospective employees will not only reduce candidate churn, but also solidify your brand reputation. Industry leader, “the place to be,” Employer of the Year: Whatever your employer brand goals, intelligent automation in recruitment can help you achieve them.

The golden ticket to recruitment success

Five real problems, one clear solution. Your recruitment software plays a critical role in the success of your company - now and in the long term. It may seem daunting to set up processes and implement automation, but with the right support and guidance from experienced software providers, you'll be well equipped to transform the way you hire.

Automated hiring systems, like IceHrm, are essential for modern recruitment. They streamline processes, enhance candidate experiences, and support business growth. Embrace this technology to stay ahead and build a robust hiring strategy.