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From pre-screening to onboarding to placement, automation can help transform every stage of the recruitment lifecycle. In a recent survey of staffing firms, agencies that saw an increase in revenue in 2023 are 32% more likely to have automated candidate screening.
In order to compete with larger rivals, small staffing agencies must embrace automation in order to streamline candidate sourcing, cultivate enduring relationships with both talent and clients, and stand out from the competition.
The benefits of automation
By automating mundane tasks in the hiring process, recruiters save precious time to better focus on the human-centric aspects of recruitment. With recruiters under pressure to deliver quick results, automation can unlock greater efficiencies and pave the way for recruiters to excel in their roles, ensuring a seamless experience for candidates and delivering high-quality results for clients.
What are the key processes that typically need automating, and which ones can make the greatest difference for small recruitment agencies?
Candidate communication
The capability to sift through and match CVs quickly and schedule interviews lifts the administrative burden on recruitment teams. Setting auto reminders when candidates have interviews and scheduling follow-up phone calls with clients means that recruiters can keep on top of every important detail and the status of every candidate application. They can then relay any feedback received to candidates quickly to keep everything moving seamlessly so that applicants don’t drop out of the process.
Additionally, communicating with candidates who have not made it through the selection process is also important, given that they may be a fit for future roles. Candidate relationship management for all candidates—not just the ones who get placed—is absolutely critical, as your company’s brand reputation is on the line. Keeping those candidates informed at all stages and sending them new potential job alerts will create an excellent impression. In today’s ultra-competitive hiring landscape, no stone can remain unturned in the name of quality.
Where many recruiters fall short is a lack of communication. In some cases, there simply isn’t an opportunity for candidates, which leads to them inadvertently being “ghosted” – they apply for a job and don’t hear back presumably, because they can’t be placed. Automation can be used to ensure that this doesn’t happen and, if handled with due care and sensitivity, can ensure that even candidates who haven’t been placed can leave the process feeling valued thanks to a positive experience.
Efficiency and productivity gains
As part of the screening process, and as a means of better helping recruiters to qualify and identify the right candidates for their roles, video interviewing can be a game-changer. A simple link with some questions can be sent to a candidate to complete in their own time, from anywhere in the world. This technology can really help to provide a more complete picture of the individual and their interpersonal skills. Perhaps more importantly, it reduces the time constraints that recruiters can face when trying to schedule video calls with candidates, which will often fall outside of traditional working hours.
Using recruitment software to automate job postings also enables recruiters to quickly distribute and integrate their roles across global job boards, social media, and search engines. The software can ‘multi-post’ jobs to these different outlets, saving recruiters time with individual uploads. With this approach, recruiters can also track and measure performance, enabling them to not only rank candidates but also see which channel is performing best. This, in turn, provides critical insights to help with budget spend and where to allocate money for optimal returns.
When choosing the right recruitment technology, small recruitment agencies must do their homework to find the right, affordable solution for their needs and budgets. This could mean automating one or two key parts of the recruitment process to begin with. Once you can prove a return on investment, more budget can be directed into other areas of the business.
Time savings
Automation has multiple benefits for smaller recruitment firms, but the greatest is the time-saving potential. One hour saved a day adds up to more than 250 hours each year or around a month’s work for each recruiter.
In the vast majority of cases, the outlay on tech automation will pay for itself in the long run. Ultimately, if small recruitment agencies don’t take the plunge and automate processes, they will lose out when it comes to connecting with top talent and partnering with key clients.
Ready to boost productivity, improve data health, and enhance communication? Learn more about Bullhorn Automation.
