Like many fans of Alstin’s blog, I read a lot of articles about the recruitment/HR industry, and one person I really admire is Kevin Wheeler who blogs on ERE.net. A few weeks ago, when I saw he was writing a “decade in review” article on the state of recruiting, I was excited to learn his thoughts.
The article is, as usual, insightful and filled with great ideas. However, the news when it comes to recruiting and candidates isn’t good. This is what really caught my attention:
How did recruiting fare over the decade? Did things get better for recruiters and candidates?
The decade began with the hope, maybe even the expectation among most recruiters, that the Internet would change things profoundly. Many of the writers and experts on recruiting predicted that candidates would be better served, that workloads would be more manageable, and that costs would go down.
As it turned out, neither the average cost per hire nor the average time to present a qualified candidate has changed much despite the introduction of all the tools that the Internet made possible. Applicant tracking systems were supposed to make it easier to keep track of candidates, present better candidates, as well as for a recruiter to qualify them. Yet, good candidates are rare and hiring managers complain regularly about seeing candidates who do not measure up to their expectations. Recruiters still can’t find good candidates, even when they have stored resumes or contact data in the multitude of systems that have been created to make this easy. Communication — now so easy with email and CRM — is as bad as always. Candidates are complaining more than ever of being neglected, and most remain in the dark about their status.
While these findings are indeed disappointing, I bet not many people in HR are surprised by the results. Certainly we have wonderful tools that never existed before–tools that were supposed to not just make recruiters more efficient and effective, but improve the candidate experience, lower cost per hire and allow HR people more time to focus on their employees. Nearly all HR people I work with are intelligent, savvy, motivated and very, very good at what they do. Of course, there are many noted success stories but, for the most part, these expected improvements just did not happen. Where did we go wrong?
As I’ve said before, I do think we make the mistake of overestimating the power of technology and new tools, especially if we think it can fix systemic problems in already flawed processes. While a totally overloaded recruiter will certainly benefit in some ways from a great sourcing or tracking tool, he/she probably still won’t have the time to get full utilization out of the tool, not to mention fix outdated job reqs, analyze how to make their onboarding process better, develop stronger relationships with hiring managers, etc.
Kevin Wheeler says the best recruiters share three characteristics: (1)a deep knowledge of the industry they are recruiting for; (2)ability to build relationships with the right people; and (3)ability to practice the skills of good salesmanship. If you believe that to be true (and I do), you see that while technology can certainly help with those three traits, they can never be the real solution.
I think we’re also experiencing some of the consequences of the flip side of technology–or that old adage, “With new solutions come new problems.” For example, it’s so easy for an applicant to apply now vs. twenty years ago–when you had to print out a resume and cover letter and mail it to the HR Dept. Sure the candidate isn’t remotely qualified for that position, but if it only takes him two clicks to apply and he’s desperate for employment, why not? Combine that with the huge job losses at the end of this decade, and we see an absolute flooding of resumes into ATSs, job boards and other sourcing tools. This inundation not only increases the burden on recruiters, it also raises the likelihood that a great applicant’s resume will never see the light of day.
What do you think? How can we get better?
Hey Tony, Good article and I look forward to reviewing more of Kevin Wheeler’s insights too. I have been in the recruiting game for a long time and technology has not changed the basic rules of engagement either way. You hit the nail on the head about technology destined never to fix “systemic problems in already flawed processes.” Wisdom for the ages, my friend, especially when time teaches that recruiting RESULTS (the talent we end up hiring) are subject as much to the numbers game as the hiring process itself. Thought you may appreciate posts on “Talent Building Building is Not Recruiting” and “Does Hiring Technique Matter?” at http://www.switchhr.com.