The importance of the onboarding process cannot be overstated. The steps your company takes will set the tone for the overall employment experience for each new hire. A positive onboarding experience can also lead to improved job performance, increased efficiency, and better satisfaction, which all play a role in engagement and retention. If you’ve been using an unstructured approach and want to improve it, this post is for you.
What is Employee Onboarding?
Employee onboarding is the process of assimilating the new hire into your organization. It includes transactional operations and person-to-person engagement. When building onboarding process steps, include the following:
Paperwork – gather tax forms, contact details, direct deposit, benefits, eligibility online, certifications and licensing such as CDL
Planning – create a plan that’s organized and deliberate with frequent check-ins
Introductions – connect new hire with team and broader workforce
Questions – make it easy to ask questions via virtual channels
Shadowing – video conferencing or other means for live but not necessarily in-person, on-the-job training
Team building – offer formal and informal ways to build rapport and common cause
Office equipment and software – procure and set up equipment
Meeting participation – set up Slack, Teams, calendars, video conferencing, etc.
Face-to-face – meet regularly but not necessarily in person
How Onboarding Can Make or Break the Employee Experience
The quality of onboarding influences everything that comes next! If your hiring process was effective, your new hire starts with high expectations. They are eager to dive in. Effective onboarding meets the expectations of an employee who had a great recruiting process. It continues to shape the employee experience.
Best practices for onboarding include creating a process that:
Is structured
Is personal and tailored to the new employee
Establishes brand loyalty
Helps the new hire be successful
Improves collective team morale
Unstructured employee onboarding can dampen employee engagement quickly. A too-short onboarding process can leave the new hire unprepared to perform their job.
The purpose of onboarding should be setting new hires up for success and decreasing the time it takes for them to become comfortable in their new roles. This only works if onboarding processes are designed strategically with the end goal in mind. But onboarding has become even more challenging with the rise of remote and hybrid work.
The Aberdeen Group (a market research firm) reports sobering statistics about the state of onboarding:
31 percent of new employees have quit a job after less than six months
53 percent of employees said they could do their job better with improved training
Only 32 percent of employers have a formal onboarding program
6 percent of self-labeled “disengaged” employees said they got poor training or no training at all
5 percent of new employees said they didn’t understand what was expected of them until they had worked 90 days or more
In 2019, Gallup reported that only 12 percent of employees strongly agreed that their employer does a great job of onboarding. In the study, researchers identified five common onboarding problems:
No one takes ownership of the process
Onboarding is too short
Onboarding doesn’t reflect the company culture
New hires don’t see a future at the organization
The onboarding process is unremarkable
Employee Onboarding Begins Before the Hire
Well before you can onboard a new employee, you need to create a position listing that generates interest and encourages top talent to apply. Think about what a potential new hire would want when creating job descriptions and establishing parameters.
Consider Benefits and Pay Scale
Compensation and benefits are two of the top priorities among jobseekers. If your organization’s benefits are lackluster, you could lose out on talented individuals who seek employment elsewhere. Low pay is also a reason to walk away from a potential position or offer. Make sure your positions are competitive in terms of what employees receive and how those benefits compare to what they could get working elsewhere.
Review Interviewing and Hiring Practices
Consider how your company will conduct interviews with top candidates and handle other steps in the hiring process.
In-office vs. Virtual Interviews
Interviewing is a key step in the hiring process, as it allows those involved to get to know the potential employee and what they would bring to the role. Similarly, an interview offers the candidate the opportunity to understand the expectations, culture and work atmosphere. You may choose to conduct interviews in person, especially if you’re hiring for an in-person role. But if you’re seeking candidates from various locations or hiring for a remote position, a video interview can certainly suffice.
Offer and Acceptance Letters
When you find your ideal candidate, the final step is making an offer. It’s best to provide an offer letter that outlines pertinent details in writing, such as the position title, expected work schedule, compensation, and benefits. Your offer letter template should include next steps and a place for the individual to indicate their acceptance of the offer and include their signature.
Your Employee Onboarding Checklist
Proper onboarding doesn’t happen by accident. Like any HR workflow, you need a list of tasks and a way to make sure everything gets done. With the right steps in your process, you can ensure the onboarding process checks all the boxes.
Preparing for a New Employee’s First Day
After the offer is accepted, you can start the onboarding process to help your new hire feel prepared for their first day. A digital new hire portal is key for this step. A two-way system allows the manager and HR team to share documents, which the new hire can review, sign and return.
Carefully Plan the Schedule
Your next step in the onboarding process is creating a schedule for the new hire. This plan should outline who the new employee will meet with and how they will spend their time over the first few days on the job. Provide the schedule digitally and, if the new hire will work in person, print a copy and place it at their workspace.
What Equipment and Supplies will be Needed?
It’s also essential to plan ahead to ensure your new hire has what they need to succeed from day one. This step demonstrates the importance of every employee and their needs while allowing them to get up and running upon arrival.
Prepare the computer, mouse, monitor, workspace, and any other equipment and supplies they might need in advance of the first day. You should also prep any tech-related must haves, such as a mobile or desk phone, tablet, and access to shared devices and drives.
How Can You Go Above and Beyond on the First Day?
If you want to really make your new hire feel excited about their new role, go above and beyond to make the first day more meaningful. Produce a company-branded welcome kit that outlines key information about the organization and their team, along with details about benefits, protocols, and expectations. In-person employees may also feel extra special if you host a team lunch, where members of the department can get to know each other in a more laid-back setting.
What Communications Should Occur Between Acceptance and Start Date?
As soon as a new hire accepts an offer, communication can begin. Create a letter that welcomes them to the organization and directs them to a point of contact for questions or concerns. If your new hire does have questions, follow up with a phone call to make sure they got answers. You could even put together a video that welcomes the new hire to the team or collect encouraging, positive messages from their co-workers to share prior to their start date.
New Hire Orientation
The next phase of onboarding involves orienting the employee in their role and with the organization overall. Explore the steps involved in new hire orientation.
Welcoming a New Employee
Help your new hire feel welcome by having their workspace ready for their arrival. If you’re welcoming a remote hire, greet them with a video or phone call. Make sure their team knows when they’ll be arriving so they can say hello and help them feel excited about the new role. It may be worth assigning an onboarding buddy to serve as a companion, guide and go-to for questions during their first week.
It’s also helpful to keep your new hire informed about any in-person needs, such as where to park, any dress code requirements, and how to access the building. Establish their logins and credentials so they can get up and running right away.
Essential Paperwork and Documents
Of course, part of the onboarding process is taking care of business in the form of new-hire paperwork and documents. If possible, send these to the new hire in advance of the first day so they can complete them on their own time. Filling out a huge stack of hand-cramping forms can put a crimp in the flow of onboarding.
Some of the key documents to complete often include:
Tax forms
WOTC forms
ACA forms
Benefits enrollment
Direct deposit and payroll details
Emergency contact information
Safety instructions
Timekeeping instructions
Employee Handbook: Policies and Procedure Orientation
An employee handbook is a key element of any onboarding process, as it outlines the information covered and allows employees to reference it when needed. Take a few minutes to orient the employee to the handbook, focusing on where to find specific topics and details. You may choose to go through the entire document together, depending on time and how you want the meeting to flow.
Your company’s employee handbook should outline business objectives, expectations, and policies and procedures that apply to all team members. It can also include logistics of employment, such as pay periods and paydays, work hours and scheduling details, and any timekeeping requirements.
Team Orientation
Orienting a new hire to their team is just as important as orienting them to the organization, if not more so. After all, their team members will be the people they interact and collaborate with on a daily basis. Think about how you could help the new hire feel welcome in a positive and exciting way. You might schedule a team lunch or outing to help everyone feel comfortable and relaxed outside the office.
Orientation Checklist
Here’s a quick wrap-up of what to include in your orientation process:
Greet the employee (in person: in the office lobby or at the front door, remote: video or phone call)
Provide an office tour, pointing out key spaces: workspace, break room, restrooms
Review key documents (if you provided new hire paperwork in advance, you can collect the completed documents)
Review policies and procedures (employee handbook, benefits and enrollment options, safety regulations, rules around technology and equipment usage)
Answer questions (establish a key point of contact for questions)
Schedule a team get-together (lunch in or out of the office, outing outside of work)
Things to Consider
Starting a new job is overwhelming. Think about how you can make it less so for your new hire. For example, you might include 15-minute breaks throughout the day to allow them to decompress and go through what was covered during the previous training session.
Don’t forget to assign an onboarding buddy to your new employee. Having someone the new hire is familiar with and feels comfortable asking questions can make a big difference in the overall experience.
Ongoing Training and Checkpoints
After the first few weeks, your employee should start to feel more settled and established in their role. But the process doesn’t end after that happens. Explore some of the key tasks to tackle as the employee settles into their duties.
Have a Clear Plan for the First Few Months
One mistake that many hiring managers make is failing to create a plan or schedule beyond the first couple of days. It’s unlikely your new hire will know exactly what to do after meeting with team members and training for a week. Make sure to outline a clear plan for the employee’s first few months in their role. Taking this step will keep everyone on the team aligned while helping the new hire understand what they’ll be responsible for in the coming weeks.
Regular Training for New Role
Ongoing training and development are among the most-requested benefits, as many employees want to improve their skills and continue to move upward in their careers. Offering regular training can help satisfy this need in a way that also benefits the organization. A more skilled employee can take on new responsibilities and oversee other team members while remaining loyal to the organization. It’s a win-win, so think about how your company can offer additional training opportunities.
Team Integration and Collaboration
Depending on the culture of your organization, you may choose to spend extra time integrating the new hire into the team and encouraging collaboration. Businesses with more collaborative cultures tend to benefit from additional ways to integrate, such as spending time together outside of work and getting to know team members on a more personal level. Other factors to consider when deciding how to handle this are the personalities of members of the team, personal responsibilities that may take up their free time, and how different roles will work together.
Collect Feedback to Improve Processes
As you move through the steps in the onboarding process, make sure to request feedback all along. It’s impossible to improve a process if you’re not aware of what people like and dislike about it. If you feel you aren’t getting honest responses, consider creating a survey that allows people to respond anonymously.
Outline Potential Career Path for the Future
Another aspect of bringing a new hire onboard is looking at how they can move up in the future. For most members of the workforce, the option to progress is important. Outlining progression paths and opportunities can also boost employee retention, loyalty, and productivity.
Ongoing Onboarding Checklist
Stick to this checklist with each employee, even after the initial onboarding process is complete.
Schedule regular check-ins (set aside chunks of time regularly throughout the first 90 days to see how things are going and find out if they need anything)
Assign training for their job tasks (provide them what they need to succeed)
Identify paths for progression (employees who want to move up tend to be motivated by clear paths)
Request feedback (you can’t make improvements if you don’t know what works and what doesn’t)
Best Practices for Perfecting Your Onboarding Process
As you continue to refine your company’s onboarding process, you can incorporate these best practices.
Onboarding Process Should be Consistent and Documented
Regardless of role or department, every new hire at your organization should have a consistent experience when coming onboard. Make sure your managers and leaders have access to a checklist used across the company, and a clear understanding of the expectations when bringing on a new hire. Document each step in the process and maintain that documentation in the employee’s personnel file.
Regularly Collect Feedback for Improvements
As mentioned, you need feedback to understand where you can improve the process. Throughout every step of the onboarding process, make sure to ask new hires what they liked and disliked about the experience. You may find that certain steps aren’t as necessary, while others would benefit from expansion.
Utilize Onboarding Software for a More Efficient Experience
An all-in-one software solution can make a big difference in the overall onboarding process. Using this type of solution keeps everyone involved and provides a digital space to keep records. It’s even more efficient if your hiring software includes onboarding features, as the data will flow from the initial application to the onboarding process without the need for manual entry.
Good onboarding tech is invaluable. With onboarding software like ApplicantStack Onboard, you can import new hires from your ATS into your HR system once. The data flows from the initial application to the onboarding process without the need for manual entry. Within the Onboard module, you can build customized onboarding checklists for each job position or work location.
Elevate Your Employee Onboarding Process
Exceptional onboarding can be an important competitive advantage and the benefits will compound over time. If your company doesn’t have an applicant-tracking system in place, ApplicantStack can help your team streamline the onboarding process and provide a better experience for new hires.
Basic Onboarding Checklist
Before First Day
Send welcome email and new hire paperwork
Ask new employee if they have any questions and answer them with a phone call
Share company information
Company directory
New hire’s email address and login information instructions and login credentials for company software
Notice of upcoming company events
Employee handbook
Provide new hire paperwork–specify which documents need to be signed and returned along with the due dates for completion
Tax forms
WOTC forms
ACA forms
Benefits enrollment
Direct deposit and payroll details
Emergency contact information
Employee handbook review
Policies and procedures
Safety instructions
Timekeeping instructions
Set up all necessary equipment
Get the employee’s computer, mouse, monitor, etc., ready
Prep any tech-related must-haves (mobile or desk phone, tablet, access to shared devices and drives, etc.)
Job training
Send email with links to training documents or videos
Share schedule for the first week (or longer)
Outline projects and goals for first month (or longer)
Assign an onboarding buddy to be a companion and guide during the first week
Send email with parking and building access info, reminder of dress code (if applicable), and work schedule
Notify all staff of the new employee and the day they will start
Establish any necessary logins and credentials
Assign onboarding tasks to appropriate people and monitor progress with your onboarding checklist
Create schedule so each team member can meet with the new hire during the first week
Plan get-to-know-you activity with new hire and their team
On the First Day
Greet the employee
Provide an office tour
Point out key spaces: workspace, break room, restrooms, gym (if applicable)
Review key documents (if you provided new hire paperwork in advance, you can collect the completed documents)
Employee handbook
Benefits and enrollment options
Safety regulations
Rules around technology and equipment usage
Provide a welcome gift: company-branded water bottle, apparel, office supplies, etc.
Answer questions
After the First Day
Assign small projects to new hire to help build confidence
Schedule regular check-ins
Set aside chunks of time regularly throughout the first 90 days to see how things are going and find out if they need anything
Assign training for their job tasks
Request feedback
Maintain communication between HR, hiring manager and mentor to discuss new employee’s progress
Check out other posts in our How to Hire Employees series:
Did you know that 95% of job seekers who click on a job ad will never finish filling out an application? Since the cost per click increased 54% in 2021 and 43% the year before, according to Appcast, the cost of losing the attention of candidates has skyrocketed. In order to cut through the noise, a positive candidate experience is becoming increasingly critical to drawing and retaining top talent.
The Pillars of a Positive Candidate Experience
A successful candidate experience is built on several key elements. Together, these factors help create an environment where each job seeker feels valued, respected and motivated to pursue opportunities with your organization. More recently, these three pillars have become a focal point for many employers:
Candidate-focused job application: Write clear, concise and engaging job descriptions that accurately reflect the role’s responsibilities, requirements and career potential. Be sure to highlight your organization’s unique selling points and employee benefits. A well-written description not only attracts the right job candidate but also helps them understand how they can contribute to your organization’s success.
Inclusive hiring practices: Develop and implement inclusive hiring practices that promote diversity and eliminate potential biases, including using a dedicated talent board and diverse platforms to advertise a job opening. These standardize interview questions and train your hiring team in diversity principles. You can foster an inclusive environment that appeals to a wide range of applicants.
Post-interview follow-up and closure: Provide timely follow-up and closure to each potential candidate after an interview, regardless of whether you make an offer. Informing candidates of their status promptly shows respect for their time and effort, leaving them with a positive impression of your organization. Give constructive feedback if you can; they’ll appreciate the candor and it helps maintain an open line of communication for future opportunities.
Empowering Your Employer Brand Through a Positive Candidate Experience
Understanding the connection between a better candidate experience and employer brand is essential for success. A strong brand communicates your company’s values, culture and commitment to employee growth and satisfaction. Showcase these qualities and create a desirable image for potential team members.
To make the most of candidate engagement, incorporate it into your marketing. Encourage prospects to share their positive experiences with your company, both online and offline. Use testimonials, success stories and social media to showcase your commitment to giving candidates a great experience. This not only reinforces your brand reputation but also helps spread the word that your organization is an excellent place to work.
Measuring candidate experience is another part of continuous improvement. One way to gauge success is using candidate experience surveys. They provide valuable feedback on your hiring process and help identify stages of the recruitment process to enhance.
How to Implement a Candidate-Centric Hiring Process
Many traditional hiring methods are failing to deliver the desired results. According to Linkedin, 73% of hiring managers find it challenging to discover the right talent for their company. Many recruitment issues can be resolved by reworking strategies around candidates, rather than expecting candidates to adapt to outdated processes.
Here are some of the ways to achieve this goal:
Simplify your application process: Keep your application form short and user friendly, asking only the most relevant questions to avoid overwhelming job seekers. Appcast reports that in 2021, nearly 70% of job applications were submitted via mobile devices. Make sure your listings are mobile-friendly to make it easier for applicants.
Prioritize communication: Keep each applicant informed throughout the recruiting process, sending timely updates on their application status and providing clear next steps. You can reach candidates where they are, on their devices, by staying in contact via text.
Utilize technology: Use an effective applicant-tracking system to improve the candidate experience by automating tasks, optimizing the hiring process and ensuring a seamless application venture.
Personalize the experience: Tailor your candidate communication to reflect the applicant’s specific skills, background and interests. Show that you have taken the time to review their application and understand their unique qualifications.
Demonstrate your company culture: Share information about your company’s culture, values and commitment to employee growth and satisfaction in the job description. Candidates should envision themselves as part of your organization and have a strong incentive to join.
ApplicantStack plays a pivotal role in shaping a positive candidate experience, setting your organization apart from competitors. Quicker feedback, a personalized candidate journey and inclusive recruitment practices allow you to attract and retain top talent with ease. Harness the power of ApplicantStack to elevate your hiring and onboarding process and strengthen your employer branding, ultimately securing a diverse and highly skilled workforce that will propel your business forward.
Nearly 80% of U.S. employees worry that they’ll lose their job during a recession, according to Insight Global. Yet, 57% of the workforce reports still looking for better pay and benefits – something fewer employers offer during financial uncertainty. In times of economic turbulence, unemployment becomes a widespread concern among job seekers, affecting their decision-making processes and performance during job searches. This anxiety can arise from several factors such as economic instability, high interest rates, inflation and rising living costs, all of which influence job security perceptions.
A tight labor market further exacerbates this fear for potential employees, while employers may struggle to secure top talent amid increased competition and a rapidly changing work landscape. As the number of remote and flexible job opportunities continues to grow, job seekers may find it more challenging to secure stable, long-term employment. Understanding the causes and consequences of unemployment anxiety is crucial for both job seekers and recruiters to navigate these challenging times successfully and for the latter to create tailored recruitment strategies that address job seekers’ concerns.
Job Insecurity: Causes and Effects
Fear of unemployment is a multifaceted issue that stems from various sources. Some of the most common factors contributing to this anxiety include:
Job insecurity: The volatile nature of specific industries and the ever-changing job market landscape can make employees feel uncertain about their long-term prospects in their current positions.
Economic instability: Fluctuations in the economy, coupled with recessions or downturns, can lead to increased concerns about job security, as companies may downsize or implement hiring freezes.
Lack of job opportunities: In competitive job markets, job seekers may feel overwhelmed by the scarcity of available positions that match their skills and experience, further fueling their fears of unemployment.
Personal experiences: Individuals who have faced job loss (or know someone who has) can become more apprehensive about their job security and the future of demand for their job.
Media influence: News reports and social media discussions highlighting high unemployment rates, layoffs and struggling industries can heighten job seekers’ concerns about their own job security.
These worries can take a toll on job searchers’ mental well-being, leading to a range of adverse consequences such as:
Anxiety and stress: The uncertainty surrounding job protection can cause job seekers to experience heightened anxiety and stress, which can negatively impact their employment search efforts and overall quality of life. According to the American Institute of Stress, job insecurity is one of the top reasons people experience workplace anxiety.
Loss of confidence: Prolonged periods of job-seeking or experiencing multiple rejections can diminish self-esteem, causing previously hopeful individuals to doubt the worth of their abilities and qualifications.
Depression: The emotional strain of unemployment anxiety can sometimes lead to depression, further hindering job seekers’ motivation and ability to engage in productive job searches.
Performance issues during recruitment: The fear of unemployment can cause employment candidates to underperform during interviews or assessments due to nervousness or a decline in confidence in their capabilities.
By acknowledging and managing the fear of unemployment, job seekers and recruiters can work together to create a more positive and successful recruitment experience that benefits all parties involved.
The Employer’s Role in Addressing the Fear of Unemployment
To effectively address the fear of unemployment, employers should adopt a more empathetic and compassionate approach in their hiring processes. These efforts can include offering support and resources to job candidates and implementing initiatives to create a more secure and comfortable environment during recruitment.
Here are some measures hiring managers can take to ease any fears among job candidates and make the hiring process less anxiety-inducing:
Communication and support: Regularly communicating with candidates throughout the hiring journey can help alleviate their fears and provide reassurance. Offer resources such as resume critiques and interview coaching to demonstrate commitment to a candidate’s success. It’s also useful to stay in contact with applicants rather than leaving them wondering if (or when) they’ll hear from you.
Job stability: Highlighting the company’s resilience and long-term growth plans can give candidates confidence in the potential employee’s job security. Sharing success stories and the company’s employee retention statistics can also be reassuring.
Holistic recruitment strategies: Leveraging social media platforms for advertising and recruiting efforts can help companies connect with a wider pool of prospects. By showcasing the company culture and values on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, managers can create a sense of transparency and trust.
Skills development and career growth: Promoting potential opportunities for professional development, training and career growth can help candidates to feel more secure about their long-term prospects with the company. Outlining clear career paths and advancement opportunities can help show applicants that there’s a future for them within the organization.
Inclusive benefits and perks: Companies should consider offering a comprehensive benefits package that appeals to a diverse range of candidates. Such a package may include child care support, mental health resources and wellness programs, in addition to more traditional benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.
By implementing these measures, employers can create an environment in which job candidates feel more secure and less anxious during the recruiting process. Focusing on transparency, communication and holistic recruitment strategies allows recruitment managers to effectively address the fear of unemployment and create a more positive experience for job candidates navigating the job market.
Enhancing Your Recruitment Strategy With Software and Technology
A well-planned recruitment method is essential for finding, attracting and retaining top talent. With rapid advancements in technology, hiring managers have the opportunity to improve their recruiting efforts by utilizing software and tools designed to optimize various aspects of talent acquisition. Here’s a deeper look into how technology can improve strategic recruitment:
Automation and efficiency
Technology can help automate repetitive tasks such as screening resumes, scheduling interviews and sending follow-up emails. By automating these functions, recruiters can save time and focus on more strategic aspects of evaluating whether a candidate is a good fit with the company’s culture and their potential for growth within the organization.
Enhanced candidate experience
A smooth and user-friendly application method can significantly improve a candidate’s experience and perception of the company. By using technology to make it easier for a job seeker to apply, you reduce the likelihood of losing top talent due to cumbersome application procedures. Make sure to assess whether applicants can use their mobile devices, as mobile applications have skyrocketed in the recent past.
Data-driven decision making
Advanced software and tools can provide valuable insights and data analytics that help companies make more informed decisions throughout the recruiting process. By analyzing key metrics such as time to fill, cost per hire and candidate source effectiveness, you can refine strategies and focus on the most successful channels for sourcing top talent.
Social media and online presence
Given the growing importance of social media and online platforms in recruitment, companies need technology that can help them effectively manage their online presence and engage with the passive candidate. Tools like LinkedIn Recruiter and Facebook Jobs enable a proactive hiring manager to target and connect with a potential employee who may not be actively seeking new opportunities.
Improved collaboration and communication
Recruitment software often includes features that facilitate better communication and collaboration among team members involved in the hiring process. With the ability to share notes, track progress and centralize candidate information, hiring teams can work more cohesively and make better informed decisions.
Diversity and inclusion
Technology can play a significant role in promoting diversity and inclusion in the recruitment process. Advanced algorithms and AI-powered tools can help identify and eliminate potential biases in job descriptions, resume screenings and interview assessments. By promoting a more equitable recruitment strategy, companies can attract a diverse range of candidates and foster a more inclusive workplace culture.
Remote and global recruitment
The rise of remote work has created new opportunities for companies to dip into the global talent pool and access skilled professionals located around the world. Recruiters can connect with candidates across geographical boundaries using video conferencing tools and virtual hiring events to conduct interviews and assessments, allowing them to tap into a broader range of skills.
ApplicantStack: A Powerful Tool for Your Recruitment Strategy
ApplicantStack is a comprehensive recruitment solution designed to streamline the hiring process and improve the efficiency of recruiting efforts. Through its wide range of features and integrations, ApplicantStack can help you optimize your recruitment strategy in several ways:
Customizable job application forms and questionnaires ensure that you collect necessary candidate information.
Integration with popular job boards and social media platforms broaden your reach and attract more applicants.
Advanced search and filtering capabilities help you quickly identify the most qualified candidates.
Mobile-friendly applications allow potential hires to submit their information from their devices.
Automated workflows streamline communication and following up with candidates, keeping them engaged throughout the process.
Analytics and reporting tools help you track key performance metrics and optimize your recruitment strategy based on data-driven insights.
ApplicantStack offers powerful and comprehensive tools for optimizing your recruitment efforts, allowing you to attract and retain top talent in a competitive job market. By embracing these technological advancements, companies can stay ahead of the curve and maintain a strong employee brand, ultimately leading to long-term success and growth. Additionally, providing support to potential new hires throughout the process can ease fears and keep everyone feeling positive about the future.
Talent acquisition has always played a key role in finding and bringing on new hires. But the work they do isn’t as beneficial if the new employees don’t end up sticking around, which is where the importance of talent management comes into play.
What is Talent Management?
First things first: Talent management refers to the development efforts involved in maintaining a workforce. The goals of talent management initiatives include supporting employees, improving productivity, and building a more cohesive team. With the right strategy, managing talent can keep a business competitive while enhancing employee retention.
By investing in the employees of an organization, the business can provide development opportunities. When team members feel more valued, they’re likely to stick around, which boosts retention rates. But talent management is more than just developing and supporting employees. It starts with finding the right person to hire, which is why it’s so critical for talent acquisition and management teams to work together closely throughout the recruitment process.
Building the right talent strategy involves assessing business goals and aligning them with hiring and retention, as well as delivering on promises made when bringing on new hires. Data plays a key role in the decisions made around the workforce, so having access to information that provides detailed insights is a must for all businesses.
Talent management includes:
Planning for hiring needs and the skillsets that can aid in achieving company goals
Recruiting top talent
Bringing on new hires in a structured and supportive way
Training and developing employees
Managing the performance of each employee with regular check-ins
Performing regular assessments of compensation and benefits packages
Planning for the future of employees, including advancement
Investing in Talent Management
When your company invests in managing talent, it becomes easier to minimize disruptions in the workforce. If an employee departs unexpectedly, this can cause a gap in coverage, which may impact productivity and morale. But a supportive culture with opportunities for development and enhancement tends to produce employees who thrive. Employee retention is also an essential aspect of keeping business costs under control.
Whether your company is considering adding new positions in 2023 or seeking to fill vacant roles, investing in talent management is a must. Encouraging those involved in the talent acquisition process to work closely with your talent management team can make a big difference in the success of the business, from finding the right hires to nurturing and developing employees.
How to Improve Talent Acquisition in 2023
An accessible talent platform is a necessity in any business, regardless of size or industry. Cloud-based platforms ensure that all team members have access from any physical location. If you’re looking to change the way your company finds, brings on, and supports new hires, WorkforceHub could be the cost-effective solution you need. It’s available with a robust talent management platform that aids in recruitment, while the HR side of the platform offers tools that boost engagement and support performance management initiatives. The result? Happier, more engaged employees. Learn more or request a free trial today.
Here are the other posts in the 2023 Talent Acquisition Trends series:
Indeed is the top job site in the United States, with 250 million unique monthly visitors. The company’s mission is to help people get jobs. ApplicantStack, a top-rated and award-winning applicant-tracking system, teamed up with Indeed to provide a helpful integration that allows hiring managers and business owners to get open positions in front of the right audience. Vanessa Pierre, a partner manager at Indeed, and Brandon Peterson, an account manager at ApplicantStack, co-hosted a webinar to cover this integration, along with details around Indeed’s search engine and algorithm.
Understanding Indeed’s Search Engine
Pierre kicked off the webinar with insights into Indeed’s history and success among jobseekers, with over 16 years of providing hiring insights and resources to help recruiters get their positions in front of top candidates. According to recent data, roughly 70 percent of Indeed’s users are on mobile, which emphasizes the importance of optimizing job ads for those browsing on their phones and tablets.
Recruiters must engage with talent continuously in three main ways:
Relevance: Including the right keywords in titles and making strategic investments into sponsored jobs
Meaningful: Sharing content that draws talent, performs well in searches, and uses outbound tools
Authentic: Actively curating the employer brand on the company page and maintaining consistency throughout all interactions with jobseekers
The Indeed Algorithm
Some of the key factors that impact a job posting’s relevance through the Indeed algorithm include:
The length of time a job has been posted
The quality of the content within the ad
The strength of employer brand
The physical location of the job
Reviews (from past and current employees)
The historical clickthrough rate
It’s critical for employers to incorporate quality keywords in job postings to get in front of those looking for related jobs. All Indeed employer accounts have access to helpful hiring insights on keyword performance data and trending analytics. This data is highly useful in creating engaging and relevant postings.
The quality of the title also factors into the visibility of each posting. Word count matters: The suggested title length is 60 characters (10 words) or less for desktop users and 35 characters (five words) or less for those on mobile.
Details matter to jobseekers, so it’s important to think about what to include as it relates to each position. For example, a retail staff member might look for details around the pay, including the rate and frequency, as well as the shift, location, and available perks. But a retail management candidate may look for things like growth opportunities and bonus structure. Include the right details as they pertain to the person who would look at the ad.
Indeed Sponsored Job Integration
Sponsoring a job increases visibility substantially, making it a worthwhile investment into your hiring and recruiting strategy. According to Indeed, sponsored jobs get 80 percent more applicants than non-sponsored jobs. Recruiters can also sponsor jobs, manage applicants, and view analytics, all from one place.
The Indeed integration built into ApplicantStack makes it easier than ever to create and update sponsored jobs. You can edit, stop, or pause your listings from the applicant-tracking platform and develop intelligent campaigns that optimize continuously to boost the return on investment. You only pay for results, or when a candidate clicks on the listing. Indeed doesn’t charge flat posting fees.
All you need to get started is access to ApplicantStack (plus a payment method) and a job that you posted organically on Indeed. Once the listing has been live for 48 hours, you can then sponsor it to boost awareness and get it in front of more candidates. Then you can sit back and watch as applications start to flow in, helping you to find the right candidate for the job.
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Recruitment is the lifeblood of any organization, as it’s crucial to attracting, hiring and retaining the best people that will help your company grow and thrive. However, it can be challenging to generate a wider recruiting funnel and attract the best candidates. To successfully hire the right people, companies need to focus on creating more compelling job ads that stand out from the competition.
In this blog, we’ll explore best practices and trends in job ads, such as focusing on specific job requirements, highlighting strong employer branding and using video to captivate potential candidates. We’ll also look at optimizing technology solutions to automate the recruitment process and enhance the overall hiring experience even further.
What is the Recruitment Funnel?
The recruitment funnel is a process used by recruiters to attract, engage and ultimately hire top talent. Composed of a series of steps — each designed to move prospects through the hiring process and towards the final goal of making a job offer — the funnel is a strategic tool that helps organizations build a strong talent pool and ensure that they’re hiring the best candidates for their open positions.
The purpose and benefits of the recruitment funnel are numerous. One of the primary advantages is that it allows recruiters to create a consistent and structured hiring process. By defining each step of the funnel and ensuring that each candidate goes through the same procedure, recruiters can guarantee that they’re making fair and objective hiring decisions. In addition, the recruitment funnel can help organizations build their employer brand and attract the best people to their establishment. When candidates have a positive experience throughout the recruitment journey, they’re more likely to view the organization as a desirable employer and recommend it to others.
Hiring During Economic Uncertainty
Economic uncertainty can lead to a challenging hiring process, but it’s also an opportunity to attract top talent that may not have been available in more stable times. According to the Department of Labor, job loss during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was comparable to the Great Depression, and in 2021, only 60% of jobs lost had recovered.
One key difference in the recruitment funnel during periods of economic tension is the increase in passive candidates. This term refers to candidates who are not actively seeking new job opportunities but may be open to considering them. Randstad reports that passive candidates make up 75% of the workforce. This statistic means that companies need to focus on recruitment marketing to attract these candidates, rather than relying solely on job postings and active job seekers.
To successfully get the right person at each step of the recruitment funnel, businesses need to focus on several key areas. Firstly, hiring managers need to identify where to look for candidates. This may involve leveraging their existing networks, using job boards and social media or partnering with recruitment agencies. Company leaders should also focus on employer branding, highlighting the company culture, mission and values to attract candidates who align with these aspects.
Additionally, businesses need to adapt recruitment process to be more efficient and streamlined. Doing so may involve using technology to automate certain aspects of the funnel, such as resume screening, interview scheduling and sending follow-up emails. It’s also important to provide a positive candidate experience, communicating transparently and promptly throughout every stage.
Don’t forget to focus on developing your current employees and upskilling them to meet the changing needs of the business. This can help to reduce the need for external hiring and ensure that the company has a strong internal talent pool.
Creating More Compelling Job Ads
In a competitive job market, employers need to create job ads that stand out. To widen the recruiting funnel and generate more interest from potential candidates, there are several best practices and trends that hiring managers should follow to improve the effectiveness of their job ads.
Be specific about the job requirements and qualifications
Job postings with clear and concise language on qualifications and job responsibilities receive more applications than those without. This fact demonstrates the importance of being transparent about what the job entails and what qualifications are required. Are you tempted to use words like “team player” and “self-starter” in your descriptions? If so, then you may be unintentionally alienating qualified candidates who don’t feel compelled by the term ”dynamic” to apply. Canva, an online graphic design platform, completed a massive analysis and found that 38% of job postings contained confusing jargon.
Focus on strong employer branding
A strong employer brand can attract candidates who are passionate about the company’s mission and values. Today’s applicants are less likely to consider working for a brand with a bad reputation, even if the pay was incredible. This fact indicates that potential candidates are more likely to apply if they’re attracted to the company’s culture and values. So, add the right information regarding in-house culture and perks, include relevant press and provide helpful details to help capture the attention of qualified prospects.
Don’t underestimate social media
Social media has become the go-to platform for companies looking to find top-quality candidates. According to Zippia, 57% of job applicants use social media to actively find employment. But it’s also a feasible way to find talented individuals who may not realize they’re qualified for certain positions. It’s possible to reach an audience of millions with just a few well-placed posts.
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook have millions of active users, making them ideal for employers to advertise job vacancies and connect with potential candidates. In fact, LinkedIn alone has over 875 million members, many of whom are actively looking for job opportunities. With the ability to target specific audiences and demographics, social media recruitment allows companies to reach a wider pool of contenders and find the perfect fit for their team.
Video can be a powerful tool
If you’re wondering if you should consider using videos in your job ads, the answer is yes. Video is an extremely effective means to captivate and recruit a job seeker, providing them with a better understanding of the company’s culture and working environment. In fact, CareerBuilder found that job postings with videos receive 34% more applications than those without. Make sure your videos are under 90 seconds long and explain job duties, qualifications and benefits in an entertaining way.
Stay on top of new trends
Using new trends in job ads, such as emojis, interactive content and virtual reality, can help job ads stand out in a crowded job market. Attracting potential candidates, especially Gen X and even younger millennials, who are looking for something different means offering something different. Some emojis mean distinct things to job seekers. For example, the purple unicorn, “🦄,” often indicates a search for potential candidate with unique abilities and skills.
Optimizing Technology to Enhance Recruitment
In today’s competitive job market, companies need to lean on technology to attract and retain top talent. Countless job applications are completed on mobile devices daily, making it more important than ever for companies to have a mobile-friendly recruitment process. Additionally, companies that use recruitment technology have seen significant improvements in their hiring process and combat the 60% of applications that are abandoned before completion, according to Linkedin.
One key technology solution for enhancing recruitment is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). An ATS can streamline the recruitment process by automating tasks like job posting, resume screening and candidate communication. This not only saves time but also ensures that no qualified candidates are overlooked.
Another important method for enhancing recruitment is a candidate relationship management platform (CRM). A CRM can help companies build and maintain relationships with candidates, even those who are not currently looking for a job. This allows organizations to build a talent pool of qualified prospects that they can reach out to when a position becomes available.
One example of a recruitment technology solution that incorporates both ATS and CRM functionality is ApplicantStack. ApplicantStack is a cloud-based platform that helps companies streamline recruitment funnels from start to finish. You can use it to create and publish job ads, screen resumes, communicate with candidates by text or email and start the onboarding process, all from a single centralized location.
Read more from the ApplicantStack blog to continue enhancing your recruitment process and start your free trial today. You can also view a demo to experience these features.
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