How Recruiters Can Work Smarter (and Not Harder)

The security clearance industry has gotten smarter. Smarter with tech used to hire cleared talent. So, in turn, each recruiter needs to get smarter with it. As a small business recruiter, instead of spending five hours of your day sourcing in places where you are likely to not get a response, recruiters should be spending energy on tasks like building connections or their brand – while automating tasks that take time.  As a large contractor’s recruiter, you’ll likely need to streamline your phone screen and interview processes since applications isn’t where you’re in need, and sourcing is something unnecessary.

As every entity, whether large, mid, small or a staffing agency, competes for candidates, recruiters should lean on technology that will aid them in faster and more quality hiring. No matter what your recruitment practices look like, the correct software can help you to move in quickly on passive or engaged candidates, streamline your process, and optimize how successful you are in filling billets.

We’ve talked about chat bots in the past, and how they can assist in communicating with website visitors so you don’t have to wait for a formal application. AI being introduced to the recruiting / HR functions is a good thing, but it should be used wisely and evaluated with your specific business in mind. Like a virtual assistant, these other software solutions can help you prioritize what your recruiters should be spending time on.

Knock-out questions

This typically doesn’t use AI, however, it can be used to ‘knock-out’ bots or junk candidates on your website. If you’re still just collecting resume via a generic careers@company email and don’t use those killer questions on your site? You’re living in the stone age and wasting your time reading unqualified resumes.

One-way interviews

Talking to a candidate one on one should be a step in your hiring process, but there is no reason (especially for those large companies with hundreds of applications for that one requisition), that you should be phone screening every qualified resume that walks through the virtual door. A one-way interview will determine if that candidate should move forward to the next round, without taking valuable time from the recruiter. Generally, a candidate will see written questions on their screen, and using their webcam or mobile, will record and submit their answers to the potential employer.

Automated interview scheduling

This scheduling allows TA professionals and candidates to schedule interviews with the least amount of human contact (i.e., via text or chat). It takes the available time slots of the recruiting team into account, and then the candidate can choose times and schedule their interviews. This has been seen to also cut no-shows by 70% with reminders at different intervals.

Pre-crafted messaging

We know that cleared candidates get annoyed with generic rejection emails from employers. But consistent and pre-crafted messaging doesn’t have to be boring or impersonal! Plus, it can save your recruiters hours each week. Craft messages once (each recruiters at the company should be different) then your technology should be able to automatically send these at the correct times during the hiring process: rejection, moving on to the next step, pipeline / stay in touch, etc. The key here is ensuring candidates will feel like it is one-to-one communication from you.

Candidate activity alerts

Of course, ClearanceJobs Workflow has you covered for any candidate activity alerts depending on the secret squirrel you are looking for.

Janine Hunter, VP of Recruiting Operations at S4 Inc. says, “I do love that workflow tool. It worked for us almost immediately once we started using it for this an FSO position that we were trying to hire for probably for 8-9 months in Boston, MA.”

The challenge with the role was the salary and a small pool of FSOs in any given area that are looking to leave. S4 Inc. set up a workflow to notify their recruiters and send a message when an FSO in particular areas updated their resume. Of the three notifications the team received, two were a qualified match on skills and salary requirements, and of those two, they extended an offer that was accepted by the candidate. Ironically, the candidate they hired was not an unfamiliar one. Hunter had reached out four times about the role over the last 8-9 months with no response, because the candidate wasn’t actively in the job search. After the candidate was laid off unexpectedly, they updated their profile which triggered the workflow, allowing S4 Inc. to be the first company to reach out about a new role.

THE CLEARED RECRUITING CHRONICLES: YOUR WEEKLY DoD RECRUITING TIPS TO OUT COMPETE THE NEXT NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFER.