Author: Joe Busald

When was the last time you tuned-up your recruiting processes? (Yes, I compared recruiting to an automobile!)

What do you do to take care of your car?

• Check/change oil
• Replace windshield wiper fluid
• Rotate tires
• Put air in tires
• Wash your car regularly
• Vacuum interior
• Change air filter
• Check power steering fluid
• Replace timing belt
• Replace transmission fluid
• Flush radiator coolant
• Top off brake fluid

What’s more, if you really care about your car, you also get it serviced by a professional. It’s this peace of mind that ensures you sleep well at night knowing everything runs smoothly.

“But, Julie, how does this compare to our recruiting processes?”

I’m glad you asked!

If you’re an HR leader when was the last time someone evaluated your recruiting processes? Do you know what your candidates and new hires think about your company? In today’s job market, you can’t afford not to know these things. If you haven’t completed a tune-up recently, now is a great time.

What is a Talent Acquisition assessment?

A Talent Acquisition assessment is similar to an HR assessment where you either complete a department inventory yourself or partner with a talent expert to assess your recruiting processes.

What happens during a Talent Acquisition assessment?

During a Talent Acquisition assessment, you want to explore all aspects of the candidate lifecycle, from attracting to onboarding and retaining them. Here are a handful of questions to prepare you:

• What is your brand strategy?
• How does your brand stand out from the competition?
• On a scale of 1 – 10, where ten is the highest, how descriptive are your job postings? Do they describe the role and company culture accurately, or are they as dry as a piece of toast?
• How do you communicate with candidates throughout the process?
• Are you treating candidates like a valued customer? (Yes, I meant customer. We’re in the “people” business after all!)
• What type of white-glove services do your hiring managers receive from their recruiter or recruiting vendors? Do they get insight into the job market? Are they receiving training on the latest interview techniques?
• Describe the technology you use to track applicants. Is it easy-peasy or as painful as going to the dentist?
• How do you measure your results? Where is your traffic originating? How long is the candidate process? What is your time-to-fill? What diversity initiatives do you track? What trends are you seeing? What does the historical data tell you?

Bottom line: Whether it’s your car or your recruiting process, you can’t not afford a tune-up. You need to stay current to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck. If you haven’t reviewed your processes and tightened them up in the past year, it’s time for a maintenance check. You don’t want to find yourself stranded along the side of the road.

I’ve been asked several times over the last few weeks what I think the job outlook will be when we head back to work. Boy, do I wish I had a crystal ball!

It’s no secret that the job market looks vastly different than it did before, making it challenging to predict what will happen in the short- and long-term future. As a Talent Acquisition expert with nearly 20 years of experience, I know one thing: Now is the time to refuel and re-energize your talent strategy. It’s time to prepare for when the job market and economy recover.

Here is a top ten list of what you can do now:

1. Test your online application process. Go through the process of applying for an open position and ask yourself: Was it candidate-friendly? How long did it take? Was it cumbersome? Did you receive an automated response?
2. Evaluate your Applicant Tracking System (ATS). If you use an ATS, is it prepared to accept an influx in applicants? How are your workflows performing? How does it integrate with other technology solutions you use? If you don’t use an ATS, should you?
3. Don’t forget about your passive candidates. How are you staying in touch with your candidates today, even if you paused hiring? Engagement is essential if you want to be ready to secure the best-of-the-best.
4. Create or update your interview training. Put together a short “how-to” video host a virtual training session about how to conduct a successful interview.
5. Develop a training plan for your recruiters. Reach out to your vendors, industry leaders, or even survey your recruiters and gather ideas for a training program. You can also search for training resources online.
6. Review your hiring process from beginning to end. What story are you sharing with candidates? How many and what steps are involved? Are there opportunities to improve the offer- and post-offer process? Please don’t shy away from asking a few hiring managers for their thoughts, too.
7. Get a real feel for your candidate experience. Send a survey to your most recent hires to collect feedback about their experience. Would they refer a friend to the company? On a scale of 1 – 10, how would they rate their level of engagement? Do they understand the company’s vision, mission, and values?
8. Review your employment brand. What does it say about your organization? Does it tell a story? How are you using social media? Does your employment brand align with your diversity strategy?
9. Reevaluate your talent strategy in its entirety. Look at everything from workforce & succession planning, early talent programs, internal recruiting practices, etc. What needs to be adjusted based on the pandemic?
10. Spend time thinking about your data. What metrics have you been tracking and reporting? Does it make sense to continue reporting on those numbers? What other data should you assess?

The job market will undoubtedly look different in the latter part of 2020 than today, and those organizations that prepare accordingly will continue to stand out as an employer of choice. What will you do you’re ready for an economic and hiring boom?