The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 13: Autumn 2019 | Page 33

TECHNOLOGY REVVED UP How can technology help recruitment? By Nathan Barakowski, OJO Solutions As every company knows, having a team of great employees is essential if you are to meet standards, grow in strength and compete within your market. Research shows that high-performing workers can be 400 per cent more productive than average ones, however, almost one-third of senior leaders also admit that finding talent is often their most significant managerial challenge. With UK employment at a record high, which has made hiring an incredibly competitive business, how do you attract the best people possible? To solve this conundrum, companies and recruitment agencies are increasingly turning their attention to the opportunities offered by new technologies. In Deloitte’s latest Global Human Capital Trends Survey, only six per cent of respondents believed that they had the right digital processes in place to support hiring strategies, which demonstrates an increasing awareness of the need to consider new ways of working, from using video interviewing to applicant tracking systems, resume screening software and recruitment CRMs. Perhaps the first thing to think about in the recruitment process is talent attraction. To make yourself visible as a company, market yourself as a desirable place to work and share your successes, having a well- designed website, along with an up to date social media profile is just the start of your journey. According to LinkedIn, 80 per cent of managers think that employer branding has a significant impact on their ability to hire talent. Before they apply for a job, potential candidates will always research you online, so having these key things in place is often the first step in enabling you to stand out from competitors. Of course, when you have a great website it’s not just about the design, you should also think about the in-built capabilities you’d like it to include. A website is important not only to attract potential employees, but to improve the candidate experience. Once you have someone’s attention, you need to keep them engaged through the application process, as for 78 per cent of candidates, the overall candidate experience they receive is an indicator of how a company values its people – which could make all the difference when you come to making a job offer in a bid to secure your top applicant. At OJO Solutions, we have a great example of this – we’re currently working with Bristol based recruitment company Quinton Davies who are investing in industry- leading technology to transform the way they work. After an initial brand review, we set about building an engaging website, fully optimised for mobiles, which puts candidate experience at the top of the agenda. We thought long and hard about the user experience, analysing the best way to help people search for jobs, as well as introducing chatbots to intercept people with questions and direct them towards the information they need. However, what you might not realise when you visit the website, is that everything is linked to Quinton Davies’ CRM system. So, if someone fills in an application online, the team can see it, in the right place, immediately. By streamlining this process and cutting out additional manual tasks, we’re increasing productivity and we’re helping to make the hiring process faster, which benefits candidates and recruitment experts alike. It’s also better for GDPR, as candidate data is all held in one central location. By now, you’ll begin to see the vast potential technology can have in this area. For the next stage of the project, we’ll be working with Directors Alec Quinton and Peter Davies to build intelligent bots that will supplement their services and enable faster and better recruitment. There are many possibilities. In San Francisco, for example, tech company Entelo has created a tool which can predict whether people are considering a job change based on what they’re saying on social media and how they’ve changed their profiles. When you digitise your recruitment process, you’ll find that you have access to new data which allows you to take a strategic approach, analysing your current online audience and adjusting your approach to engage with your real targets, including hard to reach and passive candidates – who make up 70 per cent of the global workforce. With technology lending a helping hand and enhancing the work you’re already doing, it’s possible to boost your business and create a better, more personal candidate experience, allowing you to focus on the areas where a human touch makes all the difference. @ojosolutions We transform organisation through technology. Our team of digital experts provide a full digital service, from technology strategies that automate and streamline your organisation to beautifully designed and functionally rich websites and apps. Consult Design Develop We work with you to ensure that your organisation needs and challenges are understood and translated into effective digital solutions. Our talented creative team of front-end and UX designers will work with you to create refreshingly different and immersive solutions. Our development team will push the boundaries of what is possible, building bespoke solutions in a faster, smarter and more cost-effective manner. Get in touch to find out how we can digitally transform your organisation. 01225 220 155 [email protected] ojosolutions.com OJO Solutions, The Old Gas Warehouse, Frome Rd, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1HA THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019 33