Evolving Into A New Era for Staffing & Recruiting With AI + Data + CRM

Economic slowdowns have created ripple effects throughout the global economy, necessitating that organizations pivot to stay profitable and achieve success. This is especially true for staffing and recruiting firms where supply and demand is in constant flux, making agility more important than ever before. In fact, it could be argued that when it comes to recruiting the right talent, flexibility and the ability to scale as needed are the make or break factors in a firm's ability to compete in today’s market.

Today’s recruiters are under pressure to do more with less, and many recruiters do not have the resources to fulfill this mandate. In order to generate growth and expand their business, they need the ability to:

• Find the right talent
• More efficiently and effectively match the right talent to the right job
• Build personal, scalable, digital-first experiences

However, knowing what needs to be done, and having the ability to actually do it are two different things. Staffing and recruiting firms need to empower their recruiters by building an infrastructure that allows them to innovate, access, and utilize the myriad of tools and resources at their disposal.

 

The key to a competitive advantage is technology. And not just any technology, but technology that is connected, efficient and smart. Firms need tools that give them the ability to collect, connect, and activate the data at their disposal, so that it can not only be used, but enhanced with analytics and AI.

This unified platform approach creates processes that are automated, data-driven and agile. It allows recruiters to:

• Replace low value activities (like data entry) with more important work
• Remove guesswork, gain insight, and receive prompts with “next best action” recommendations that enable them to fill roles more efficiently and effectively
• Adapt quickly and easily to new innovations like advanced analytics and generative AI

Ultimately, operating across a single ecosystem allows recruiters to unlock capabilities and create differentiated talent experiences that work to drive growth across the organization.

Recruiters have traditionally worked face-to-face, forging personal connections that enable them to find the right talent to fill open positions. However, the rise of hybrid work models have forced recruiters to adapt. Recent changes in how and where we work have necessitated that recruiters leverage technology to find new ways to build personal, engaging relationships with both clients and candidates. What’s more, today’s recruiter not only has the challenge of finding the right talent for the role, they also have to assure that all steps are followed, all necessary requirements are completed, and that everything is done in a timely manner.

The right technology can help recruiters cast a wider net and build a stronger candidate pipeline.

It is not uncommon for recruiters to find applicants by performing manual database searches, relying on spreadsheets, or placing multiple calls to people across their “network.” These methods take time and can create a bottleneck at the top of the funnel. Using a combination of AI and matching technology can help address this issue by instantly surfacing known talent. This type of technology not only ensures the selected talent has the right skills, but also that they display signals like availability, interest in switching positions, or a high degree of engagement with the recruiting firm. This allows the recruiter to find the right people fast. It also gives them a lot more data and information to work with. Robust candidate profiles include data pulled in from multiple data sources harmonized into one unified profile. This allows the recruiter to access important information, including things like: how many times the firm has placed that candidate, an AI-generated score on how good a fit the candidate might be for the role in question, the engagement level of the candidate, any relevant credentials, and past work history. It also enables them to automatically move them through the process. They can reach out via automated messages, promote the job, test candidate interest, get the interview process going, and even generate an offer, finalize that offer and then move the candidate into the onboarding process directly from the platform.

The ability to do all these things from one central location is a game changer. A single platform with a unified view means recruiters no longer need to toggle between multiple applications, nor do they need to keep track of candidates via notepad, or excel sheets. It also negates the need for them to constantly refer back to job orders or keep track of documents outlining client processes. Lastly, automating tasks that do not require human intervention, frees recruiters to focus on more valuable work, increasing both productivity and employee satisfaction.

In short, leveraging the power of tools like AI, integrated applicant tracking software, and automation simplifies what can be an otherwise complicated, multi-step process.

Today’s talent is looking for elevated experiences that make them feel like they are speaking to the next generation of staffing and recruiting agencies. They want instantaneous digital interactions throughout the entirety of their engagement that facilitate easier, more seamless communication. In order to meet these demands, recruiting agencies need the ability to build personalized, friction-free experiences, at scale.

Attracting and retaining top talent can be challenging. Candidates traditionally drop out throughout the hiring and onboarding process, but smart technology can help recruiting firms plug these holes. Using technology solutions creates an environment in which engagement with talent is not only seamless across the hiring process, but also all the way through to the onboarding process as well. They can also help organize and activate information, solving problems like the application “black hole.”

When a candidate does submit an application, they would be met with automated processes that acknowledge and guide them through the process at every step of the journey. How might this work?

1. Talent might see an ad directing them to the firm's portal where they can view all of the job details including, description, specifications, pay rates, start dates, etc.
2. If they think it might be a good fit they can opt to enter their information, allowing the firm to start building a unified talent profile. However, because asking too much can cause talent to retreat, the platform knows to capture just enough information to be able to contact them.
3. Talent can now express interest without being overwhelmed, and firms have kicked off a more wide-reaching hiring process that captures as many people as possible.
4. Before any contact is made, recruiting organizations can assure no time is wasted and every candidate is qualified through simple prescreens. These prescreens also allow the firm to begin targeting talent with ads at scale, based on even this small level of engagement.
5. The talent portal now becomes the home base for all interview information and potential job offers.

This process is not only automated, it’s organized. All data and information are in one place allowing easy access, transparency, and the ability for everyone involved to remain “in the loop” throughout the entire process. Talent can request help, sign offers, and onboard directly in the portal. And, because recruiters can see and track everything that’s happening, they are aware of any delays, so that if need be, they can nudge the candidate along in the onboarding process.

We live in an age where technology moves fast, and keeping up can be both challenging and expensive. This requires that we figure out how to adapt, change and evolve with the times, but how?

How can we take what we know and usher it into a future of innovation, adaptation and technology? How can we streamline day-to-day operations, attract the best people and personalize each and every experience, at scale? How can we increase efficiency, boost productivity and drive growth? The answer lies in finding a technology partner that can help lay a foundation for future growth. A partner with the ability to innovate and move fast— at scale. A partner like Salesforce.

Salesforce provides customizable, out of the box solutions that enable organizations to drive business forward. A tech stack with Salesforce at its spine creates a streamlined, friction free experience for recruiters and talent alike, and allows companies to create unique, customized experiences that can easily adapt and scale as needed.

At the end of the day, Salesforce’s combination of AI + Data + CRM equates to business success. It allows staffing and recruiting organizations to gain a competitive edge in our increasingly digital-first, data-driven future.