New ways to solve old problems.


Industry changes means recruitment firms are looking at new ways at solving old problems in 2009. By Stephen Neale with comments from Dave Leyshon  

Technology offers us endless solutions. But whether you are the biggest or smallest firm, spending money on luxury systems is no longer an option. The vendors keep pushing more products, but in these unprecedented times recruiters want to know first that the new stuff is cost-effective. Phil Brown, who heads up the recruitment process outsourcing division at Northgate Arinso, is a big advocate for technology. But he believes the first priority to surviving the recession is convincing customers not to give up on recruitment.

“Don’t stop, is my message” he said. “Talent management at this time is more important than ever. And it’s not just about new people that are coming in, it’s about those you already have. Companies that can’t react will suffer most.
“If you are looking for niche talent, the market has more now, and at better rate. It’s better to recruit now. The more enlightened ones are taking on.”

Cost Effective

So how is technology helping recruiters in 2009 while remaining cost effective?
Top of the stream is innovation around the internet, according to Mr Brown, as businesses increasingly look to affordable web based innovation. Among the leading providers is SHL, a supplier of online systems that allow recruiters to use psychometrics.

The results from psychological assessment over the last 18 months are impressive.
Howard Grosvenor is head of consulting at SHL, whose recent work includes assessments with Group 4 Securicor. Psychological tests of drivers saw them rated into high and low scoring zones. SHL revealed that those who scored lowest were four times likely to crash a Securicor van.

“This particular assessment identified drivers who were accident prone,” said Mr Grosvenor. “As a psychologist myself I have no doubt that this sort of information makes a difference and really impacts on bottom line results. We put in some tools for another organization involved in insurance sales in the financial services. Those who scored high sold £200,000 more products than the bottom performers.”
In the future SHL could soon be allowing applicants to perform actual work-based task assessments online to complement psychological tests.

Web Based Solutions

Multilingualvacancies.com is another leader in the web-based solutions market.
Associate director, Miranda Reid, said technology was both reducing costs and improve service by adding value to the global recruitment process.
As a web based job board and CV database, her company has introduced video CV technology to the site. Focusing on multilingual recruitment, the system acts as a screening tool to help assess the level of language skill before committing to an interview.

“This aids the short listing process enormously,” says Ms Reid. “I can’t think of a better way to assess a candidate’s language skill than to see and listen to them speak it. For the candidate it means that they have the opportunity of showcasing their language skills and really selling themselves in front of the employer which increases their chance of getting an interview.”

While the sophistication of the equipment is high, all the candidates need to use the multilingualvacancies.com system is a webcam and a microphone. They can even use their mobile phone.
Traditionalists may point to written CV’s, which can describe qualifications and level of competence. The problem for recruiters is the quality of tools on the market available to applicants, from the spellcheckers to online translators.
“The recruiter is perhaps not getting a true picture – with the video CV, potential employees can actually demonstrate those skills,” explains Ms Reid.

Another technology fan is David Leyshon, managing director of CBSbutler, the specialist engineering and technical recruiter.

Automation

His company has witnessed first hand back office and service delivery automation that delivered two key benefits: measurable savings and improving ties to client’s internal processes. He said this has already delivered a 36% increase in conversion rates of vacancy to placement.

“Many of our service levels with our clients are both measured and controlled by online software systems, which gives us reliable and an objective measurement of savings,” explained Mr Leyshon. “We can regularly evidence a greater than 40% improvement in fulfilment rates by more efficient management of supply chains on behalf of our clients. In some cases, this can add up to tens of thousands of pounds.

“Given that the competition has increased significantly, any tool that can give competitive advantage is extremely valuable. In addition, the ability to get closer to customers and ideally integrate thereby achieving a strong retention mechanism is also critical. For example the use of proprietary vendor management software in managed service programmes and the integration of back office processes, e.g. billing and reporting.”

Developers of course are more aware than ever of the desire by recruiters to get closer to end users and clients. HB RIDA – a joint initiative between Hamilton Bradshaw Private Equity and The recruitment Industry Development – is a team that has developed a unique set of programmes to help recruitment business owners adapt their own firms to the rapidly changing market.

Job Boards

HB RIDA’s Alex Strang says there has never been a better time for businesses to get more traffic onto their own site to cut dependency on job boards.
This is already happening, in part, naturally because there are more people out there working to win fewer jobs. Strang’s advice is to couple this natural flow with a little focus and minimal spend on increasing visitor rates with data capture.

“Very quickly you’ll end up with a pool of candidates that you can market not just job ads to, you can also start to deliver different types of content to them too,” he said.
Online customer relationship management (CRM) is an example of content that can work to improve efficiency and delivery, according to Strang.

“If you stop to consider that many applications made online don’t even receive an automated response, let alone an email or phone call from a human being then it becomes clear that there is clear scope to use this as a way to protect the reputation of your firm,” he said. “Something as simple as including job search tips, market overviews are a light years away from the silence that many job seekers get post application.”
Get this working for your online applicants – archive them on a database, which can be built up over time – and dependency on job boards declines.
“Job boards will continue to have a place in the mix, however shifting the mix from job boards to self sourced is a big win,” says Strang. “Lower costs – and crucially, a far higher chance of generating an exclusive candidate.”

Colleague is another industry provider that understands how technology is helping recruiters to be more efficient by enabling better and more accurate CV parsing.
The specialist software company has provided integrated data management solutions for the recruitment industry since 1994. Colleague was the first software provider in its field to become a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.

Features such as online timesheet management integrated with back office and payroll systems have removed the need for multiple data entering which is time consuming and leads to mistakes. And while there is agreement that candidates like feedback and content, the bottom line is they want that both job and the rewards that come with it. Technology is of course aiding the process here to.

Will Minns, managing director of Colleague Software Ltd said “Candidates like to be paid on time and employers like timely and accurate invoices and a good integrated system will help you achieve this consistently and in much less time than it takes to run a paper timesheet system. “Integrated systems work alongside software already widely used, such as Outlook, which users are familiar with. “These common screens and interfaces allow consultants to manage their workflow and email seamlessly without switching in and out of different software.”

So what of the future and is it possible that human interaction could be taken out of the process completely in the near future?

Not a chance, according to those at the coalface.
Zanni Young, is research manager at Eban, the financial executive search firm operating in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Zanni is based in their London office.
Time efficiency and the need for fewer back office staff is the way technology is helping to reduce costs. But for Eban, while new technology is spearheading the drive to reduce costs, traditional tools and face to face contact remain the key elements in the process.

“There is no alternative to human involvement as the ‘paper fit’ of qualification and job specification is only half of the equation,” she says. “The other half is based on personality both of your client firm and your candidate and technology cannot replace the need for human involvement in that.”

The Phone

For HB RIDA’s Alex Strang too, the most important technology to surviving the recession is the human brain and the telephone. “This may sound flippant but it’s true,” he said “There is no one killer product that will save the day or reinvent the market. Getting it right is about making sure that the technology serves the people, the business and the bank balance – never the other way round.

Will Minns, managing director of Colleague Software Ltd adds that while a really good IT system and software package will reduce the time spent on admin and free up time for consultants, recruitment is the ultimate people business. “

You could never replace a skilled consultant’s decision making and experience with a computer and fancy software,” he said. “Good recruitment technology isn’t designed to replace consultants. It helps them spend more time doing what they do best.
“Clearly being able to communicate effectively is a key requirement of running a successful recruitment company so at its most basic level you can’t do without a phone and email. However, communications will generate lots of information which recruiters need to manage effectively so a recruitment company will need a good front office software application which enables them to manage data for large numbers of candidates. Whether they come to them in person, over the phone or via their website.
In my view no single piece of technology will help recruiters survive the recession but a fully integrated recruitment software system encompassing all the latest admin reducing technology will certainly give them a lead over their competitors.”

Recruitment Consultant - June 2009
finding talent where others fail