There’s an awful lot asked of folks working in the staffing industry.
You’re supposed to be Yoda, wisely answering questions lobbed your way by anxious hiring managers and their even more anxious candidates. You’re expected to know the details of each applicant, as though you’re not dealing with hundreds (or thousands) of others. You’re supposed to read your candidates’ minds because after all, you’re all ridiculously busy.
Working in recruiting can be a bit like flying a plane in the eye of a hurricane. Even with the best practices in place, the job demands your absolute attention.
The vast majority of staffing agencies – and businesses of all kind for that matter – are operated using old-school methods. Applicants fill out forms, you request more paperwork, and those papers are added to their file – even if that file is online. Candidates and hiring managers send you emails and letters, asking for clarification. They call, panic-stricken, when they don’t understand correspondence received from your office. And often, they sit on hold while you deal with anxious questions.
Role after role, the process is the same, never more efficient than the role before. That inefficiency translates to high costs, an increased need for training and labor, and finally, security issues. After all, how secure is the private information of a candidate when his file is available to anyone who picks it up?
Cutting Down on Paper Processes
Open a New Line of Communication
According to the Pew Research Center, 31% of text message users prefer texting to phone calls, and overall, text message users send or receive an average of 41.5 messages a day, with median users sending or receiving 10 per day. In short, candidates are far more likely to be comfortable texting you with simple questions.
This is good news for both of you. Texting is a virtually paperless endeavor. A question can be asked and answered without impacting the environment of your office (or the world). As a bonus, the candidate has an immediate record of your answer stored on his phone.
Use Digital Documentation
As part of the application process, require candidates to scan all relevant application materials. Those documents can then be posted in a secure online location to be reviewed by hiring managers and recruiters.
When offering text communication, this process can be streamlined by texting links to PDF documents that can be filled out securely with digital signatures. The text messages also give you a simple tool for directing the candidate to the online location of the saved material.
Ditch the Question Box
Staffing offices should always host an online FAQ for potential or current candidates visiting your website; it doesn’t stop all the emails, calls, and letters, but it definitely cuts down on them.
Traditionally, collecting questions to put in your FAQ database or documentation has been done via a question or comment box, but the absolute best way to add to your frequently asked questions this day in age is to allow your candidates to text them directly to your office. It makes it easier for them to ask immediately, which boosts engagement and gives you better insight into the common hang-ups. Of course, it also gives you a way to answer those questions without playing phone tag or sifting through emails.
Be a 21st Century Resource
Host application and onboarding information online and offer to text the links when candidates ask questions. If they don’t find the information they are looking for, they can respond to your text. This empowers you to add to the information you provide to prevent future inadequacies, and deliver better resources when they really need it.
Relationships matter. Implement these ideas to provide better support and faster information, while saving time and costs (and trees!) on paper processes.
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