Over the past 2+ years, human resource and talent attraction leaders have faced a lot of uncertainty — at a level we’ve never before experienced. And we’re far from a return to normal, as ongoing COVID subvariants and growing concern over inflation make clear.
So how do we continue to navigate whatever comes next? By being bold.
To me, a bold hiring strategy includes embracing these three key elements: automation, skills-based hiring and workplace well-being. Let’s dive deeper into how these elements can help you move boldly toward simpler, faster and more human hiring.
Automate for faster hiring and reduced cost per hire
Despite growing worries about an economic slowdown, employers are continuing to hire at an accelerated pace. As Nick Bunker of Indeed’s Hiring Lab recently pointed out, demand for workers is still “tremendously strong” and is “pulling more and more people back into work.”
Whether you’re scrambling to hire at scale in a hot job seeker’s market or trying to efficiently screen the best talent in an employer’s market, it’s important for talent leaders across all industries to connect quickly with great candidates.
Integrating improved automation into interviewing helps employers get ahead of the hiring curve. Pilot Flying J, one of the largest travel-center chains in North America, has always-on hiring needs, requiring some 300 job fairs per year to fill its many and varied positions. Strategically, Pilot Flying J incorporated Indeed Hiring Events, which helps recruiters get to virtual or in-person interview options faster. Screening, scheduling and sending messages to candidates is time-consuming, and using Indeed’s integrated hiring solution helps automate more than 70% of recruiting steps per requisition.1 Adopting this intelligent automation lets recruiters focus on the human side of hiring. That quality time with candidates showed real results: Pilot Flying J reports a 300% increase in actual interviews and 70% reduction in cost per hire.
Pilot Flying J isn’t alone. Our survey research of employers using Indeed Hiring Events shows a 3.2-times higher conversion2 — from that first click on job descriptions to interviews scheduled — than a typical apply process achieves. For TA teams under pressure to hire quality talent quickly, that magnitude of improvement is impressive.
Focus less on resumes and more on skills
With many applicants able to interview from anywhere, virtual interviews became a game changer during the pandemic. Indeed’s survey of employers who’ve adopted our virtual interviewing solution, Indeed Interview, confirms this. Results showed an 18% increase in job seekers3 who are more likely to accept a video invitation and 40% fewer candidate no-shows.4 Additionally, interviews scheduled through Indeed Interview take place sooner — just over two days after being arranged.5
When employers adopted virtual interviewing, Indeed began asking an important question: Are resumes really serving their purpose? Research shows that resume reviews aren’t necessary to schedule interviews — and might even be counterproductive.
For example, resume gaps have historically created employment barriers. Candidates whose resumes show periods of unemployment are 45% less likely to land a job interview. These days, parents and caregivers — especially women, who’ve left the workforce in record numbers — may have periods without work. Should resume gaps prevent them from returning to work? Or should quality candidates have the opportunity to appropriately discuss those employment breaks?
Going directly to interviews by removing resume reviews breaks down additional hurdles for job seekers. Consider that in-person interviews typically require a commute, which means child care for parents and perhaps time off for candidates with jobs. When virtual interviewing lifts barriers like these, it’s no wonder that 84% of employers report enhanced diversity in their applicant pools.
The next evolution? Interviewing great candidates faster by relying less on resumes and focusing more on skills.
Of course, finding the people you need with the capabilities you require can be difficult in any labor market, whether it favors job seekers or employers. Evaluations that reduce subjectivity — skills assessments, job simulations, aptitude tests and more — help reveal candidate potential.
With that in mind, Indeed has built a global library of 200+ assessments6 that cover a broad range of job levels and industries and include tests to screen for aptitude (for example, Customer Service Fit) to specific skills (like Veterinary Technician, Inside Sales and Market Research). Job seekers who want to change careers or upskill through learning programs can demonstrate experience and aptitudes that resumes may not reveal. Employers can adapt assessments to focus on requirements for the job, ensuring they don’t overlook quality candidates with the right skills.
In a tight labor market, some employers worry that using skills assessments may add to existing challenges with candidate flow. They question whether adopting assessments will be simple. For any job posted on Indeed, we’ve made our objective screening and assessment tools available for free. What’s more, these tools can be seamlessly integrated into hiring processes. With Indeed Hiring Events, job seekers who’ve expressed interest in and met objectively defined qualifications for a role can immediately schedule an interview. The process is so simple, transparent and quick — only a few minutes from start to finish — that 88%7 of job seekers rate the experience favorably.
Over time, skills-based hiring also strengthens an organization’s ability to predict great hires. The more objective and data-driven a hiring process becomes, the more insight you can glean from hiring wins and misses — and the more improvements you can make to attract top talent.
Make workplace happiness a top priority, not a perk
As employees’ needs have changed, so have their definitions of being happy on the job. Office workers who experienced flexibility during the pandemic want that flexibility to remain, while in-office employees demand commensurate benefits. And employers today are much more likely to offer the flexibility of remote work: 9.4% of postings on Indeed in May were advertised as remote, compared to 2.7% in 2019, according to Indeed Hiring Lab research.
To help job seekers find a workplace they’ll love — and to help employers attract the best candidates — we’ve developed Indeed’s Work Happiness Score, which is built on the largest data set of workplace well-being indicators created, according to the 2021 World Happiness Report. Employees can rate their employers on multiple happiness drivers such as flexibility, compensation, learning, sense of purpose and achievement. And in 2021, job seekers viewed an Indeed Company Page (where Work Happiness Scores are prominently displayed) to research a company more than 1.5 billion times.8 A global mindset shift is underway — happiness at work is a must, not a perk, according to the 2021 World Happiness Report, and a crucial element in any overall strategy for effectively attracting and retaining talent.
Expect change and hire boldly
Looking ahead, boldly implementing new strategies for hiring — incorporating automated, virtual and skills-based processes and focusing more on worker happiness — can help give you a decided advantage in attracting and retaining talent. And along the way, you’ll be playing your role in making hiring simpler, faster and more human for everyone.
Article Sources:
1 Indeed data (US)
2 Indeed data (US)
3 Indeed data (US)
4 Indeed data (US)
5 Indeed data (US)
6 Indeed data (worldwide)
7 Indeed data (worldwide)
8 Indeed data (worldwide)
