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Tag: Background Screening

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A Simple Way to Improve Quality in Talent Acquisition

According to our latest talent acquisition survey, forty percent of companies are increasing their headcount this year and as a result, need to think about investing in the right solutions. Many of these companies are thinking differently about some of the basic areas of talent acquisition rather than investing in what seems to be “new”. Companies want solutions that can help ensure quality of hire and provide a better candidate experience. It sounds simple but with thousands of solutions entering the market, finding providers you can trust is more valuable than bells and whistles.

Over 50% of companies said that background screening solutions have the greatest impact on quality. Screening solutions help organizations make better decisions around the talent they are bringing into the organization. Most companies are investing in criminal background checks as well as verification of employment and education. And…over 60% of companies view screening as so strategic that they are moving it up in the process.

Next week I will present on a webinar to discuss how companies are leveraging these solutions to improve both sides of quality: quality of hire and the quality of the candidate experience. Here are some of the topics we covered:

Quality of Hire: Background screening is one way organizations can improve quality of hire by providing another layer of objectivity needed to make better decisions and retain talent. When an organization is able to eliminate applicants that do not fit the position or role in the process, they can focus on the individuals that are more likely to contribute to organizational performance and growth. Organizations that are taking a more strategic approach to background screening – deeply probing into relevant information on candidates and relying on more than single errors to reject candidates – identify quality hires. Companies that invest in screening are three times more likely to track quality of hire.

Quality of the Experience: Aptitude’s research shows that investing in the right provider improves efficiency and the quality of hire and the overall candidate experience. Companies that invest in background screening solutions are viewing it as part of the process and are twice as likely to have improved their overall candidate experience in the past year. A proper and efficient screening process saves candidates the headache of getting too far along in the application process before being rejected. According to research from The Talent Board, on average, over a quarter of the employers surveyed stated that 50-75% of applicants aren’t qualified for the jobs they applied for across job classifications. Companies that invest in screening improve the candidate experience and track it so they can make changes and communicate better in the future.

Companies that invest in a strategic background screening provider are able to trust that the data about candidates is reliable. Thus, the quality of hire and the experience is improved. We hope you join us next week!

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New Research: Talent Acquisition Trends 2018

We launched our talent acquisition survey last week and we have been busy analyzing the results. Forty percent (40%) of companies are increasing their headcount this year and as a result, talent acquisition leaders are looking closely at what strategies and technology they have in place. Background screening, internal mobility, candidate communication, and recruitment marketing are all recurring themes as we look at the early findings. Especially in high-volume industries such as retail and hospitality, organizations need solutions that will help them quickly identify quality hires and provide a more meaningful candidate experience.

We have lots of new research and data we will be publishing over the next few weeks but here is a sneak peek at some of the early findings:

Background Screening Has the Greatest Impact on Quality of Hire: Over 50% of companies said that background screening solutions have the greatest impact on quality of hire. Screening solutions help organizations make better decisions around the talent they are bringing into the organization. Most companies are investing in criminal background checks as well as verification of employment and education. Over 60% of companies view screening as so strategic that they are moving it up in the process.

LinkedIn is Losing Some Love: Companies are still leveraging LinkedIn and identify it as top area of investment for the next year. But, some companies are beginning to question the value of the tech giant. One in 5 companies that use LinkedIn do not believe it is effective at sourcing passive candidates. One in 4 companies that use LinkedIn believe it is too expensive and are unsure about alternative sourcing solutions.

Candidate Communication is Still Immature: It is the most basic area of talent acquisition. Yet, most companies still fall behind in their ability to communicate effectively with candidates. Only 11% of companies are providing transparency on the status of the application (a significant decrease from 32% in 2017) and only 24% of companies are providing candidates with information relevant to the job.

ATS and Recruitment Marketing: More companies are looking at the value of one provider for recruitment marketing and ATS. One in 4 companies use a single provider for both and these providers cited a consistent experience, bundled pricing, and integrated data as major drivers for investing in end-to-end talent acquisition. We are expecting to see an acquisition or two in the recruitment marketing space in the next year or two.

Yes, we have lots of data on AI, GDPR, Blockchain and all the other trends you might expect in talent acquisition. If you would like to schedule some time to talk through our early findings, we would love to hear from you!

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AI, Voice Activated-Assistants, Robots: Does Any of It Matter?

In talent acquisition, we hear a lot about things like AI, voice activated assistants, and robots. Will recruiters be replaced by AI? Will home voice activated assistants liked Google Home and Alexa become part of our workforce? What jobs are in danger? Providers are talking about it and many talent acquisition leaders are asking for it. I get it. Technology is changing. And we need to keep up and prepare for the future. But in research we did last year, 60% of companies are still confused about AI and its value in recruitment. By focusing so much on the unknown, are we losing sight of the basic challenges with attracting and recruiting talent? Are we losing sight of what really matters?

Recruiters face some serious challenges (improving the candidate experience, attracting talent, hiring quality talent to name a few) and companies need to consider solutions that actually address those challenges. We have become so focused on what’s “new” that we are missing what’s valuable.  What solutions can actually help recruit better? When we ask companies about their top investments and where they see value, this is what they say:

  • Background Screening: It may not seem like the most exciting area of talent acquisition but for many companies it is the most important investment. Many companies have had the same provider longer than they have had their ATS. It is also the top investment with nearly 80% of companies using some type of background screening provider. In 2018, companies need to consider not only what type of screening is important but also what providers that they can trust.
  • Assessments: When using the right provider, assessments can provide tremendous value to talent acquisition by helping organizations improve the quality of hire. The challenge that most companies face is that they have been leveraging very traditional assessments that provide a poor experience for the candidate and take too long to complete. Companies need to consider validated providers that will partner with companies to create a better experience.
  • Online Reference Checks: It is surprising to me that more companies are not investing in providers like SkillSurvey and Checkster. There is tremendous value in online reference checking in reducing time to fill, improving quality of hire, and giving companies an additional talent pool where they can source candidates. These solutions along with background screening and assessments address real challenges in recruitment.
  • Communication Tools: The candidate experience is essentially about communication. Organizations need to give candidates the information they need to feel engaged and prepared. They need to provide more meaningful communication through multiple channels including chat, video, messaging, or event a phone call.
  • Predictive Analytics: I recently moderated a panel with Dr. Anton Smessaert from Visier where every question I have ever had about predictive analytics was answered in 45 minutes. Predictive analytics can help companies understand patterns of data and help guide them to make better decisions about talent. But people need to be the ones to make those decisions. He will explain this much more eloquently than I can but predictive analytics is valuable and you need a provider you can trust.

We are launching our 2018 talent acquisition survey in a few weeks and would love to hear what your priorities are in the next year.

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