In today’s fiercely competitive job market, staffing agencies are faced with the growing necessity to adopt innovative strategies to source candidates and retain top-tier talent. The integration of cutting-edge technology and strategic approaches has evolved from a competitive advantage to an absolute necessity for success in the staffing industry. In fact, the fastest growing companies, by a margin of 59%, acknowledge that technology provides them with a distinct competitive advantage.
So, what measures can staffing agencies take to elevate their game and consistently source and secure high-quality talent, paving the way for continued growth and success? Discover how to build a robust and loyal talent pool that remains engaged with your agency and sets your business apart, positioning it at the forefront of the evolving recruitment landscape.
Employee referral programs, with a shorter recruiting process and lower costs compared to other candidate sourcing tactics, stand out as invaluable assets for staffing agencies. In fact, according to a report by Clutch, employee referrals account for 40% of new hires at companies with these programs in place.
A growing trend among staffing firms is to source candidates through referral programs. Staffing firms can encourage their current employees to tap into their networks and suggest potential candidates. While monetary incentives are typical in many employee referral programs, it’s worth considering diversification by offering alternatives like paid time off or meaningful gifts as additional rewards. This approach adds versatility to your referral program and enhances its overall effectiveness.
You can simplify the management of an employee referral program by using a third-party provider that integrates directly with your ATS. These providers will handle all the incentives for you, which will save your recruiters valuable time and avoid the potential stress associated with running these programs in-house.
These programs not only can be used to source candidates and grow your talent database but can also go a long way in building loyalty with your internal staff.
Job board expenses can add up fast, but not all platforms deliver the same results. Take control of the results of your spending by monitoring the performance metrics of diverse job boards, strategically allocating your budget to the sources that matter most – where you consistently find top-notch candidates for your agency.
Don’t just guess – let data be your guide! Leverage analytics to uncover trends and peak posting times, and identify the platforms that attract the best candidates in your industry. This data-driven approach not only dispels the uncertainty surrounding your agency’s budget but elevates it to a level of strategic investment, ensuring the utmost return on investment.
But what if you don’t have the time or resources to track your job board analytics? Luckily, there are 3rd party solutions that can significantly help you with your job board investments. Companies like JobSplice, for example, can integrate directly with your ATS to monitor job posting performance across multiple job boards, optimizing your spend by automatically adjusting placement based on budget and engagement.
Mobile apps are transforming the staffing industry, empowering recruiters to provide an exceptional candidate experience and engage with top talent.
In today’s tech-savvy world, talent expects the same level of sophistication from their employers. Position yourself as the industry leader meeting these expectations ahead of your competitors and deliver the mobile experience that candidates are actively seeking. A well-designed mobile app that directly integrates with your ATS ensures a seamless candidate journey, from initial recruitment to redeployment. You’ll be able to fill jobs faster, retain and redeploy your best talent, lower your job board costs, and deliver better results for your clients.
Modern job candidates want constant information throughout their job-seeking journey while also valuing autonomy and control. They desire interaction with a recruiter, but only when that interaction is proven to be valuable.
As Tom Erb, President and CEO of Tallann Resources, stated on our recent Avionté: Digital Edge podcast:
“If I can go and do something really quickly online, that is better than dealing with somebody who’s basically just processing me. Value-added interactions, people welcome. Human interaction without value is not desired.”
Striking a balance between these seemingly conflicting priorities is where technology plays a pivotal role. Mobile technology helps job seekers experience self-service while also feeling heard and understood.
Many staffing agencies are still relying on dry and conventional job descriptions to promote available opportunities. In a job market where there are more openings than qualified candidates, recruiters need to shift their approach and create more engaging descriptions that stand out and attract potential hires.
As Tom Erb emphasizes in the same podcast:
“…go on Indeed and other job sites, and 99.9% of the jobs read like they’re a job description. It’s a list of what the employer wants, not of what the opportunity is for the candidate. And so, the companies that do a better job marketing to the candidates are the ones that are going to win.”
Job descriptions should now focus on specific details to capture the attention of modern talent. This includes providing a comprehensive overview of benefits, salary ranges, and required job skills. Interestingly, job postings that include salary information tend to receive 50% more candidate applications.
To make job descriptions more compelling, consider adding storytelling elements that highlight your company culture. Share success stories of employee growth and career development to showcase the opportunities available to potential candidates. This personal touch adds authenticity to your job descriptions and helps your agency stand out in a competitive labor market.
In addition, implementing basic SEO strategies can significantly improve the visibility of your job posts on competitive platforms. This involves incorporating relevant keywords into your descriptions, emphasizing crucial job skills, required credentials or certifications, and pertinent career background details. Avoid using overly creative job titles that may not be widely recognized; instead, opt for concise and straightforward titles that everyone can easily understand. This ensures that your job postings appear when people use common job titles and skills as search terms.
Integrating a text-based chatbot transforms the initial candidate screening process significantly. The immediacy of text messages enables swift responses, facilitating a conversational approach to gathering crucial information.
A well-crafted chatbot can efficiently sift through candidates who meet your agency’s requirements. By guiding applicants through a pre-screening set of questions via text, your recruiters can concentrate on the most suitable candidates. Additionally, chatbots can facilitate the scheduling of initial interviews by syncing with recruiters’ calendars.
Using the chatbot to share basic information about the company and the job not only speeds up the screening process but also creates a good experience for candidates right from the beginning.
“Candidates are often applying for numerous positions, so if they get a response to their application right away and can undergo a quick interview on their phone – whether on the bus or in a coffee shop – that right there is ultimate engagement with talent,” says Jason Hilton, Director of UX for Avionté. See full case study here.
Beyond pre-screening, a chatbot can automate basic messages and reminders on behalf of recruiters. As candidates respond to automated messages, a three-way conversation unfolds between the chatbot, recruiter, and candidate.
When selecting a chatbot provider, prioritize one that seamlessly integrates with your ATS. This ensures that all relevant information remains consolidated in one system, enhancing the overall experience for your recruiters. Additionally, a well-designed chatbot should be adept at comprehending nuanced responses to enrich the candidate experience.
Recruiters frequently juggle multiple tasks, and preloading email and text response templates for common communication tasks can be a game-changer. This not only ensures consistent and professional communication but also enables recruiters to respond promptly with accurate and relevant information.
Maintain an adaptive approach by regularly updating and refining your communication templates based on candidate feedback and industry trends. This ensures that your responses remain relevant and resonate with candidates, ultimately enhancing the overall candidate experience.
Simultaneously, leverage templates to streamline the onboarding process, enhancing the overall candidate experience. By delivering engaging and user-friendly onboarding experiences through a mobile app, candidates can independently answer questions, complete forms, sign documents, and submit crucial identification pictures via their smartphones, eliminating the need for constant supervision by recruiters. This approach creates a more engaging experience for talent, fostering a desire to collaborate with your agency.
And if your onboarding process can be directly integrated with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS), you can ensure recruiters have full transparency into each candidate’s onboarding journey. By utilizing a mobile app integrated with your ATS, you can significantly reduce the administrative burden on recruiters. Automated notifications and reminders can be pushed to candidates at pre-set intervals, resulting in higher onboarding completion rates and increased retention rates.
In talent management, redeployment emerges as the most strategic move for staffing agencies. As these agencies allocate increased resources to job boards for new talent acquisition, developing strategies to encourage existing employees in the database to return and fill additional open positions becomes a key approach. This not only maximizes the value of the acquired talent but also contributes to reducing job board costs.
A talent mobile app can automatically inform candidates about new job opportunities as their current assignments approach completion. This proactive approach helps maintain a strong connection with your talent pool and reduces the time and resources needed to find new candidates.
Encourage open communication with candidates about their career goals and preferences. This understanding allows your agency to quickly match candidates with suitable opportunities, improving their satisfaction and increasing the chances of successful placements.
In the competitive job landscape, success demands a mix of strategies that move beyond more standard methods to source candidates. As the competition for talent intensifies, it’s evident that integrating technology, strategic thinking, and a candidate-centric focus is crucial to source candidates and retain top-notch talent. To stay competitive, staffing agencies will need to adopt new staffing solutions and innovative talent acquisition strategies to gain a winning edge.
By incorporating these practices into your talent acquisition and retention strategies, you will not only lead in the industry but also cultivate an environment where the best talent can thrive. Establishing a culture of tech-savvy approaches that prioritize candidate satisfaction positions your agency as a leader in the fiercely competitive staffing field, ensuring consistent growth and enduring success.
Want to see how a modern staffing platform can transform your staffing business and give you an edge above the competition? Schedule a free consultation call today.
