Back to all articles If you’re a business owner or you work in HR, then you’ll be no stranger to the recruitment sector and its agencies. For those who’ve had to seek support from the sector over a number of years, you may have noticed one key difference in comparison to other business sectors: a lack of advancement in technologies and methodologies.
While of course some providers within the recruitment sector have updated their processes to try to make much-needed improvements, it’s fair to say that many recruitment agencies simply haven’t moved into the 21st century.
If you look at other business sectors, digital technology and improved approaches have been implemented across the board over the years. From snazzy animated HTML5 banners used as online marketing ploys, to digital measuring equipment being used across industrial businesses, contactless QR menus in modern restaurants and linked-up ordering and stock systems making life easier for everyone… why hasn’t the recruitment sector caught up yet?!
We’re not lambasting recruiters here at all, but with more modern options available, it seems odd that, in many cases, nothing much has changed over the last couple of decades. Progress is essential in any industry or business, with technology helping to improve services, and new approaches helping to solve old problems.
It can be said that recruitment agencies have adopted digital in terms of having an online presence, but not much else has changed over the years. The process very much seems to remain something along these lines:
Conduct a quick telephone call
Forward shortlist of candidates to employer
Employer interviews candidate and makes a decision who to engage
However, in increasingly competitive markets with many more candidates than roles, how is this very generic process able to pinpoint the best person for the job? Traditional recruitment methods can identify candidates with the right experience, but without proper vetting and a really thorough approach, the potential for employee attrition remains high.
While recruitment needs to remain rapid in order to fill rolls efficiently, this should never be at the cost of effectiveness. Working off a few pages of text and a quick conversation does not take into account the massive advancements that have been made in recent years around recruitment technology and 21st century thinking. Where’s the science?!
With the cost of poor hires ever-increasing and causing disruption both internally and to customers, getting it right the first time is essential – and recruitment methods should be reflective of what it takes to achieve this.
From very basic technologies such as auto-sifting through CVs and cover letters, to in-depth behavioural testing, there are a lot of opportunities out there that the recruitment sector really should be taking advantage of.
By understanding and implementing recruitment psychology, and benchmarking candidates on more than basic skills, attrition rates shrink and business success grows. We talk a lot about business culture and how crucial it is to find a candidate who cannot just do the work, but can do it in the way that the business requires – and the only way to do this effectively is to ring in the changes and bring recruitment right into the 21st-century.
Here at Mayseven, we use a range of modern recruitment technologies and methodologies to ensure that our clients get the best possible placements every time.
So if you’re on the lookout for a recruitment agency to help you with your next hire, it’s worth doing your homework across the sector to find out who’s using the tools that will really make a difference, and who’s still lagging behind, so you can make the right choice.