by POP Interactive

Client ResourcesMay 15, 20190 comments

Recruitment Technology Increases Demand for Recruiters

The digital landscape and innovative technology have fundamentally changed the way many organizations conduct business. This includes how employers seek out new hires. From artificial intelligence to social media, online job search tools to gamification, these functionalities optimize companies’ ability to attract, engage and nurture candidates for various positions. 

Most firms are not using these technologies to replace more traditional recruitment methods; they’re using them in tandem with one another, according to the results of the 2019 MRINetwork Recruitment Trends Study.

Despite the multitude of new recruitment technologies, the MRINetwork Study reveal more than 60 percent of employers have not changed their use of external recruiters. Close to one-third stated they’ve actually increased their use of third-party recruitment firms, inferring recruiters bring capabilities to the table that aren’t available by leveraging technology alone. In a separate survey led by CareerBuilder, 42 percent of hiring managers said they used recruiters along with tech to shorten the hiring process, and 41 percent indicated recruiters provided a means of entry to candidates with unique, specialized skill sets that can be difficult to find. 

Cynthia Davidson, senior director of research at the American Staffing Association, noted that well over half of hiring managers intend to work more often with external recruiters over the next five years or so. 

“Even with new technologies pushing industry evolution, staffing firms will continue to play a key role in the recruitment process,” Davidson explained. 

Here are just a few ways recruiters can optimize the hiring process, beyond technology: 

Access a wider candidate pool 
Job boards can help employers pull in hundreds of resumes for a given opening, but this process may not elicit enough qualified candidates. This can especially be the case, when the role requires very specific skills that may be difficult to find. Industry-specialized recruiters can add even more depth to the talent pool by pairing companies with individuals that have the expertise they need. 

Gain more perspective on analysis provided by evaluative tools
Personality/behavioral assessments, skill tests and gamification are increasingly being leveraged to better evaluate candidates’ capabilities. These tools aren’t foolproof and may not accurately reflect job seekers’ aptitude. Since recruiters have a good read on the backgrounds, motivations and pain points of candidates they are representing, they can identify when employment assessment tools have fallen short, helping you put the results of these assessments into perspective. 

Paired with state-of-the-art technology and third-party recruiters, employers can march forward, confident in the knowledge that their search for qualified candidates will not be in vain.