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The entire world is going digital. Technology has advanced to such an extent that the entire world is at your fingertips, at the click of a button. Add to it the current pandemic situation which has affected the way people live. Work from home is a new culture.
Why should the field of recruitment be left behind? Recruitment has also gone digital. Let us have a look at the latest in the recruitment arena; e-recruitment.
What is E-Recruitment?
E-recruitment is nothing but the recruitment of employees done digitally. This includes the entire process of placing advertisements for vacancies, looking for candidates, receiving and shortlisting applications of candidates, conducting interviews, and filing all necessary forms. Instead of manually going through the entire process, HR managers use software designed especially for the very purpose of hiring candidates.
Why is E-Recruitment Essential?
Efficiency, speed, and hiring the best possible talent in the industry are the three factors that are of utmost importance to any company. There is competition in every field. If you want to be successful as an employer, your staff must be among the creme de la creme. Otherwise, it creates a skill issue within your ranks that can hinder your business growth. Digital processing helps you keep up with other competitors and is also good for your image.
What Does E-Recruiting Involve?
There are several processes involved in digital application management:
Advertising Job Openings
Most companies have a dedicated career page on their website, along with online forms to be filled. You can have customized forms as well. Make sure you specify the ‘required’ fields in the form. This makes shortlisting applications easier.
Multiple Posts
Your job vacancies should be posted on multiple portals at the same time. This will increase your reach and bring in more candidates, thereby saving time and energy.
Active Sourcing
You can find suitable candidates online on various platforms like LinkedIn or XING. These platforms have many built-in functions that filter and search for the right candidates for your job vacancies, and also help you contact them directly.
Use Structured HR Software
The job profile, management, and the team have certain requirements that need to be fulfilled by the applicant. The use of HR software allows you to specify the skill set required and the personal criteria needed. Online forms can be customized on the basis of these requirements which can then be automatically scrutinized and analyzed. On average, companies that use structured HR software tend to hire more personnel. This is because it streamlines the process.
Digital Personnel Records
Digital records save the HR department the trouble of maintaining spreadsheets for every employee. When you invite online applications, the data is automatically transferred to your employee database if the candidate is hired. This record can be maintained throughout the employee’s tenure.
Communication
Hiring candidates needs teamwork and communication between the different channels of the process, and it is absolutely essential. The HR software covers communication during the entire process, including the names of colleagues who have already interviewed the candidate, their feedback, and so on.
Legalities of Recruitment
Different countries have different rules for recruitment. There have been many developments in fulfilling these rules with the advent of e-recruitment. If you are taking up a job or even hiring professionals in the US, you need to file I9 forms which include attesting employment authorization. With e-recruitment, remote I-9 for virtual employees have become a smooth process. There are many companies that provide remote I9 software making it easier for professionals to complete the legalities involved in hiring and taking up jobs in the US.
Common Channels
Not only should the applicants’ resumes be attractive, but the company should also have an attractive profile for the prospective employees. There are three common channels that can do this for you.
The Company Website
In this technology-oriented world, your company website is your public face, be it for your customers, clients, or prospective employees. If you want to project a good image for your company, your website must have the following information:
- Important company information, which includes the year of its establishment, the history and vision of the company, total strength in terms of employees, details of the management, and so on.
- The various job vacancies in the company, along with the necessary online forms to be filled by the applicants.
- Information about the recruiting process.
- Contact person(s)
- Potential for individual progress of the employees
- User-friendly career page that is also accessible through mobile phones.
Job Portals
Companies need to make their presence felt on the different channels and search engines as the candidates looking for jobs are going to be directed to job portals first.
Social Media
People use social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook for professional development and marketing. Companies portray themselves as professional and attractive employers on these sites. Applicants also post information and details about themselves for the benefit of prospective employers. Social media, therefore, can be a common platform where the needs of the employers and employees can be matched.
Advantages of E-Recruitment
E-recruitment benefits both the employer and the employee in many ways. It has made it easier to find new skilled task forces, replacing dated methods of recruitment.
Time-Saving
E-recruitment can save time at various levels. Job vacancies can be published more quickly. Applicants’ documents can be uploaded with the click of a button. Their personal information, qualifications, and skill sets can be made available to the employers quickly. Applicants can be easily shortlisted by sorting through the online forms filled out by them.
Cost Reduction
Time is money; using software for e-recruitment reduces costs in the long run. E-recruitment also saves resources and manpower by digitalizing the entire recruitment process which, in turn, means reducing costs.
Greater Reach
When you advertise for your job vacancies online, you reach a greater number of applicants than you would otherwise. The greater the reach, the more the chances of your finding the best-skilled professionals for your company.
The success of a company depends on a lot of factors, a major factor being its employees. This makes it important for employers to be able to sort out the best brains in the industry for their company. This is where e-recruitment is useful, making the process quick, efficient, and easy. With the whole world turning towards e-recruitment, why be left behind?
