Modern recruitment
HOW TO BE LEAN & EFFICIENT?
E-BOOK & TEMPLATE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORDS 3
TEST: IS YOUR RECRUITMENT MODERN? 4
WHAT IS LEAN RECRUITMENT? 7
HOW TO APPLY LEAN TO RECRUITMENT? 8
LEAN RECRUITMENT STEPS 9
LEAN RECRUITMENT TOOLS 10
LEAN RECRUITMENT TEMPLATE 12
CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE 15
MOBILE RECRUITMENT 16
AFTERWORDS 17
Recruiting processes are filled with many steps that do not necessarily lead to better or faster decisions. It is assumed that if companies added even a tiny amount of right technology in their recruitment process, it would improve the recruiting capacity as well as candidate quality by twofold.
The 21st century has seen a significant rise in technology, which serves as a base for flexible modern-day recruitment methods. Yet, in many companies one of the last areas to focus on innovation is recruiting. It’s not an understatement to say those recruiting teams, which are embracing modern innovations and actively looking for the best recruiting tools, are a big step ahead of their competitors.
With modern recruitment methods, organizations can find the best candidates before others, and turn recruitment into an easy and fast process - not only for the recruiters, but for the employees as well. The cold truth is that the best employees won’t be free for hiring for long. Those organizations, which manage to run their recruiting smoothly, will catch the best candidates first.
Using effortful and old-fashioned recruiting methods slow recruiters down and cause them unnecessary headache. When asked, most recruiters can find many unnecessary steps in their processes, which could be either eliminated, automated, or streamlined.
Without the right methods and tools, recruiters often end up spending much less time than they should being directly in contact with the candidates.
It is assumed that if companies added even a tiny amount of right technology in their recruitment process, it would improve the recruiting capacity as well as candidate quality by twofold.
Modern day recruitment should stem from a consumer-centric standpoint. Candidates won’t bother to apply if the application process is long, difficult or outdated. In a fast-paced modern world, where technology has made things easy, candidates want recruitment to be fast and easy. Lean recruitment utilizes technology, social media
FOREWORDS
4
TEST: IS YOUR RECRUITMENT MODERN?
General recruitment
q
We have taken a look at our recruitment steps and are aware of its problems.q
We have cut out unnecessary steps from our recruitment.q
We understand our strengths in recruitment.q
Our recruitment is adaptively built, so that we can handle busy peak-timerecruitment, difficult specific type of recruitment, and quieter recruitment times evenly.
q
We can handle busy peak-time recruitments easily.q
We can handle difficult specific type of candidate recruitments easily.q
We can handle quiet recruitment times easily.q
We have ditched “Things have always been done like this”-mentality and we are open for fresh solutions.q
We understand that “first comes first”-rule applies in recruiting – the best candidates will be snatched quickly.q
We aim to be a company who finds and acquires the best candidates first by making sure our recruitment is fast and easy.Score: ____/ 10
Candidates
q
We are treating candidates, as they would be our customers.q
Candidate experience means a lot to us and we take steps to ensure positive experiences.q
We understand that candidate experience is part of company image branding.q
We don’t let candidates wait long for their replies.q
We are aware that if we treat candidates badly, they will spread the word to other possible recruits via social media.q
We understand that if our recruitment image is stained, the best candidates will not apply to our open vacancies.q
We understand that candidates love fast tools and fast recruitment.q
We understand that the nowadays workforce are the Millennials (born 1980- 2000) and they have grown up using technology.Score: ____/ 8
Below is a checklist that identifies the basic steps for modern and lean recruitment.
Check how many you have already infused into your recruitment, and read what your final score says about your company.
Technology
q
We are actively using Kanban board method in our recruitmentq
We are partially or occasionally using Kanban board method in our recruitmentq
We are using technology to ease recruitment process and to make the process faster.q
We have a video tool, a mobile tool or similar recruitment tool in use.q
We have automatized those parts of recruitment, which can be handled faster, with a use of some technology.q
We have a trouble-free application process.q
We use mobile friendly recruitment.q
We put value on innovations in recruitment.q
We have ditched printed CVs and resumes and email floods.q
We don’t have an outdated online recruitment application form in use, but we prefer (lot) easier methods.q
We understand that in order to reach the best candidates, we must offer them easy tools and be present in their lives.Score: ____/ 11
Recruiters and HR
q
We understand that lean recruitment benefits, not only our candidates, but also our recruiters.q
We understand that the easier recruiting is for HR-department, the better they can do their work.q
We understand that when we cut out unnecessary stuff from our recruitment, it leaves more time and energy for our HR-department for more important tasks.q
We understand that when we trust our recruiters and give them tools to work at their best, they will be able to work efficiently, resulting the best possible outcomes.q
We offer a possibility for recruiters or a whole team to discuss about the candidate applications.Score: ____ / 5
Final score: ____ / 38
FINAL SC OR E
If you scored 0 – 16Uh oh, your company could definitely benefit from some recruitment fresh out! Perhaps you have already started and are heading to the right direction, but you need someone to guide you better. Or perhaps you have had no time to think about recruitment and are still standing at the start line. This handbook will definitely be useful to you!
Whatever the case, a video tool is a simple and effortless way to clear up many unnecessary steps from your recruitment process, and to make the process easy both for your recruiters and (also) for the candidates. It also boosts your company image and takes only a few steps to utilize.
If you scored 17 - 27
Things are looking nice at your company both from recruitment’s and candidates’ point of a view, but there are still some things you can do to make your recruitment leaner. Perhaps you already have a video tool utilized in your recruitment – if not, it’s the easiest way to make your recruitment lean and easy for everyone. Listen to your recruiters and candidates to hear what problems they are still facing, and see what steps you could take to make their life easier. You want to get the best out of everyone, we are sure of it! Go through this handbook and you will get many new ideas!
If you scored 28 – 38
You are doing great! You are definitely a step ahead of your competitors and sending a positive vibe out there for new talents. You understand the importance of lean recruitment and treat both your recruiters and clients warmly. Perhaps the next steps are to start using a mobile recruitment tool in your recruitment process or hone some sharp leftover edges from your recruitment steps. These can be things such as checking if you treat your candidates the same as your most important customers, and if you give personal feedback to your candidates.
Japan in 1980’s. Toyota has decided to outstrip its rivals and rise to be the biggest global car manufacturer. This goal is planned to be achieved by minimizing three types of waste; muda (non-value-adding work), muri (overburden) and mura (unevenness).
This principle, molded by Taiichi Ono, focuses on maximizing the value adding process and eliminating everything useless. Jon Womack later popularized this process as
“lean”, and a new business philosophy of “how to do more with less” is born.
Lean process can be used anywhere in company’s processes. When thinking about modern recruiting, the lean method should automatically be used in it to attain the best candidates from the job seeking employees. Those who are too slow with their recruits will be left out, as the faster companies snatch the best skilled candidates first.
The easier the recruitment process is, the faster both parties will reach their sought goal; the organization gets their new talent and the employee a new job.
When improving lean recruiting, the most challenging aspect is to determine what adds value. Value can be added by for example networking with potential candidates, communicating with potential candidates, or by working on the front-end of the recruitment. Waste occurs when a company has unnecessary or redundant steps such as scheduling, doing data entry, filing, resume viewing, and database searching in their process. Whilst the law or corporate policy requires some actions, many of them can be simplified and some non-required actions can be eliminated and replaced with better options.
WHAT IS LEAN RECRUITMENT?
“Many companies talk a good game about innovation, but in my opinion, I think one of the last areas in every company to focus on innovation is human resources and recruiting.”
- Glen Cathy
8
HOW TO APPLY LEAN TO RECRUITMENT?
Map the candidate journey from the first call to hiring to understand how and where you can apply the lean technique in your recruitment.
Then, follow these four main steps of lean recruiting; Waste Elimination, Understanding Variability in Recruiting, Use of Technologies and Appreciating Recruiters.
WASTE ELIMINATION
1. Hunt down all the waste, such as activities that do not directly interface with a candidate, and eliminate it.
UNDERSTANDING VARIABILITY
2. Understand what causes changes or variability in the recruiting, and apply techniques to either eliminate them or adapt.
USE OF TECHNOLOGIES
3. Use technology to cope with the ever-changing environment and simplify the processes.
APPRECIATING RECRUITERS
4. Appreciate your recruiters and ensure that they are being used to their best ability.
Lean recruitment in a nutshell
LEAN RECRUITMENT STEPS
Waste Elimination
Cut out all non-value-adding activities from the process. These can be for example recruitment email floods, paper applications, long recruitment processes, and stiff online formats; all which still are used in a way too many organizations. Old, non- adaptive recruitment steps will be nothing but a disadvantage, so kiss them goodbye and apply better steps into your recruitment process. No one wants to go through a flood of papers or emails while trying to find the one Star out of all the candidates.
Understanding Variability in Recruiting
This means above all adapting; sometimes there is a desperate need for a high- level candidate, and sometimes there is nothing happening in requiting. For lean recruitment, it is crucial to understand this cycle and adapt to it, especially during times when all organizations have peak seasons and recruiting runs hot. It’s possible to smooth the process by using technology well, using resources in multiple ways, and by quickly reallocating resources.
Use of Technologies
Technology allows recruitment to remain adaptable by applying modern technologies to improve recruitment. Any unnecessary steps in the recruitment process should be eliminated, automated or streamlined. It’s assumed that the capacity and quality of an average recruitment function can be doubled by adding even a tiny amount of right technology to cut down the old, useless junk, from the recruiting process.
Appreciating Recruiters
Appreciation makes people shine. It’s a proven fact that people perform at their best when they are trusted and appreciated. Therefore, recruiters should be free to apply their people skills in recruiting and be rewarded based on how well they do this and how much time they spend with the applicants. A part of showing appreciation to
10 Innovations in recruitment should be something companies thrive for if they wish to
outtake their competitors. With simple and easy recruitment tools, these innovative actions are already available for recruiters:
1. Mobile friendly applications 2. Video recruitment tools
3. Online recruiting tools and software 4. Kanban board method
Mobile friendly applications
Mobile applications for recruitment purposes are the new, growing, and important trend. As mobile phones are always nearby us – an average person uses a mobile phone 4 to 5 hours each day – recruitment steps should always be made mobile friendly. Being visible on your candidates’ phones is the best way to reach them directly.
Video recruitment tools
Video interview is easy and versatile, and it gives an immediate look on the applied candidates. Forget plain old paper CVs or online forms with a candidate’s photo added, and interview (them) with a video recruitment tool. Video recruitment tools also have in-built commenting and rating system, so if wanted, the whole group of recruiters or the company’s employees can discuss about the candidates to find the best match for the open job.
LEAN RECRUITMENT TOOLS
”But most importantly, employers and recruiters have to adapt and move to the modern recruiting technology faster. Employers should work more on improving and investing in their hiring process to find the right skilled person.”
- John Sullivan
Online recruiting management tools and software
Like the video tool mentioned above - are easy to use and require very little training.
They are made intuitive, customizable and interactive, and upon its integration, they can be utilized right away. With a right software, the employer can better control the posted job requirements and limit the amount of received applications.
Kanban
The word kanban comes from Japanese and it stands for “card”. Kanban board method helps to visualize the flow of work from start to finish, to balance demand with available capacity, and spot possible bottlenecks. With Kanban board it’s easy to find any unnecessities such as wasteful multitasking. As Kanban focuses on the needs of recruiters and candidates by looking at the whole picture, it’s an effective tool for evolving recruitment processes, making them smoother and easier for everyone involved. Kanban contains four main steps; Visualizing Work, Limiting Work in Process, Focusing on Flow, and Keeping Up Continuous Improvement.
GOOD TO KNOW
Visualize work; create a visual model of your recruitment and its workflow, which you can use to observe the flow of recruitment through your Kanban system.
Limiting Work in Process; limit unfinished work in process to reduce the time it takes a candidate to travel through your recruitment system.
Focusing on Flow; analyze your recruitment flow and make steps to smooth the workflow. Look for problem areas and avoid future problems with the results of your process analysis.
Keeping Up Continuous Improvement; when your Kanban system is in its place, it will become the cornerstone of your continuous improvement. It offers teams a possibility to measure their effectiveness, quality, throughput and more. Kanban
C OPY HER E LEAN RECRUITMENT TEMPLATE
This template helps you to map out the current state of your recruitment process. Download the full lean recruitment template here and read instructions on the following pages.
C OPY HER E
Purpose
Purpose of this candidate journey mapping template is to find steps in your recruitment process that could possibly be enhanced, changed to better or even completely removed. Write each step of your recruitment on the gray area on top on very general level.
Recruiter, candidate and other participants
On the left hand side there are recruiter, candidate and two rows for other participants that might be relevant in your recruitment. Now, according to your steps in the gray area, describe what actions each participant is having in this step.
Write down also if the participant is just waiting!
Under each participant you need to add their feelings towards this specific step.
If you assume that they are happy during this step, add a sticker or just a cross to the line where you can see the smiley face. If you think that this participant hasn’t any feelings in this step add a cross to the dashed line and if you think that the participant is confused or angry for some reason add a cross to the line where you can see the sad face.
Mapping out the emotions of different participants will help you to identify the steps that need improvement.
What technology is or could be used?
Choose a different color to type down what technology is used in this step and another color to type down what technology could be used to make this step easier!
Waste elimination
Do you and your team feel that there is some waste in this step that needs to be eliminated? Add a red post-it note to this section if there is waste and do not add anything if the step is lean already.
C OPY HER E Barriers
Especially if you added the red post-it note to the waste elimination section, then you need to think what might prevent you from removing the waste. It is crucial to recognise also the barriers and say them out loud to make everyone aware of the situation. That way everyone can think for a solution too!Opportunities
Most probably there are some improvement opportunities in every step. What could be done better? How the waste could be eliminated? How to make some participant happier in this step?
When you have finished all the steps and found improvement opportunities, choose 3 to 5 most important opportunities that you need to start doing
immediately and underline them with green. Engage everyone to these. Too many improvements at once will lead only to a confusion and eventually none of the improvement will get done properly.
Choose also 3 to 5 opportunities that are very important but not that high priority and mark them with yellow. These are the steps that you’ll start doing. let’s say, after a month when you have successfully implemented the green opportunities.
CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE – WHY CANDIDATES LOVE FAST TOOLS
Candidates, who go through a lean and modern recruitment process, will enjoy it, whether they are hired or not. Candidates love nothing more than fast and easy tools, which are simple to use and give quick feedback to their application. How companies handle their recruitments and treat their candidates is a part of their employer and company image, just like when it comes to clients and customer service.
It is important to constantly look for ways to innovate and improve so that your
operations will be candidate friendly. If corporations get stuck with “things have always been done a certain way, so we are not touching this”-mentality – which is still living strongly in the field of recruiting – they will be left out from the constantly developing technology and quest for the best candidates. The best employers will go to work for someone else, and in the worst-case scenario bad recruitment can be the end of the company.
What companies fear the most is to hire wrong candidates. What the candidates fear is to be hired into a wrong company. If your company gives off a bad vibe with a non-candidate friendly recruitment process, the candidates might not even apply to your posts – and if they do and are not chosen, they will not apply twice due the bad experience.
Remember that candidates are your customers; sometimes literally.
“The way a company treats a candidate during the hiring process can either be a huge competitive advance in a very hot market when trying to attract hard to find candidates, or it can be a major reason why candidates run from a particular company.”
- Robert Byron
Don’t overlook the candidate experience in your recruiting. It can cost you dearly.
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MOBILE RECRUITMENT IS THE NEW MUST
Mobile friendly recruitment is a constantly growing recruit method. It works similar to mobile marketing done through apps and mobile-optimized career portals. As we’re constantly glued on our phones, mobile friendly recruitment should be taken seriously.
Not only does it reach the best candidates fast, it also provides the candidates with a simple application form and quick responses. The easier your recruit steps are for jobseekers, the more they will love it.
It’s also important to mention that mobile phone use now accounts about 65 % of total digital media use. That means people use more time on their mobiles than on their computers, still computers are considered the number one channel to reach candidates.
If your application process isn’t mobile friendly, it’s safe to say you will lose a considerable number of potential talents. Millennials from 1980’s to 2000’s have grown up with different technological devices, and they will make 75% of the
workforce by 2020. Many CEOs and recruiters globally say that this generation can be reached best via mobile, especially by texts and applications. It’s only logical that one would use the communication method the candidates use themselves.
AFTERWORDS
In the world of recruiting, the fastest one will catch the best candidates. However, just being quicker than others doesn’t guarantee you success if your company doesn’t understand the candidate experience in recruiting. Positive recruitment experiences will bring you more candidates as well as clients - you have to remember your
candidates are also your clients, figuratively and literally. In American ERE Media’s poll one out of four candidates replied they had severed all ties with a company after a bad job application experience.
To boost the candidate experience alongside with leaner recruitment methods, the best way is to utilize modern technology and all the advances it brings into your recruitment steps. Not only does this benefit your candidates, it also benefits your recruiters by cutting off unnecessary processes – such as printed CVs and email floods.
There are many ways to enhance your recruitment steps with technology and one of the easiest is to use a versatile video tool. It’s easy to utilize and learn, and it works positively for both the recruiters and the candidates. Also, mobile friendly application processes should be the new required must, as people spend 4-5 hours each day on their phones. The best way to reach for candidates is to walk with them in their pockets – get in their phones!
If you don’t know which steps are unnecessary in your recruitment, asks from your HR-department.
