Talent acquisition systems now encompass the entire pre-hire lifecycle—is your platform up to the task?
By Madeline Laurano
Talent acquisition technology, more than any other area of talent management, is ripe for change. As a result of this new reality, organizations are rethinking tried and true approaches in favor of more effective and innovative ways to identify and attract talent. Just take general job boards as one example. These were once considered the bread and butter of any sourcing function; today, by contrast, some 50 percent of organizations plan to decrease their investment in general job boards over the course of the next 12 months.
Clearly, organizations are responding to these business pressures by revaluating their options in the area of technology. According to recent research conducted by Aberdeen, the top recruitment technology in place today includes three main areas:
• Job boards: 85%
• Background screening: 74%
• Talent Acquisition Systems (Applicant Tracking Systems
(ATS)/Hiring Management Systems): 66%
But, given the change and evolution that is taking place in the market, what technology can we expect organizations to embrace in the future? Talent acquisition systems have come a long way and now encompass the entire pre-hire lifecycle, including candidate acquisition, requisition management, job postings, search capabilities, interview management, communications, and reporting. These systems foster a positive candidate experience though a variety of dynamics: company career site branding, online employee referral programs, candidate self-service applications, pre-screening questions, assessments, global configuration, social media capabilities, mobile capabilities, integration, contact management, compliance with regulations emanating from both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), and in many cases, support for high-volume recruiting. Yet notwithstanding these openings, current systems still are often missing some critical opportunities to make innovations to the recruitment process. Analytics, interviewing, and sourcing are just a few of the examples of where ATS systems need help.
Aberdeen’s upcoming report, Strategic Talent Acquisition, has identified the top three technology investments for organizations in 2013: candidate relationship management, workforce planning, and video tools.
Candidate relationship management. With the competition for top talent escalating, organizations have been placing significantly greater emphasis on the candidate experience in order to improve the quality of the talent pipeline. Candidate relationship management tools, which are a priority for 56 percent of organizations, help recruiters engage, manage, and track communication with talent for both short-term and long-term hiring needs.
Workforce planning. Organizations that are looking to gain a competitive advantage must be prepared to address both current and future talent needs. Workforce planning, which is a priority for more than 50 percent of best-in-class organizations, is a process for identifying the gaps between the supply and demand of talent to meet specific business requirements. Although it is not a traditional area of recruitment, workforce planning nevertheless gives talent acquisition professionals the opportunity to respond to business objectives.
Video interviewing. Cutting costs, improving efficiencies, and standardizing processes are just a few reasons that organizations have been investing in video interviewing technology. Organizations have two options when conducting such interviews: synchronous video (with live, two-way functionality) or asynchronous video (offering pre-recorded questions that candidates can reply to). While both types of video have advantages, the majority of organizations (61 percent) have been leveraging synchronous video for every type of position—from college grads to executive positions.
Over the course of the next year, organizations that are looking to revamp their talent acquisition strategy and technology options will continue to move away from solutions that do not make recruitment easier and instead find value by investing in candidate relationship management, workforce planning or video.
Madeline Laurano is Aberdeen Group’s research director for talent acquisition solutions. She can be reached at madeline.laurano@aberdeen.com.
