Recruiters’ Biggest Time Thieves (and How Smart Automation Can Help)

Stop! Thief!

Recruiting nowadays is a challenge and even more so when time is wasted on low-value, repetitive, time-sucking tasks. Recruiters are swamped with open job orders. They need to get more done with fewer resources (including team members) in a candidate’s market where building trust and nurturing relationships are paramount.

How can recruiters work smarter not harder?

Two words: recruiting automation

Here are some of the biggest recruiting time-wasters—and how smart automation can give recruiters that time back to spend on high-value activities that directly lead to more placements.

Recruiting Time Waster #1: Missing or incorrect data

Time-saving Automation: Database clean-up

Create an automation to reach out to every candidate in your ATS who only has an email listed in their record. Ask them to update their information and provide a contact number as well. Then reach out to candidates who only have a contact number listed and ask them to update their information and provide an email address. This automation cleans up the information in your ATS and provides a fresh pool of responsive candidates. Follow up with an automation asking them to update their skills, desired jobs, or availability on an ongoing basis!

Recruiting Time Waster #2: Manual data entry and follow-ups

Time-saving Automation: Status change or activity note to move them through the funnel

Look to your recruiting process for ways to make recruiters’ lives easier. At which point in the process can you create an automation based on a status change or activity note to engage candidates and keep them moving through your funnel? Try these:

Post-apply thank you
Interview reminder
Post-internal interview survey
Welcome series

Recruiting Time Waster #3: Scarce Talent

Time-saving Automation: Hot jobs

Get butts in jobs. Yep, that’s the name of the game. Make it easier for yourself by sending out a hot jobs automation to available candidates. Let them know new opportunities are available, and you’d love to hear from them. Additionally, create a weekly hand-raise automation asking available candidates to contact you if they’re looking for work in the upcoming week. Any responses will help you fill jobs faster!

Recruiting Time Waster #4: Ghosting

Time-saving Automation: Start date reminder + on-assignment

Candidates are likely working with multiple agencies. How can you keep them engaged and interested in your jobs? How can you ensure they arrive on day one and complete their assignment? You increase your odds of success by staying in contact with them. Here are a few automations to consider:

Pre-assignment (onboarding)
Start date reminder
On-assignment (weekly check-ins)

Recruiting Time Waster #5: Unqualified Talent

Time-saving Automation: Prescreening touchpoints

Get jobs filled faster by starting with the right candidates. Build out your post-apply thank you workflow by adding prescreening touchpoints that ask candidates knock-out questions like:

Are you 18 years of age?
Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?
Do you have reliable transportation?

Be sure to communicate to recruiters that these questions will be asked in advance! They’ll love getting further in the employment process without having to make time-consuming phone calls.