Like it or not, recruitment portals are an essential part of today’s recruitment landscape. For some, they represent efficiency, data security and streamlined processes. For others, they feel complex, impersonal and raise a barrier to essential interaction that drives successful job placements.
Whatever your view, there are clear ways both clients and candidates can enhance the use of portals to ensure the best candidate is matched to the right role. Here, Hayley Dunbar, Senior Director (International Actuarial), shares her perspective on how to make the most out of a recruitment tool that’s here to stay.
Securing Data, Streamlining Processes
As technology advances in every aspect of our working lives, recruitment portals have evolved to offer some very attractive features for hiring companies. From GDPR compliance and information security to simplified selection processes and monitoring tools, portals can support efficient HR practices, create cost savings and free up busy HR teams to focus on other tasks. Job seekers can submit their data with confidence and tech-savvy individuals are relatively comfortable with an arms-length job application, particularly if they are active job hunters and applying for numerous roles simultaneously.
So far so good. But this is a very different approach to the traditional world of recruitment and executive search, where people engage with people and discuss more than just the job description when considering applying for a role or engaging a candidate.
Interaction Matters
Hayley explains how clients can use recruitment portals without losing those vital aspects of the recruitment and executive search process. “It’s important not to lose the personal touch when searching for candidates, and the clients who use portals most effectively are those who blend technology with other recruitment techniques.”
Hayley continues, “Within the actuarial and financial services market, each role is unique. Combining personal interaction with data-driven technology processes will ensure you find the right individual for your team. Successful, long-term placements hinge on meaningful conversation throughout the hiring process. As recruiters and experts in executive search, we add real value to portal-driven job searches when we sit at the heart of interaction between hiring managers, HR partners and job applicants.”
Hayley describes why some candidates are reticent about using portals. “As candidate skills and experience grow, it can take much more than a job description and company profile to convince them to share their details through a portal. Insights into company values, ways of working and market knowledge are vital for risk-averse candidates. At Emerald Group, we see first-hand how conversations with a trusted recruiter provide the reassurance individuals need to put themselves forward for a role – or to decide early in the process that a role is not the right choice for them, avoiding costly mistakes and retention issues.”
It’s key to consider who’s pro-actively looking for a new role. “In a market where candidates are scarce, it’s also important to remember that the best candidates may not be actively job hunting. For many of the roles we work on, the best applicant isn’t necessarily the one that puts themselves forward. An early conversation with the hiring manager allows us to identify potential matches from our extensive network, and then create confidence among potential candidates who may not be looking for a new role but who we know will be a great fit for your team. Our executive search expertise enriches the calibre of candidates interested in your role.”
The Candidate Learning Curve
Recruitment processes are always a learning curve for candidates. Hayley explains how portals can block this process: “Taking on a new job is a huge decision. Candidates want to get to know the company and meet the individuals they will be working with. They want details about the role and responsibilities as well as career, training and development prospects. They need to build their knowledge about the company and their potential place in a new team.” She continues, “Online applications can feel very one way, and candidates may choose not to apply for a role if they have too many unanswered questions. They can also be nervous that an algorithm could initiate an early rejection of their application. Being required to state salary expectations is a good example of a criteria that creates nervousness amongst candidates, especially if they’re not allowed to express flexibility. Losing good candidates through lack of information or data-driven decisions can be avoided if the candidate has the opportunity to ask questions before applying for a role and as their application progresses. When we’re briefed on recruitment portal roles, we can effectively broker this part of the process for candidates, a vital step to avoid good candidates opting out of an application.”
Are Rejections Damaging Your Reputation?
Another pitfall to avoid happens when an application isn’t successful. Often the portal rejection process can feel harsh to a candidate, especially if they aren’t given feedback on why their application wasn’t successful. Hayley explains why this matters: “By explaining to unsuccessful candidates why a decision has been made, we can protect the reputation of the hiring company. In a market where candidates are scarce, a future application from the same candidate might be successful. However, if a rejection is handled poorly and impersonally, this can permanently damage the company’s reputation for this candidate and have long-term consequences on their hiring ability.”
The Recruiter Perspective
So what do recruiters really think about these portals? “It may come as a surprise to know that Emerald Group consultants appreciate that there are benefits to portals: clear candidate ownership, candidate confidence on data security and progress tracking are all essential to a smooth recruitment process. Portals also help clients ensure there is a representation of candidates that comply with their diversity requirements or aspirations.”
That said, there are definite advantages for clients and candidates if portals are supported by experienced consultants. “When we support a recruitment portal job search, we can transform the quality of candidates that apply, adding value through leveraging our networks and communicating clearly with potential applicants. We can meet the ongoing information needs for candidates and ensure they are prepared for interviews. We can manage expectations and negotiate between clients and candidates at the offer stage.”
In a competitive contingency market, clients usually get the best results if they offer roles exclusively to one recruiter. “It’s tempting to open roles on a portal out to all, but this doesn’t work well in a low-volume, quality-driven candidate market like financial service and actuarial roles. Limiting the active recruiters on a role will motivate them to prioritise searches for these roles, as they know they have a higher chance of a successful placement.”
What Does the Future Hold?
Hayley’s final thoughts on recruitment portals look to the future, and how clients can make the best of all the options available to them. “As technology increasingly dominates our work processes, candidates may become less sensitive to the nuances of online recruitment. However, recruitment and executive search is about people, so meaningful, trusted relationships are always going to be crucial.”
“I’d recommend that you always make Emerald Group consultants part of your team whenever you’re using a recruitment portal. You’ll combine efficient digital processes with an essential human touch to create a high-quality process that ensures the best people are placed in the right roles.”