Things are looking up for many of us, staffing firms included. The last year has brought so much instability and uncertainty; however, the industry is now showing progress. Job postings are slowly but surely increasing. Not only are we trending upwards, but we are also making up for the lost time. Hopefully, your clients have learned a lot from the past year and can keep those lessons for long-term resiliance. How will you optimize workflow? The pandemic has caused the talent pools to close. The shortage of talent is still the main concern among agencies, but new resumes to market have helped even out databases.
Automation
Sourcing the right fit is the real challenge. Many recruiters want to automate this process as they are recognizing the benefits of automating to help with their workflow to boost productivity. We are not quite at the time for fully automated sourcing that completely takes out the need for a recruiter. Your clients can embrace automation by finding the right combination of “machine intelligence” with “human intelligence” that works for tthem.
Automated searches are capable of using the job description and search based on its entire context, rather than just keywords or phrases. It can recognize synonyms and related terms to bridge the language gap between job descriptions and resumes with minimal time and effort. An automated shortlist will also allow recruiters to tackle assigning importance to search components and determine how the position works for both the hiring manager and potential candidates. The machine won’t know specific preferences, so the hiring manager will need to work those out.
One reason for the slow adoption of these new technologies is that people felt left out of the process and could not connect with those applying. Recruiters will want to be well versed in the AI they are using and understand how new technology can help them do their jobs more efficiently and have a better connection with both candidates and customers. The whole reason to use automated shortlisting is to save recruiters time. It is just an added perk that it may find candidates recruiters may have missed. Automation is not limited to only a single part of the recruiter workflow. It can save up to 2 hours per recruiter per day with shortlisting.
An Evolving Business Strategy
Automation has the most significant potential to save time which can help staffing firms get back on track. However, we must also consider that the pandemic has caused many businesses to evaluate their strategy and begin asking questions such as:
- Should we now begin expanding into new regions/markets/verticals?
- Is sustaining pre-pandemic headcount levels a must?
- Are we getting the most out of our tech?
- How do we make new recruiters feel secure quicker and protect against high turnover?
- Are revenue streams diverse beyond the commodity of placements?
All of these factors will significantly impact recruiters and overall workflow optimization. Technology can either be an enormous help or a major hindrance. With all the new strategies being implemented, it is more important than ever to protect the business with staffing business insurance.
Some people view digital transformation as essential. Regardless, agencies must remain people-focused, as the industry is still about people, and technology is not taking away the recruiter’s job. Human connection can not be simulated. Recruiters and potential candidates must understand those on the other side of the resumes or job descriptions. At the same time, workflow optimization can be improved for tedious tasks that hinder the recruiter’s productivity and take their time spent working with people.
About World Wide Specialty Programs
For the last 50 years, World Wide Specialty Programs has dedicated itself to providing the optimal products and solutions for the staffing industry. As the only insurance firm to be an ASA commercial liability partner, we are committed to that partnership and committed to using our knowledge of the industry to provide staffing firms with the best possible coverage. For more information about Staffing Professional Liability Insurance or any other coverage, we have available to protect your staffing business, give us a call at (877) 256-0468 to speak with one of our representatives.