How is Your Resolve Doing? Carbs and the Candidate Experience

 It’s still the start of the year, and resolutions are little more than dust in the wind for most of us. Of the 45 percent of Americans who made resolutions, 75 percent made it through the first week, and that number will drop to around 46 percent by June.

Whether the vow was to cut carbs, or to improve business, the majority of us did not, or will not follow through. If getting better at your job wasn’t part of your resolve, it’s never too late to start. It’s a new year, and if for no other reason than a refreshing change, here are some great ways to refresh your recruiting practices.

Are You Still Using Canned Job Descriptions?

You’ve read them; I know you have –the gazillion stats, articles and blog posts talking about the importance of strong employment branding. Is employment branding still not a part of your job descriptions? Fifty-one percent of organizations studied did not offer clear employment branding messages in their job postings. Canned descriptions are easy, tailored and branded descriptions are great. Which one seems more important?

Are You Stuck on LinkedIn and Facebook?

These are powerful places to establish a presence, but they aren’t the only ones in the league. A majority of recruiters are claiming to use at least three sites for their social recruiting efforts. Twitter, blogs and YouTube have all established a presence in the social recruiting game. If an estimated 92 percent of companies are now using social media to recruit, it is no longer an advantage. The advantage can only be gained at this point from new sites and tactics.

How’s that Dated Software Treating You?

Recruiters are automating much of the recruiting process, so there is naturally an emphasis on obtaining cutting-edge technology. Candidates can now go to one company site, find the career page instantly and apply within minutes. That is the new standard, and the wrong technology can put companies way below it. The new standard of time-to-apply is about 5 minutes. The addition of the “Apply with LinkedIn ” button to the applicant tracking system has also raised the bar for what candidates have come to expect in the application process. How does your current process and software add up?

An Informed Candidate is a Happy Candidate.

If recruiters work on nothing else about the candidate experience, this is the one area to direct their concentration. Constant communication seems to be the number one concern that candidates have in the hiring process. It is human nature to want to stay informed and it’s common courtesy to do so. With HR technology where it is today, this step can be automated, leaving no excuses. Yes, about 77 percent of candidates receive no feedback whatsoever after submitting a resume for an advertised position.

Recruiting is an extremely fluid field and it is in the midst of big change. How have you done with your resolutions to move forward professionally thus far? Did you even make them? It’s never too late to start improving (unless you’re still using floppy disks, you’re time has passed). Keeping the candidate in mind every step of the way will help recruiters achieve their basic goals, as well as establish a strong personal brand of courtesy and competency.