Look up automation in the dictionary and it’s immediately apparent that the term has a negative connotation attached to it. The Oxford English Dictionary declares it to mean “the use or introduction of automatic equipment in a manufacturing or other process or facility” which is acceptable, but the example offered is perhaps the more stereotypical perception – “unemployment due to the spread of automation”.
It’s a common myth not helped by Hollywood’s portrayal of machines taking over the role of human workers – but actually Automation is a powerful and essential way of making recruitment work well.
Far from removing the recruitment manager and HR team altogether, it actually has the potential quicken up the recruitment process, enhance the candidate experience, and effectively add to the time that managers can spend with potential hires.
Alleviating the administrative burdens of recruiters enables better personalised processes so recruiters can interact more frequently with highly sought after qualified candidates. With more time made available using an automated system, recruiters can create warm, authentic interactions with top candidates for bespoke posts. Equally, it can speed up processes for more generalised posts. One multinational retailer uses an Oleeo automated e-recruitment solution to hire shop floor staff in branches across the country over a three day period from application to the employee receiving their uniform and starting work for example.
Technology is not standing still either. Automation will continue to evolve and employers need to be keeping up with changes. Staff can be inducted on the e-recruitment systems they applied to for example, undertaking mandatary e-training modules or simply providing information to ensure they have equipment and/or uniform ready for their first day. The same systems can be used to securely host contracts and other HR forms that the employee must sign up to as part of company terms and conditions.
Over time, the brains behind the technical excellence offered by e-recruitment specialists such as Oleeo will continue to evolve the algorithms that make up the sophisticated filtering and shortlisting capabilities provided through automation. The process will be enhanced to help truly eradicate potential for bias and help streamline HR delivery in effective and efficient ways.
Recruitment is already in the high 80/90 per cent region for online applications against paper CVs and covering letters and this has been proven to reduce costs – one retailer has reported 30-40 per cent savings using an Oleeo solution.
Automation can help improve consistency, efficiency, reduce costs and align your organisation’s recruitment process in the long run although the level of automation undertaken will vary dependent on the industry, type and volume of roles. Far from being the scary word it might first appear, it is actually a mechanism that can be very effective in High Volume Hiring. Running without it is simply delaying the inevitable.
