There are many different understandings of recruitment operations, depending on each companies’ practices and their conceptions of what recruitment operations should cover. However, the one constant, broad definition of recruitment operations entails the processes, tools, and strategies to ensure recruitment departments are running as efficiently and effectively as possible, maximizing time, money, and talent to satisfy the needs of an organization.
As a function, human resources operations are not directly responsible for hiring. “Basically, recruiting operations are about doing everything — except finding the talent,” explains Tim Sackett, president at HRU Technical Resources.
Recruiting operations teams are responsible for facilitating all the processes involved; from when recruiters are sourcing for talent until candidates are onboarded and assimilated into the company.
The goal of recruitment operations is to identify opportunities that can reduce costs and inefficiencies, quicken the hiring process, and increase returns on investment.
Another reason companies are focusing on recruitment operations is because of the alarming labor shortage that the economy is facing. A report by management consulting firm Korn Ferry on the future of work predicted that by 2030, there would be a labor deficiency of about 85 million people. Therefore, companies are trying to get ahead of this challenge by implementing recruitment operations.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic completely redefined the recruitment process globally. Companies had to figure out how to source, interview, onboard, and retain employees while running their businesses and adapting to remote work.
Indeed, the pandemic shone a light on industry bottlenecks and a need to revamp several systems to ensure the efficiency of employees and operations.
How Is the Recruitment Operations Team Structured?
As previously mentioned, there is no one definition of recruitment operations. As such, even the roles and positions on this team are not set in stone. Instead, the structure and makeup of the recruitment operations team depend on the short and long-term goals of the organization, the goals of the HR department, and their challenges.
An organization looking to reduce costs will not have the same structure as one looking to reduce the hiring time for new employees or a team looking to remove the bias in sourcing and hiring new employees.
These are some of the standard responsibilities and activities that can make up a recruitment operations team:
- Strategizing
Strategizing involves identifying the goals of the organization's different departments and those of the organization as a whole. Additionally, a recruitment strategy consists of determining the challenges and gaps in the hiring process and then mapping out the necessary steps that can be taken to close these gaps.
- Streamlining recruitment
While the recruitment team focuses on finding the best talent, the recruitment operations specialist is responsible for recruitment logistics. These include quickly finding this talent, interviewing prospective employees, maintaining good lines of communication, processing offers, and successfully onboarding and training employees.
- Data analytics
This is one of the critical roles of the recruitment operations team. As the saying goes, data is king. There is a lot that can be learned from your data concerning recruitment, People operations, and the organization at large. Data can be collected from potential hires, existing employees, exiting employees, clients, and top management.
However, the focus should not be placed on collecting as much data as possible. Instead, focus on what you can learn from this data. For instance, employees who are quitting can provide valuable insight on how to improve the employee experience. Also, candidate feedback from those who did not qualify can shine light on new ideas and potential solutions that will give your company a competitive edge.
Of course, data can also be collected on the time and resources it takes to find and onboard new employees, and then used to optimize these processes and set KPIs.
- Systems analysis
Recruitment operations is responsible for identifying the workflows in place and evaluating whether these systems are operating efficiently and effectively. For example, how long is the company taking to get back to candidates about their job applications? Are you having too many interview stages to the point that some candidates are voluntarily removing themselves from the candidate list?
- Procurement
Systems also include the recruitment software that a company might have in place. The recruitment team evaluates whether these systems are the right fit for the organization's needs, challenges, and goals. If it is found that these recruitment systems are obsolete, it is the role of the recruitment operations team to find and test different recruiting software vendors.
- Finance
Another critical role of the recruitment operations team is to manage the recruitment budget. This goes hand in hand with ensuring that the recruitment process is as efficient as it can be. Ideally, the organization should incur as few costs and expenses as possible while still being meticulous and effective about sourcing, hiring, and onboarding new employees.
- Change management
Change in an organization, no matter how small, comes with uncertainty. Sound changes are at times met with reluctance. The recruitment operations team can assist in easing employees into this change.
This can be done by making employees aware of the circumstances that called for these changes, involving employees in decision making as much as possible, breaking down how these changes will be implemented, how departments and individuals will be impacted, and opening lines of communication so they can provide insightful feedback on these changes.
- Compliance
The recruitment operations team also ensures that the organization is in compliance with all employment policies, rules and regulations. In addition, this team stays updated on the ever-changing guidelines that employers must follow so that the company does not fall victim to any lawsuits or fines.
- Brand management
A company’s reputation also affects its hiring process and the quality of talent it attracts. The recruitment team is responsible for ensuring that the employer brand is as impressive as possible. This means excellent and timely communication, a smooth interview process, and a professional and unbiased recruitment team.
These days, social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) is a powerful tool whose impact should not be taken lightly. If your company is notorious for certain unethical and unfair practices and work culture, this might hinder prospective candidates from applying or accepting offers.
Recruitment Operations & HR Technology
Like many arms of business administration, Recruitment Operations can reap a lot of benefits from implementing the right HR software. Here are some of the key ones:
- Leveraging the latest recruitment techniques
It is the business of recruitment service providers to stay on top of the ever-changing recruitment methods and trends. Companies who automate the recruitment process through HR technology can expect to be ahead of competitors because they quickly and easily adopt new hiring trends and use these techniques to ensure they have the top pick from the talent pool.
- Relieving the HR department of specific tasks
Sourcing quality talent can be a lengthy and nightmarish process. The HR team has to also take care of the paperwork, onboarding, and training of new hires.
Placing this burden on a small team and department can be a recipe for disaster. The hiring process can be easier and faster if HR tech handles administrative tasks like processing paperwork, onboarding, collecting feedback, and other tasks.
- Ensuring compliance with hiring policies
Hiring policies and regulations vary in different countries, states, as well as professional fields. Therefore, recruitment service providers are constantly updated on the changing rules and regulations so that companies do not unknowingly flout these rules.
- Boosting the company image
A company's image plays a significant role in the kind of talent it attracts. For one, outsourcing recruitment processes streamlines the hiring process and ensures that prospective hires have a pleasant experience. Even if they are not hired, they will associate the company with professionalism and efficiency.
In addition, the recruiting ops team assesses your reputation and position, compares it with competitors, and develops a plan on how you can improve your image. But, again, the end goal is attracting instead of chasing the right candidates.
- Quickens the recruiting process
Recruitment companies have one goal: ensuring that the HR department is as efficient as possible. They do this by studying systems, tools, and processes in place and then ensuring that every task, process, and employee is working at maximum capacity. As a result, they aim to reduce costs, reduce the time-to-hire, and ensure that top talent is hired.
- Provides exclusive access to a high-quality talent pool
Recruitment service providers have access to a database of highly skilled personnel looking for work. Having access to this pool of quality candidates eliminates the gruesome process of time and money that is usually spent trying to find the best talent.
- Providing valuable analytics and insights
Data is wealth. However, having data is one thing, and interpreting and creating an actionable plan is another. These recruitment companies put together data on the hiring frequency, costs of hiring, and turnover rate to then use these metrics in identifying challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Challenges Associated With Automated Recruitment Operations
- Overhead costs
Several costs come with automated recruitment operations that a company may not have anticipated. These might affect profits and revenue, especially if the company is small.
- Training
Companies may have to carry out company-wide training sessions when introducing new techniques and systems to streamline the talent acquisition and management process. This can be time-consuming, and at times, it is met with resistance. This can be solved by having meetings prior to these new changes to talk to employers about the circumstances that have called for the adoption of new systems. Employers can also be educated on how these new systems will make their jobs easier.
It would also be best to get feedback from them on how best they can be assisted to easily adapt to these new changes.
- Security issues
For these recruitment companies to accurately craft a strategy to streamline the hiring process and optimize all business operations, they require access to your database. To eliminate or minimize the possibility of data breaches, carry out extensive research on some of the top recruiting operations firms. Your focus and interest should be on those that follow GDPR standards and have one or another security and privacy certification, as well as a robust privacy statement.
Final Thoughts
Recruiting new talent does not have to be a daunting task. Are you looking to improve your talent management, reduce employee turnover, and keep costs down associated with replacing employees regularly? Check our supplier reviews to locate the AI Recruiting vendors for your business. Users that join our elite community will also gain access to a wealth of information.
