In talent acquisition, the pace of change has accelerated. Companies are facing new pressures, new priorities, and new challenges when attracting and recruiting talent. With a significant labor shortage and the Great Resignation, talent acquisition is more complex than it has ever been.
To keep up, companies must rethink their strategies and invest in new technology to support everything from recruitment marketing to onboarding. According to Aptitude Research, 67% of companies had increased their investment in TA tech in 2021, and 73% plan to increase their investment in 2022.
But as organizations rush to transform with new technology, many have lost sight of their recruiters, the people doing the actual work. The most critical role in talent acquisition success is too often overlooked in decision-making around the future of work.
No surprise, then, that 58% of recruiters do not believe that leadership understands their role in the organization. As a result, recruiters are feeling overworked and exploring new opportunities.
The increased focus and investment in talent acquisition must include the recruiter. As companies plan for this year and beyond, they must take a step back and carefully consider strategies and technologies that will directly impact their recruiting teams.
Aptitude Research launched a new study sponsored by HiredScore to help companies better understand the role of the recruiter and the solutions that can drive success and improve the recruiter experience. Below are some of the key findings:
Recruiters face a different reality. Companies will not be able to build strong recruiting teams if they do not understand and validate the recruiter experience. Leadership and IT do not have the same visibility into recruitment realities today. Seventy-three percent of recruiters said it is harder to find candidates this year, compared to 39% of leadership and 10% of IT professionals. For companies to improve the recruiter experience, they must start by understanding and recognizing the challenges that recruiters face.
Recruiters will leave their jobs for better technology. Technology plays a significant role in the recruiter experience and in overall job satisfaction. As companies embrace digital transformation and invest in new solutions, they must consider technologies that will improve how recruiters do their jobs. This study found that 1 in 2 recruiters would join another organization if it had better technology.
Companies are replacing areas of technology. Companies are replacing all areas of TA technology, from recruitment marketing to ATS to onboarding; yet recruiters do not play a significant role in influencing these technology decisions. One in three companies are looking to replace their TA technology this year, but only 32% of companies state that recruiters help influence technology decisions.
Leadership and recruiters disagree on technology satisfaction. The research shows that 78% of TA and HR leaders are satisfied with recruitment technology, compared to only 48% of recruiters. These different views on technology will impact how recruiters perform and adopt technology at their organizations. Companies must consider why recruiters are not using certain solutions and what technology will drive value adoption.
Recruiters are embracing AI. The majority of recruiters are not fearful that AI will replace their jobs or provide a poor candidate experience. The study found that recruiters are embracing AI to be more efficient and to provide a better candidate experience — 42% of recruiters believe that AI will help them become more strategic in their jobs.
Integration is a challenge. Integration is not just a point of frustration for IT professionals. Systems that are not seamlessly integrated create more administrative work and delays for recruiting teams that feel under pressure today. Sixty percent of recruiters surveyed stated that the greatest frustration with technology is poor integration.
The relationship between IT and TA is evolving. The majority of IT professionals do not have a clear understanding of the role of the recruiter or the technology that will improve the recruiter experience. Seventy-three percent of recruiters stated that it is difficult to find quality talent today, compared to only 10% of IT professionals. Without a clear understanding of what recruiters are facing, IT will not be able to advocate for the technology needed to attract, recruit, and hire talent. The one area where both IT and recruiters are aligned is in the value of AI.
