Just like that, Google has entered the job recruitment industry. This is game changing. Currently, 70 percent of job searches start on Google, typically leading to dedicated recruitment sites where the rest of the hiring process proceeds. There’s a good chance that you yourself found your job using Google in this way. However, perhaps tired of being the middleman, Google now wants a larger piece of the pie.
Due in large part to its renowned search engine, Google retains a large amount of user data, which when used correctly, gives it an advantage over traditional recruiting sites. This begs the question: Why would you work against this global juggernaut when you can work with it?
You should be able to access the full potential of the Google machine when it comes to recruiting. Those who don’t risk getting left behind, wasting precious resources in an attempt to catch up.
The answer to why Google is going to become a major force in the recruiting game is simple: data. With continued focus on advancing its recruiting platform, Google may soon even become the de facto leader of all things recruiting, using its massive horde of data to bury the competition. Throughout its entire existence, Google has been good at connecting people with data. Think of how Google seems to know just what video you want to watch next on YouTube. As a recruiter, you want to get in front of the curve: Use Google’s ability to connect people to data to your advantage.
The Google juggernaut has amassed a mountain of data through its various programs and applications, from YouTube to geolocation. Most people already used Google to begin their job search. Google for Jobs makes sure that people don’t just search for jobs on their platform but they stay there during the entire process. Using this data, the Google algorithms go even further than most recruiting sites, learning from the way that advertisements are built and searches are performed, returning the closest matches that it can.
This is game changing because the first thing that pops up when people search on Google is almost certain to be clicked on by a jobseeker. Recruiting managers should start putting more of their resources into optimizing their Google for Jobs strategies in order to succeed.
Currently, there are many companies around the world who don’t see the need to optimize their ATS systems through Google. These companies tend to devote their resources to other channels, not realizing that Google has slowly crept its way to becoming a major force in the recruiting world.
One of the problems with failing to optimize for Google is that poor ad structure and searches will result in unqualified candidates. In order to achieve the most efficient recruiting, an ATS will have to take into account the way in which Google prioritizes its job postings — largely through its algorithm. Companies who use a basic “hope for the best” approach when it comes to recruiting risk being ignored by the AI technology that Google employs, falling further down the line or failing to appear on the search results at all.
Another problem is that even if companies get their job posting out there, they will often find a horde of unqualified and unneeded candidates. This is due in large part to the fact that descriptions are unclear as to what the position entails. It is absolutely critical that you make the job posting as clear as possible in order to get candidates that are perfect for the job.
Furthermore, an optimized ATS can even screen unqualified candidates from applying to the position, saving valuable resources normally spent sifting through through countless unnecessary candidates.
Once you’ve identified that your ATS isn’t working at it’s full potential, understand exactly how to change it to maximize your reach. Luckily, the process isn’t very difficult and with a few tweaks you can optimize your recruitment on Google for Jobs.
The most critical element is SEO-based. You want the job posting to not only find the most people, but you want it to be able to find the right people. Research your keywords so that the people who are looking for the available position can easily find it, apply for it, and start the interview process.
Make sure that all the requirements are reasonable for the position so that the best candidates can apply for the job. One of the most important aspects about Google for Jobs is that it puts the responsibility on the recruiters to get their data right when advertising. Those that do will reap the rewards, while others will fail. In fact, you can even find free results if you know what you’re looking for, saving both time and money.
Google even provides a means for you to test out the optimization of your ATS. Follow Google’s requirements and make sure there are no errors or warnings for your job posting. If there are, listen to the advice given by the tool and begin to change some aspects of your posting. However, if you are still receiving error or warning messages even after following Google’s instructions, give your ATS provider a call and find out the problem.
Google will soon become a titan of the recruitment industry. With near limitless resources and a huge ready-to-use audience base already under its control, smart recruiters should start strategizing with rather than against Google.
