Your organization has finally decided to make a change because manual recruitment wastes too much time and energy. But where do you need to start to fix it? The first step is to start researching, but there are tons of automated recruitment software options, all of which promise something different or, more often, something completely the same. Despite the wide range of technological options, each software has unique features to address specific challenges, but falls short in other areas.

Everyone has heard the following words: artificial intelligence for recruitment, automatic hiring management, video interviews, virtual chatbots and psychometric tests. Logically, the amount of technology available for hiring can be overwhelming.

If you're not sure where to start, but you know that your hiring team is struggling to keep up with the demand for mass hiring, you're in the right place.

I'm here to help you determine if an automated recruitment platform is right for you and your organization. In this article, you will find observations based on my experience and knowledge that I have gained after many years of helping HR leaders decide how to approach their technology projects.

These are the three steps that every talent acquisition leader should take into account before purchasing automated recruitment software.

1. Define recruitment challenges and needs

If only one software vendor could solve all your problems, but if the software covers a lot, it usually doesn't do everything right. That's why it's essential to understand the objectives and challenges that hiring teams have.

Imagine that you need to automate the early stages of your selection process, such as interviewing a candidate with your sales manager. A software suitable for this challenge could be a video calling platform that uses artificial intelligence for gesture recognition. On the other hand, this type of tool won't help if your challenges arise later in the hiring process, such as sending offers to candidates and making sure they receive and review them. This is where something more holistic, such as an automated recruitment platform, could work.

To identify what automated recruitment software options your company should explore, you must first answer key questions about your team's recruitment challenges and needs, such as:

• Is the team currently keeping track of their key recruitment metrics? If not, what metrics would you like to have access to?
• Which KPIs are the most difficult to improve?
• Where do you lose the largest number of candidates in the recruitment funnel?
• Are there specific roles or shifts that are more difficult to fill than others?
• How much staff turnover do you experience in the various roles?
• What tasks lead to burnout for team members?

Being clear about what objectives the team expects to achieve or what challenges it is facing will help leaders select the most appropriate solutions.

Personally, I use a simple problem solving methodology called “Pain-Relief” (which translates to “pain relief”) to emphasize the clarity and visualization of the problems I want to solve. This involves dividing a problem into its components and identifying the desired solutions for each element. An effective way to apply this methodology is to create a simple table where you can list the problems together with the corresponding solutions.

How to use the “Pain-Relief” methodology:

1. Grab a piece of paper, a tablet, or create a new document in your favorite app.
2. Draw a line with two columns. One column will be for current challenges or weaknesses and the second will be for possible solutions. You can then add additional columns depending on the number of tools or systems you plan to explore.
3. In the first column, write down every problem or challenge you encounter. Be brief but clear.
4. In the second column, describe the pain caused by this problem or challenge. Be specific and concise, ensuring that each element accurately reflects a particular solution to be addressed.
5. In the last column, as you review different systems or tools, write down how each one addresses or doesn't address the company's weaknesses and challenges.

Clarity and simplicity are vital: Describing the real problems and the desired result in a way that does not create ambiguity about what would be considered a successful solution will allow you to turn this table into a visual aid, organizing your thoughts and clearly defining the problems and the results you hope to achieve.

Regardless of the problem-solving methodology you choose to employ, it's essential to identify and prioritize the challenges that need to be addressed. Only then can you find a solution that helps alleviate the pressure that these challenges cause.

2. Identify users and stakeholders

Now that we have defined the needs, identified the requirements and mapped out a work path, it's time to determine who will use the software and how they will use it.

For this stage, you need to ask specific questions about the people who will be using the solution, including:

• What is the structure of the team that will use the platform? (For example: a team of 40 recruiters and 10 hiring managers)
• Who will be directly responsible (or DRI) for the platform?
• What will each user benefit from on the platform? (For example, recruiters can use the platform from start to finish, while technical support leaders can focus on analysis)
• At what stages of the hiring process will the platform be used? (Define how each user will use it)
• What manual habits will change once the platform or tool is released?
• How often will each type of user access this platform? (Daily, Weekly, Monthly)
• Through what device will users access the platform (ideally)? (Computer, cell phone, tablet)
• Which departments or teams will be directly affected by the implementation of the new platform?
• Who are the main stakeholders that will be affected or will participate in the adoption of the new technology?

If you don't plan with end users in mind, you'll continue to struggle with the problems your team faced before, but with a smaller budget and a failed project. You must ensure that the use of any technological solution you select matches the needs of the people who will take advantage of the tool. Allocate the time and effort needed to train and support your team to achieve a successful project.

The ease of use of the platform is directly determined by the number of users who interact with the platform and the frequency of use. If users are interacting with technology around the clock, it's crucial to have a system that's easily navigated. Conversely, certain amenities may be sacrificed if the team only uses the system occasionally.

Understanding the user is essential to determine which technological solution is best suited to the organization.

3. Define the scope of the schedule

Once you've identified the main challenges and identified the specific people who will take advantage of the platform, you can move on to the next fundamental phase: charting the timeline and scope for adopting this new technology.

Remember that the schedule should reflect the desired results. For example, suppose the team seeks a holistic change in its recruitment strategy by replacing a hiring process that has been used for a long time. In that case, it's not realistic to think that this level of change will occur overnight. Instead, a single-purpose tool might make sense if a single task needs to be done quickly.

It is necessary to be aware of the factors of scalability, adaptability and long-term sustainability when defining the scope and timelines. By doing so, it can be confirmed that the chosen scope effectively addresses immediate needs and at the same time lays the foundation for future growth and evolution. When setting the schedule and developing the outreach, it's important to ask questions such as:

• Are there critical deadlines or key points that drive or affect the schedule?
• Are there any external factors that could affect the time available for the incorporation of the platform?
• How much time does the team have to onboard and train users on the new platform?
• How much time can each team member spend on the integration process without affecting their other responsibilities?
• Does the schedule have a space designed to address delays or unexpected complications during implementation?
• Can the necessary teams meet the schedule while managing other organizational projects?
• Do the teams that want to participate have the resources and experience to effectively contribute to the project?
• Have all the essential actors been included in the integration process?
• Have teams been informed or will be informed about the time needed to implement the service or platform?

Keep your answers handy as you evaluate suppliers. Managing a platform that only you and your team will use to process the ten vacancies in the finance area is very different from processing thousands of candidates to cover the opening of a new retail store.

You now have the answers to limit and narrow your search for suppliers with all the relevant information to evaluate the offers.

What's next when choosing automated recruitment software?

As we mentioned, in order to decide if a solution is the right software option for your organization, you need to thoroughly research the available options. This includes defining recruitment challenges, identifying users and stakeholders, and understanding the scope and timing surrounding the project. Once these preparatory steps are completed, the focus changes to evaluating providers based on historical success and customer service.

It is possible to make an informed decision that aligns with your organization's objectives, addresses specific challenges and lays the foundation for automated, efficient and effective recruitment, following the work path described above:

1. Define recruitment challenges and needs
2. Identify users and stakeholders
3. Understand the scope and define the schedule

Investing time in these steps from the start will help you save valuable resources later on.

At Emi, we have worked with large organizations, including Walmart, Heineken and Danone, who followed these steps in seeking a solution to their operational recruitment challenges. While every organization was different, their needs were the same: they needed to find a better way to recruit operational talent on a large scale and they wanted the support of experts in artificial intelligence and automation to help them achieve their long-term goals. In the end, this led them to Emi, the automated operational recruitment platform.

Ultimately, your organization must find the right automated recruitment software to support its objectives, meet the requirements of users and stakeholders, and stay on track and on schedule.

If you want to start this process for your own organization, request a personalized demo today!

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