Thanks to technology, it’s never been easier to connect people. This is particularly relevant for the recruitment industry; meaningful connections are precisely the foundation on which the industry is built. After all, people don’t trust companies – they trust other people. Contributor Mark McAinsh, Senior Enterprise Account Director at Exponential-e
It’s no wonder, then, that with half of UK employers concerned about the number of permanent candidates available, the recruitment industry continues to grow rapidly. As recruiters themselves are struggling with the quality of hire and talent scarcities, recruitment companies must foster a company culture that motivates its predominantly young workforce, harnessing the power of technology in the process.
To achieve this, firms need to optimise both their people and operations to create a company culture that attracts and inspires the very best employees. As a people-powered industry, it follows that recruitment firms need to ensure that hires within their own walls are the cream of the crop. Traditional ways of working can appear a little uninspiring to millennials, who increasingly populate the workforce. Too often, they are simply presented with an Excel spreadsheet full of telephone numbers and told to ring their way through. As digital natives who’ve most likely chosen their profession due to their personable nature, this can understandably seem unappealing.
By contrast, ‘anytime, anywhere’ data access from any device that compromises neither on security nor efficiency can help to empower a burgeoning workforce. For those sitting at the top, flexible solutions and tailored engagement models are key meeting business needs. As one example, investing in Unified Communications solutions that are reliable and secure can encourage collaboration between employees, candidates, and customers alike. What’s more, this has a knock-on effect of maximising productivity and billable time — a must for the recruitment industry. All of this can take place on a shared communication platform that’s as speedy and agile as its combined workforce is key in such a competitive market.
It’s also important to remember that millennials no longer just occupy the bottom of the industry hierarchy; with approximate ages ranging from 22 to 37, many millennials are now the new decision-makers. They’ll have the best and brightest ideas – so it makes sense to give them the equipment that enables them to collaborate seamlessly. To this end, Unified Communications and telephony service are the engine required to drive efficiency. By investing in these tools, recruiters can create new ways to communicate with their candidates and foster a more positive company culture in the process, which is key to productivity.
For best results, all of this must be underpinned by a robust and reliable network; it’s the only way to ensure high performance and secure connectivity between remote sites. This most crucial when it comes to communicating with clients: customer service is the very core of recruitment, but it’s impossible to deliver if the internet speed is too poor to handle Google Hangouts. For an industry that trades on professionalism, a crackling line can cause untold embarrassment.
Throughout these endeavours, however, security cannot be an afterthought. For an increasingly flexible workforce, keeping data secure and accessible – regardless of where in the world an employee may be – is a top priority. The common practice of sharing files insecurely through shadow IT can cause all sorts of compliance issues. To clarify, shadow IT describes IT solutions used within an organisation without the approval, or even the knowledge, of IT decision-makers. No doubt it’s easy to imagine the ramifications of its use if left unchecked in our post-GDPR world.
Ultimately, for recruiters, all of this technology is vital to prove that the industry is as nimble and professional as its clients. After all, relying on legacy landlines when dealing with Shoreditch-based blockchain start-ups is never a good look. This is especially important when considering how the recruitment industry is a barometer for the global economy; when there’s a slowdown in recruitment, there’s a slowdown coming in the relevant sector. As such, harnessing technology to future-proof company culture is vital not only for recruiters but also businesses across all sectors throughout the world.
