Recruiters know that technology offers many highly effective ways to find, contact, and communicate with potential hires online. But knowing the best platform to post a job and get visibility can be a minefield.
Tech also has its limits. However smart solutions like AI may be, they still can’t replace the real people who power recruiting efforts. Whereas AI excels in managing the heavy lifting of data sorting and matching, experts agree that the human element in recruitment remains more important than ever.
When you strike the right balance, it becomes even easier for recruiters to find quality candidates online within the first day. Use these four expert-recommended strategies for hiring success.
1. Find employees fast: post online
Posting jobs online gives you incredible reach fast. Visibility of your job ad is not the only benefit — online recruitment also gives you access to data.
“When you use a specialized platform, you’re tapping into a living ecosystem of billions of data points,” explains Marissa Morrison, vice president of people at online hiring site ZipRecruiter. This data lets you adapt your approach for the best results, such as using niche tags for technology hires and geo-targeting tags for local service hires. She says it’s a strategy that works across every industry, whether you’re searching for a neurosurgeon or a retail assistant.
Another advantage of online posting is what Morrison calls the “passive advantage.” A limited percentage (around 30%) of the workforce is looking for a new role at any one time, but by using data in smart ways, you can reach the other 70% — the passive candidates who may not be actively looking for a new job but may be ideal for your role and receptive to outreach.
2. Optimize AI
AI is constantly refining online job postings. For example, ZipRecruiter’s industry-leading AI-matching technology — known as Smart Matching — uses billions of job seeker and employer data points to recommend relevant candidates based on their skills and experience. Targeted use of AI can even analyze a candidate’s past behavior and career trajectory to predict how likely they are to respond to a job ad.
AI is also intelligent enough to understand that different roles — such as a business development rep and an account executive — often share very similar skills. It therefore searches not just for the job title in question, but also for other relevant job titles to uncover “hidden gem” candidates who may also have qualifications for the role you’re hiring for.
Voice screening is another way AI is enhancing the recruitment process. “AI-powered voice screens are being used to handle initial five-minute vetting calls for high-volume roles,” says Morrison. It distinguishes which candidates have the soft skills required for a particular job, enabling recruiters to optimize their time by focusing only on the most relevant individuals.
3. Value the personal touch
Personalizing your approach to specific candidates is another way to increase their likelihood of responding. For example, AI enables you to reference a specific project a candidate has worked on or their unique skills, translating what would have been a ‘cold reach’ into a warm introduction.
This headhunting tactic significantly increases engagement and success. “Our data shows that candidates who are approached through our ‘Invite to Apply’ feature are nearly three times more likely to get hired,” says Morrison. “And it significantly reduces the ‘time to hire’ for recruiters because you’re starting the conversation with a pre-vetted lead.”
ZipRecruiter’s ‘Invite to Apply’ feature generates eight times more1 great matches for a job and over 11 times more2 candidates in the first day of posting compared to standard job postings, helping employers quickly connect with qualified candidates.
“Instead of waiting for the right person to find you, our AI finds them and asks you: ‘Does this person look like a fit?’ If you say yes, we send them a personal invitation to apply for your job,” explains Morrison.
4. Champion the human element
Despite the increasing use of AI and technology, the human element remains vital in recruitment. Technology takes care of the essential, administrative facts — is the salary level right for this candidate? Does this individual have the right certification? — but it can’t get a real sense for a candidate’s passion, enthusiasm, and values.
Humans are therefore essential in any recruitment process. Real people are needed to establish relationships with candidates, engage in strategic storytelling and conversation, and genuinely gauge whether each candidate is the best fit for that job and company culture.
Use ZipRecruiter to instantly identify and hire top talent using AI-matching tech.
This post was created by Insider Studios with ZipRecruiter.
1 ZipRecruiter Internal Data, average Jan. 1 — Dec. 31 2024. Great matches are scored by a machine learning model using the applicant’s skills, job titles, years of experience, recency of titles, location, resume length, and application rate. Includes only ZipApply jobs on standard distribution subscription plans.
2 ZipRecruiter Internal Data, average Jan. 1 — Dec. 31 2024.
