When it comes to finding the right talent, today’s organizations have plenty of options. With the increasing popularity of social networking, however, companies are moving away from traditional hiring processes and opting for more technologically driven methods.

Here are four of the more popular recruiting trends and some of the vendors that offer solutions, apps, or services in each of these spaces.

1. Social Media for Recruitment (Social Recruiting)

Because of the sheer volume of information (and traffic) on social media sites, many companies are daunted by the task of having to sift through it, and so have yet to include this platform in their hiring process.

Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter are some of the main social media tools used by today’s forward-thinking organizations. They allow recruiters to target the exact skill sets required for often difficult-to-fill positions.

The amount of traffic that social media sites see is attractive to recruiters and HR executives as a pool of potential candidates—while promoting their company and leveraging relationships that may turn into placements down the road.

Plenty of software vendors have adopted the idea of social networking, providing tools within their talent management or recruiting solutions that allow recruiters to easily find candidates through social networks, friend referrals, and more.

Social recruiting has become the primary focus of many recruiters and staffing firms because, unlike most search engines and job boards, social recruiting strategies promote transparent, two-way communication between an employer and job seeker.

Pros

• Helps companies position their brands by targeting workers more dynamically than a job board posting allows
• Increases candidate response rate
• Allows companies to research on all publically posted information of potential candidates

Cons

• If used improperly can actually tarnish a company’s reputation
• Is only as good as the effort a company puts into it
• May be more susceptible than traditional techniques to favoring or excluding candidates based on characteristics such as race or religion

Social Recruiting Vendors

Jobvite—Jobvite Source is a social sourcing and candidate relationship management (CRM) application that helps companies find relevant talent through employee referrals, social networks, and the Web.

SelectMinds—SelectMinds social recruiting and community management solutions automate the referral process while leveraging the social connections of a company’s current and former employees.

The Resumator—The Resumator is deeply integrated with social networks, using social recruiting tools that make it easy for companies to broadcast job openings across the social Web.

2. Managed Services: Vendor Management Systems and Recruitment Process Outsourcing

A vendor management system (VMS) is a software program that distributes job requirements to staffing companies, recruiters, consulting companies, and independent consultants. It facilitates the interview and hire process, as well as labor time collection, approval, and payment for both contingent, temporary, and (in some cases) full-time employees. A VMS can be used by recruiters within a staffing firm or by an organization’s recruiting department directly.

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) entails services similar to those of VMS providers; however, RPO service providers generally handle the entire recruitment activity process (and since they manage a multitude of recruiters, their procedures are standardized). RPO services can help organizations to negotiate fees and contractual terms, determine and rate employee service providers (vendors), conduct pre-employment verifications, screen résumés, conduct interviews, and more.

Pros

• Puts recruiting in the hands of the professionals
• Streamlines the overall candidate hiring process
• Benefits from the knowledge and expertise of consultants with regard to labor compliance regulations

Cons

• Disconnects HR departments from the hiring process
• Requires a well-defined corporate and staffing strategy to succeed
• May cost more than an internal recruitment department

VMS and RPO Vendors

Beeline—Beeline’s VMS automates the process of procuring, managing, and analyzing contingent and project-based labor and allows companies to budget, track, and pay time and material and fixed-price milestone payments through consolidated invoicing.

Bond eEmpact—Bond eEmpact provides application tracking, process automation, résumé management, and Outlook integration staffing dashboard for staffing agencies around the globe.

Kenexa—Kenexa’s RPO division uses technology and human ability (through its many experienced consultants) to reach hard-to-find candidates and deliver them on-demand to recruiters.

OneHire—OneHire provides functionality such as applicant tracking and assessments. Its experienced staff can help companies manage a  multitude of recruiters as well as help them to consolidate, refine, and define their recruitment processes.

TalentFlow—TalentFlow is a Web-based VMS that helps companies create an open marketplace for staffing services while managing their contingent workforce, materials, and services.

Zoho—Zoho Recruit is an applicant tracking system and recruitment software that helps staffing agencies and recruiting departments track job openings, resumes, candidates, and contacts.

3. Employee Screening and Background Checks

The reference check of the past has evolved into a thorough background check on all job applicants’ criminal history and work records, including current and past employment, performance, attendance, and reasons for leaving a job.

In high-security positions or positions of trust (e.g., in schools, hospitals, airports, or government), employee screening is a must. Depending on the type of position, employee screening and background checks can also include drug or alcohol testing, fingerprint investigation, and credit score. Background checks are also used to investigate potential government employees before granting security clearance.

Pros

• Helps identify potentially problematic candidate behaviors
• Helps reduce employee turnover and related costs
• Reduces costs associated with employee theft
• Protects employers against potential discrimination lawsuits

Cons

• May give candidates the impression that a company is overly controlling or paranoid
• May be construed as an invasion of personal liberty
• Can be expensive in terms of money and time
• Must be conducted responsibly or companies risk fines for mishandling personal data

Employee Screening and Background Check Vendors

AccuScreen—AccuScreen provides employment screening background checks, placing emphasis on past performance, employment periods, positions held, salary, rehire eligibility, and reasons for leaving.

HR Plus—HR Plus products include background screening, drug testing, and fingerprinting.

LexisNexis—LexisNexis Employment Screening offers in-depth criminal background checks, drug and alcohol screening, and employment verification.

Social Intelligence—Social Intelligence offers social media screening and investigative services including employment background checks, insurance claims investigations, corporate due diligence, and government services.

TalentWise—TalentWise offerings include background checks, drug testing, US Department of Transportation regulation compliance solutions, driving records, assessments, verifications, credit checks, and international searches.

4. Video (and Virtual) Interviewing

Video and virtual interviewing both provide a simple and unique way for recruiters to interview candidates while helping to build the company brand and cut down on recruiting costs.

Candidates can be interviewed using video-conferencing (similar to Skype). Or recruiters can ask candidates to complete a virtual questionnaire: candidates log in to a personalized interview session online and respond over the phone to the given questions (see Figure 1), and have the opportunity to review their answers before the information is stored for the recruiter.

The video and virtual experience is not for everyone though. Some candidates may be reluctant to be part of an interview where they know they will be videotaped or recorded. And experts acknowledge that video cannot substitute for in-person interaction when it comes to reading candidates or understanding employees’ needs.

Figure 1. Virtual interview questionnaire from HireIQ’s InterviewPlus

Pros

• Cuts down on the interview process and reduces the time-to-hire
• Helps companies to improve their candidate pool
• Is an efficient, standardized experience for candidates
• Reduces environmental impact (travel, paper, etc.)

Cons

• Does not convey body language very well
• Should not be used as the sole recruitment tool

Video and Virtual Interview Vendors

GreenJobInterview—GreenJobInterview’s solution provides a platform that enables companies to do virtual job interviews anywhere in the world.

HireIQ—HireIQ’s solution provides a Web and voice-response application that  doesn’t require travel to a video-conferencing location or use of a webcam.

HireVue—HireVue’s Digital Interview Platform is for in-person, phone, video, and on-demand interviews. Interviewers simply e-mail questions to candidates who record their responses via webcam.

Sonru—Sonru integrates secure online video into the interview process, and is suited to recruiters who want to interview a lot of people in a structured and fair manner quickly and cost effectively.

Let us know where your company’s at in regard to the latest recruiting trends. Take our quick poll.