The High Seas of High-Volume Hiring: Strategies that Work

In the fast-paced world of industries like retail, hospitality, and manufacturing, the need for a robust and efficient high-volume hiring strategy has never been more crucial. As we delve deeper into the unique challenges of this relentless recruitment cycle, we find that the solution lies in a mix of innovative approaches and tried-and-true practices.

 

Understanding the Landscape

High-volume hiring is characterized by the need to fill a large number of positions in a short amount of time. This is often compounded by high turnover rates, as employees in these industries tend to move on quickly, whether due to the nature of the work, seasonal demand, or other factors. Additionally, the increasing trend of candidate ghosting, where applicants suddenly cease communication, adds another layer of complexity to the hiring process.

 

Strategies for Success

  • Streamline the Application Process
    In a world where time is of the essence, ensuring that your application process is as streamlined as possible is key. This not only helps in attracting a larger pool of candidates but also reduces the chances of potential hires dropping out mid-process.
  • Invest in Employee Retention
    While it may seem counterintuitive in a high-turnover industry, investing in employee retention can actually save resources in the long run. This could be in the form of training programs, career advancement opportunities, or creating a positive work environment.
  • Embrace Technology
    Leveraging technology for recruitment can be a game-changer. From AI-driven applicant tracking systems to virtual interviews, technology can help in speeding up the hiring process and ensuring that you are reaching the right candidates.
  • Foster a Positive Employer Brand
    A strong employer brand can be your greatest asset in attracting top talent. Ensure that your company is viewed positively by potential employees by promoting your workplace culture, values, and benefits.
  • Build a Talent Pool
    Having a ready pool of qualified candidates can significantly cut down hiring time. Engage with past applicants and potential hires through social media, email newsletters, or talent communities to keep them interested in your organization.
  • Communicate Clearly and Consistently
    Clear communication can help in reducing the chances of candidate ghosting. Keep potential hires in the loop throughout the hiring process and provide feedback when necessary.

 

Conclusion

High-volume hiring doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By adopting a strategic approach and leveraging the right tools and practices, organizations can navigate this challenging landscape with ease. Remember, the key lies in being proactive, adaptable, and always keeping the candidate experience at the forefront of your hiring process. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies in our upcoming posts, as we continue to navigate the world of high-volume hiring together.


Navigating the High Stakes of High-Volume Hiring

High-volume hiring can be a daunting task, with numerous challenges and nuances to navigate. However, with the right strategies and mindset, it is possible to streamline the process and find the perfect candidates for your organization.

 

Enhancing Communication

Clear and consistent communication stands out as a crucial element in high-volume hiring. But how do you ensure that your messaging resonates with potential candidates? One key takeaway is to tailor your communication style to suit different platforms.

For instance, while LinkedIn might require a more formal tone, Instagram may be the perfect place for a casual and engaging message. By doing so, you're not only expanding your reach but also connecting with candidates on a level that resonates with them.

 

Streamlining the Process with Technology

In today's digital age, leveraging technology is non-negotiable. From Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to AI-driven screening tools, there's a plethora of options available to streamline your hiring process. However, the trick lies in choosing the right tools that align with your specific needs.

Don’t shy away from investing time and resources in training your team to effectively use these tools. Remember, the goal is to enhance efficiency without compromising on the quality of your hires.

 

Fostering a Candidate-Centric Approach

A candidate-centric approach is all about putting the needs and experiences of your candidates at the forefront. This could mean simplifying your application process, providing clear and timely communication, or offering feedback regardless of the outcome.

Remember, a positive candidate experience can turn even rejected applicants into brand ambassadors.

 

Harnessing the Power of Employee Advocacy

Your current employees can be your biggest assets in the high-volume hiring process. Encourage them to share job openings within their networks and be vocal about their positive experiences at the company. This not only expands your reach but also adds a layer of trust and authenticity to your employer brand.

 

Developing a Robust Onboarding Program

The journey doesn’t end once the candidate accepts the offer. A robust onboarding program is key to ensuring that new hires feel welcomed and are set up for success. Take the time to develop a comprehensive onboarding plan that covers everything from company culture to role-specific training.

Remember, a well-thought-out onboarding process can significantly reduce turnover and increase employee engagement. What does the employee need on day one to be successful, and what can you do to provide that?

 

Conclusion

High-volume hiring is undeniably complex, but with the right strategies, it can be a smooth and rewarding process. By enhancing communication, leveraging technology, fostering a candidate-centric approach, utilizing employee advocacy, and developing a robust onboarding program, you're well on your way to unlocking the secrets to high-volume hiring success. Stay tuned for more insights and strategies to guide you through this journey.

 

To read more in depth metrics and benchmarks around ghosting, download our whitepaper:


Metrics that Matter in High Volume Hiring

Metrics That Matter in High-Volume Hiring

Analytics rule the world. Sometimes we wish we could just dig deep into our years of professional experience and confidently say: “I just FEEL like this is the right decision.” But as a wise CEO told me once… ”Unless you have hard numbers to support your gut, I don’t care how you FEEL!” Key stakeholders, buyers, and HRIS managers need KPIs to succinctly justify their investments and uncover the need to reform a process.

Recruiting and retaining talent is a critical process for any organization, and it requires tireless attention to detail and continuous improvement. One of the most effective ways to steer these processes is by leveraging data. By tracking various metrics related to recruiting and hiring, enterprise organizations can make deliberate decisions and drive positive outcomes.

Tracking stages, or movement through each phase, can provide valuable metrics that offer insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of the hiring process. For example, monitoring the time candidates spend in each stage can help identify bottlenecks or areas where the process may be unnecessarily clunky or outright broken. It allows businesses to identify and effectively streamline the process, reduce time-to-hire, and minimize the risk of losing qualified candidates due to prolonged delays. This data provides a clear picture of the conversion rates at each step. It enables enterprise organizations to identify areas where potential candidates drop off or encounter obstacles, allowing them to refine their approach and increase the chances of timely and successful hires. Armed with these crystal-clear metrics, organizations can make data-driven decisions to fundamentally change the future of their company!

Data-driven decision-making in recruiting and hiring goes beyond just improving the process itself. It can also help in strategic workforce planning and talent acquisition strategies. By analyzing metrics, businesses can identify trends, such as the most effective sourcing channels or the characteristics of successful hires. This information can guide future recruitment strategies and enable organizations to attract and retain top talent more effectively.

What exactly are “Metrics that matter”? The below are simple data points your team can use to make important decisions about your hiring processes:

  • Time-to-hire: The number of days it takes between posting a job and an employee accepting an offer.
  • Cost-per-hire: The average amount spent on hiring new employees in a given period.
  • No-show rate: The percentage of people that didn’t attend a scheduled interview.
  • Regrettable Loss or Early Turnover: Employees that choose to leave in the first 90 days.
  • Offer Acceptance Rate: Percentage of offers accepted versus given to candidates.

Grayscale believes data and metrics play a crucial role in improving the process of recruiting, hiring, and retaining an engaged workforce. Our user-friendly, customizable technology can help you get candidates in the door faster for interviews, decrease no-shows with easy reminders, and completely revolutionize your time-to-hire by keeping candidates engaged.

The early bird truly gets the worm, and we know that being first to offer is a linchpin piece to successful hires. Automated communication to your new hire offers clear expectations as they jump into the onboarding phase of their new career. Engagement is the key to reducing turnover and building a high-volume team, and KPIs are the “Thank You Note” to your management for supporting a new way of building your hourly workforce.

Metrics that matter are the way we describe a data-driven approach to ring out every drop of efficiency and value while you build and retain a dynamic, frontline workforce.


AI & Its Role in High Volume Hiring

AI & Its Role in High Volume Hiring

Artificial intelligence and machine learning is all anyone seems to want to talk about - and we totally get it!

Hiring and recruiting is a ‘people business’ but talent acquisition teams tasked with recruiting at high volume struggle to balance their process with the people - enter the promise of AI; efficiency, speed, and near-immediate ROI.

HR and TA teams can do more with less with AI. AI can take care of the tedious processes that distract us from connecting with candidates. Algorithms can drive assessments, candidate matching, and performance monitoring. Chat bots can answer questions and engage employees.

As more HR and TA teams are turning to AI solutions, we are seeing a pattern - solutions typically fall into 7 common types:

  1. Resume Screening: Algorithms analyze resumes to identify relevant information like experience, education, and skills. This helps recruiters quickly filter through massive stacks of resumes in minutes to identify the best candidates for a role.
  2. Chatbot and Virtual Assistants: Chatbots and virtual assistants engage with candidates, answer questions, and provide insight into a job and company - freeing up recruiters' time and, in theory, providing a consistent candidate experience.
  3. Video Interviews: AI assists in conducting and reviewing video interviews with some automated video interviewing platforms using algorithms to analyze candidates' facial expressions, body language, speech patterns, in addition to their responses to provide insights about candidates' suitability for the role, and shortlisting candidates.
  4. Skills and Personality Assessments: AI-based assessment tools evaluate candidates' skills and personality traits through online tests or simulations. These assessments provide objective data to assess candidates' fit for specific job requirements and identify promising candidates.
  5. Predictive Analytics: Algorithms can analyze vast amounts of historical hiring data to identify patterns and predict future hiring outcomes such as identifying which sourcing channels, recruitment strategies, or candidate attributes are most likely to lead to successful hires and long-term retention.
  6. Candidate Matching: AI solutions compare candidate profiles with job requirements to match candidates to roles based on relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.
  7. Automation of Administrative Tasks: AI can automate administrative tasks associated with high-volume hiring, such as scheduling interviews, sending follow-ups, and managing candidate communication.

 

According to many HR solution providers AI can do anything - we just aren’t so sure it should.

While AI can, and does, positively influence efficiency in high-volume hiring, we believe that it should never replace human oversight in any recruiting strategy.

The debate around AI is not a new one. AI has been making waves for more than a decade, but the implications of its application have multiplied as the models grow more sophisticated and available to the public.

 

The Dark Side of AI

Recently some organizations have come under fire for their use of AI in recruiting. A common factor of many these situations is that the AI in question is being used to make hiring decisions without human oversight.
Human oversight is necessary to ensure fairness and avoid bias.

This is especially true when we make final hiring decisions or vetting candidates. If a company is using artificial intelligence to help assess candidates on nuanced concepts like honesty or work ethic you can quickly enter into a legal gray area.

CVS recently found itself in hot water for this very thing. As of the writing of this blog, CVS is facing legal consequences in Massachusetts for their use of HireVue’s AI-assisted video-interviewing screening solution. (source)

What was the issue?

Since 1988, federal law prohibits most private employers from leveraging lie detectors to select employees. The Massachusetts law goes further. It forbids all employers from using a polygraph or any other device, mechanism, or instrument to “assist in or enable the detection of deception” as a condition of employment.

It’s illegal to use a lie detector to screen job applicants - if you use an AI solution to assess a candidate’s honesty you are just using an AI powered lie detector.

At least that is what the lawsuit against CVS is claiming.

It is very easy for humans to believe that AI is unbiased, but the reality is that even good AI systems are informed by imperfect data sets. Humans are responsible for building the algorithms, feeding in the data to train these systems, and testing the accuracy of the outputs.

“Recent awareness of the impacts of bias in AI algorithms raises the risk for companies to deploy such algorithms, especially because the algorithms may not be explainable in the same way that non-AI algorithms are. Even with careful review of the algorithms and data sets, it may not be possible to delete all unwanted bias, particularly because AI systems learn from historical data, which encodes historical biases.”

(source)

So when a large organization starts leveraging AI to assess candidates they enter into dangerous territory. If they leverage AI to assess abstract qualities, like honesty, they are trusting an imperfect system.

Tesla may sell self-driving cars but that doesn’t mean you can fall asleep behind the wheel.

 

What You Need to Know: Regulations & Legislation

2022 was a landmark year for artificial intelligence (AI) by many measures. The introduction of ChatGPT as an open source tool sent shockwaves through many industries and within the first few weeks of 2023, Microsoft was in talks to invest $10 billion into the parent company, OpenAI.

Global revenue projections estimate that the AI market is set to reach $500 billion this year, with an estimated year on year growth rate of 19.6%. (source)

With all this noise around AI and organizations coming under fire it is critical to understand what is happening at the federal and local levels to regulate AI.

Another well known, possibly the best-known, real-world example of a case brought against a major organization who ran afoul due to AI in hiring decision is from a 2018. Amazon was leveraging an AI software that was found to be systematically discriminating against women in the hiring process (Reuters).

Ultimately, Amazon cut ties with the tech.

Many of these cases are built around regulation that is not actually specific to AI, rather it is built on legislation tied to bias and discrimination. That doesn’t mean that legislation won’t be built to specifically address AI - in fact, current trends are calling for more specific AI regulations.

The European Commission’s Harmonised Rules on Artificial Intelligence, also known as the EU AI Act, was first proposed in 2021 and sought to lead the world in AI regulation. It was adopted in December of 2022 and is said to be the ‘gold standard’ for AI regulation.

If the EU regulation set the gold standard, the US is leading the charge. In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is at the forefront of AI regulation and oversight - they recently released guidance and documentation to help employers navigate through the potential pitfalls of AI solutions.

The EEOC is on record that an employers’ use of AI could violate workplace law and that the employers are ultimately responsible for problems caused by their selected AI vendors. They (The EEOC) recommends proactive audits of AI solutions and that the “Four-Fifths Rule” be applied to AI selection/decision algorithms.

But it doesn’t stop there, the Whitehouse published its Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights: Making Automated Systems work for the American People this past October, outlining the United States dedication to protecting US citizens from the potential harm of AI.

There is also the proposed Algorithmic Accountability Act at the federal level, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has produced an AI Risk Management Framework.

In addition to federal regulations, States and other jurisdictions have passed or proposed additional laws to regulate AI use in specific areas.

  • Illinois enacted the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act, requiring employers to notify candidates when their video interviews are being screened by algorithms.
  • The New York City Council passed legislation mandating bias audits of automated tools used to make decisions about hiring candidates and promoting employees.
  • Colorado’s General Assembly enacted legislation to prevent insurance providers from using biased algorithms or data to make decisions.
  • Washington DC proposed the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act, in an effort to prevent discrimination in automated decisions about employment, housing, and public accommodation, and to require audits for discriminatory patterns.

 

So, How Should AI be leveraged in Hiring?

There isn’t an easy answer but the reality is AI is here to stay - and we think that is a good thing. The question is how do employers ensure they are leveraging the right tools in the right ways? How can you enjoy the benefits of AI while avoiding the pitfalls of bias?

While there is no hard, clear line, certain solutions are, generally, safer than others.

Automation of Administrative Tasks and virtual assistants are the most accessible options. They augment the recruiter experience and focus on lower impact decision-making like which response to send next or who has the bandwidth to run a phone-screen in the candidates time zone.

The lesson seems to be ‘recruiting teams should be cautious of providers who over-index on AI algorithms for hiring decisions or candidate vetting. When AI is trusted with important decisions that may affect people’s lives, mistakes have a massive impact on individuals.

If you choose to leverage an assessment tool be sure that the machine is not deciding for you, particularly in the negative. Leveraging AI to identify a good fit is more acceptable than leveraging AI to disqualify candidates.

In every case, be sure to understand your local legislation and regulations.

Did I use AI in the crafting of this blog? Yes, would I trust AI to write the blog itself? Absolutely not. AI is incredibly powerful but it is not infallible - nor is it the best writer.

At Grayscale we believe that AI should enrich the hiring experience for both the recruiter and candidate. It should put more time into the recruiters calendar to connect with candidates with empathy and dignity.

Candidates don’t want to think of themselves as just another cog in the machine, they want to be seen and appreciated - AI can’t do that, only a human being can build that kind of connection.

Request a demo to see how Grayscale can streamline and enrich your hiring processes.

 

Additional Sources
  • https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2023/05/22/milton-residents-lawsuit-cvs-ai-lie-detectors/
  • https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/eeoc-s-latest-ai-guidance-sends-warning-7103163/
  • https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-022-05049-6
  • https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43681-022-00166-4
  • https://arxiv.org/pdf/1706.03021.pdf

A Day in the Life of a High-Volume Recruiter

A Day in the Life of a High-Volume Recruiter

When it comes to answering the question, “Why SMS?” or “Why Grayscale?” we like to focus on the ways that texting can impact the overarching success of your hiring process. This success could look like: better response rates, a faster response time, a decrease in your time-to-fill, and an increase in your overall candidate experience or candidate engagement.

In addition to these benefits, we also like to highlight the impact that a highly integrated tech tool can have on your recruiting team.

The work of high-volume recruiters can be downright disheartening. Turns out, HR experiences some of the highest turnover rates at around 14%. It doesn’t stop there though; with recruiting specifically being known for its high turnover rates, many recruiters, especially those in high-volume roles, experience burnout at an alarming pace.

When Ty and Hubert set out to create a texting solution that worked, not only did they want it to provide a way for TA teams to better serve their candidates, but they also wanted to create something to serve the specific needs of high-volume recruiters.

Over the past few years, Grayscale has worked with some phenomenal TA teams and recruiters to revolutionize their workflows and supercharge their hiring processes. One of those teams just so happened to include Sara Perkins, one of our Enterprise Customer Success Managers here at Grayscale.

Sara’s background includes a stint in high-volume recruiting at Wayfair, which involved the selection, integration, and adoption of Grayscale for the recruiting teams and more.

We sat down to chat about Sara’s experiences in a high-volume role and the positive impacts that came along with building out the right tech stack for her and her team.

To begin, we explored what a day in the life of a high-volume recruiter looks and feels like.

 

How do you manage a workload that large?

“Some days, it sure doesn’t seem like it’s humanly possible. Especially the days where you get on a meeting with your manager to find out that your team is tasked with 300+ new openings to fill—within a matter of… weeks… maybe even days…”

 

When it comes to the way it impacts your life outside of work, she said,

“It’s true, high-volume can take a huge toll on your work-life balance—but only if you let it.”

 

For Sara, she had to learn how to embrace the tools and technologies at her disposal to set boundaries and protect her mental health outside of work.

Most high-volume recruiters are working with similar tech stacks, but Sara recommends:

  • An ATS (She was on Greenhouse at the time.)
  • Your Email
  • Google Sheets
  • Grayscale

When it came to embracing the workload and finding tech that helped make life easier, Sara was thrilled to be involved in the selection of Grayscale.

 

When you helped introduce Grayscale to the team, how did it go?

In previous roles, Sara noted that she had used texting platforms (though not Grayscale) and was passionate about finding a tool that would easily incorporate into her workflow.

“I’d seen great success with meeting my goals in previous roles by [using SMS], so when Wayfair was introducing Grayscale to the high-volume recruiting teams, I was able to position myself to take a lead role in the rollout of the tool to my peers.”

 

With Sara’s past experience with a texting tool, she was really excited about finding something like that for the rest of the team at Wayfair.

 

What were you most excited about when you found Grayscale?

During the RFP process, Sara demoed a few different tools and was blown away by Grayscale’s deep integration with Greenhouse.

There were a few options that would enable 1-1 messaging with candidates, but having a tool that would leverage automations to send messages on Sara’s behalf as she moved candidates through stages in Greenhouse was a gamechanger.

For Sara, this made it drastically easier to maintain her workflow in her ATS without having to carve out time to send all those comms in other channels.

Not only was Sara impressed by the features and rich capabilities of Grayscale, but she loved that Wayfair had a partner in the Grayscale team. With a listening ear, Sara knew she would be able to easily give feedback in regards to the platform and functionality and have that feedback be heard and taken into consideration for future development.

“Finding Grayscale was like finding the needle in the haystack. It was a great product with a really great team.”

 

What kind of impact did a texting tool have on your work/life balance?

Sara and the Wayfair team rolled Grayscale out during the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. The TA team was working from home, while trying to meet aggressive hiring goals for warehouse, customer service and sales, and many other high- volume roles.

“This was the first time we as a team were fully working remotely. Like everyone else experienced, there was a big learning curve to managing our work-life balance.”

 

With the help of Grayscale’s deep integration, the TA team at Wayfair was able to create a better workflow for their recruiters using the handy Chrome extension, Automations, and Nudges.

Sara was so excited because not only did this workflow save her a lot of time and clicks, but it also drastically changed what she was capable of at work!

“Embracing the technology allowed me not only to hit my hiring goals, but created more free time to work on different projects and career development items and, in turn, led to a better work/life balance.”

 

Sara watched her whole team embrace Grayscale and take a huge sigh of relief for the first time since the pandemic started.

“The more our team members used Grayscale, the more they saw success, and vice versa, the more success they saw, the more they used it! While the hiring goals were still there, the recruiters felt a part of the weight lifted off their shoulders with Grayscale doing some of the heavy lifting for them.”

 

Sara quickly became a raving fan of Grayscale and was excited to see what else they could do.

 

With Sara’s help, Wayfair piloted Grayscale for just about everything!

With the rapid success Sara and her team were seeing using Grayscale to fill these high-volume roles, they wanted to see what kind of magic they could bring to their organization-wide hiring processes.

Sara helped embed Grayscale into their Hiring Event workflow, as well as the Candidate Re-engagement process. Both of these processes used Grayscale as the first form of outreach for their existing candidates.

The team at Wayfair started using Grayscale as the first form of communication for just about everything, from hiring events to reengagement efforts. It all started with a text!

As the team watched candidates embrace text-only communication, Sara and her coworker joined together to create a text-only phone screen/phone interview. With massive success, Sara is proud to say they were able to create a Text-Only hiring event!

“Candidates were prompted to register for a virtual hiring event and then complete the interview via text (utilizing a series of templates!). Grayscale was used throughout the entire ‘phone screening’ process to pre-qualify a candidate, and then the recruiter would call the candidate once they were qualified to be hired for the role.”

 

With the entire TA team becoming raving Grayscale fans, other departments caught wind of their success and opted to incorporate texting into their own workflows to send reminders and easily keep track of vital information.

 

The good news doesn’t end there!

Sara mentioned that prior to the implementation of such a deeply integrated and rich tool like Grayscale, she simply wouldn’t have had time or headspace to create, experiment with, and pilot these new text-based workflows to help expedite the process and increase candidate engagement.

Ready to get your team on Grayscale?


Source Great Talent Without Sending 500 DMs on Linkedin

Source Great Talent Without Sending 500 DMs on Linkedin

When it comes to finding really great talent, many of us are trying to pull candidates out of thin air!

What if… there was a way to help you fill your pipeline and increase your application numbers so you can ensure you’re hiring the best candidates every time?

Well, with Text-for-Jobs, filling your pipeline just got a whole heck of a lot easier.

Here are a few creative ways our customers have used Text-for-Jobs to find great talent in their high-volume hiring processes.

 

How Does it Work?

Great question, thanks for asking! Let’s put on our time traveling shoes and head to the past for this analogy…

Text-for-Jobs works like a phone operator. A caller comes in, is given a menu of options to choose from, and is directed to the appropriate channel.

 

We're sending you back to the future gif

 

Text-for-Jobs is a shortcode (or a series of numbers, like 876543) that someone can text a keyword to, so they are directed to either a specific job that was listed or all the open job opportunities at your company.

 

What Do You Do With it?

Sure, having something like this would be cool, but where exactly do you put a “shortcode” into use? We have had a couple of creative customers use Text-for-Jobs in unique ways to skyrocket their lead flow and qualify applicants faster.

 

Billboards

One of our customers was looking to fill a lot of open positions and decided to go loud and proud with the news that they were hiring. If you’re looking for a practical solution to filling your pipeline when it comes to high-volume hiring, a billboard could be a great move.

We recommend making a short and snappy graphic with your keyword and shortcode to help passersby learn exactly how to take action.

 

Text-for-Jobs campaign on a billboard

 

Posters & Door Signs

Do you have retail locations or a spot with a lot of foot traffic? If so, some old fashioned posters and signs with a simple, clear message can help drive massive amounts of traffic to your funnel.

We recommend making these short and sweet. After all, the idea is to use them as a jumping off point to get people to explore more. With a few simple lines, you can focus mostly on your keyword and your shortcode to direct candidates to your open opportunities. The benefit of Text-for-Jobs is that the message is clear and easy to share!

 

Business Cards & Other Print Media

Have you ever been at a job fair or an open hiring event? Has it ever felt impossible to talk to every single person that comes up to your booth? By including your shortcode and keyword on your print media, you can give people the option to explore on their own. Without having to personally direct each of them to your website, they can browse open roles and learn more about them with a simple text!

With some basic questions, you can sort candidates to jobs they are most likely to be interested in and score them based on criteria important to your hiring process. Now, it’s easy to capture new leads and get in touch with the right candidates!

 

Does it Actually Work?

While the labor market is getting tighter and tighter, it’s important to capitalize on your resources to find and engage great candidates! Turns out, with the help of Text-for-Jobs, you can capture 50% more leads and drive up to 20% more applications in the door for some of those hard-to-fill roles.

Ready to give it a try?


Your Guide to Getting Started with SMS

Your Guide to Getting Started with SMS

With a tight labor market, many are asking how they can make a quick impression and create an efficient process to hire faster. With email being a channel of the past, it’s time to embrace the communication standards we have in 2022.

No, we’re not talking about phone calls, snail mail, or even social media. We’re talking about bringing texting into your recruiting pipeline to help stay in touch with your hard-to-reach candidates.

I get it—texting at work sounds unprofessional and can feel a little weird, but… all the cool kids are doing it! Okay, okay, yes, I know you’re saying, “And if all the cool kids jumped off a bridge, would you?” (I mean… maybe? Exactly how cool are the cool kids we’re talking about? Ya know?) Fortunately, we don’t promote texting as a channel just because it’s trendy.

It actually works.

 

So, Will My Team Benefit?

Sure, it’s great that some people are seeing success with texting, but how do you know if it’s worth the investment for your team?

If your team…

  • Is struggling to keep candidates engaged
  • Is actively backfilling roles to stay on track for their req targets
  • Is at max capacity managing the talent pools they have

… maybe texting would be a good fit. The thing is, texting not only allows you to get in touch with candidates quickly, but it helps you keep them close and engaged, while allowing your team the opportunity to simplify their workflow and better manage their pipelines.

Ready to see how our customers go about implementing texting to make it a positive and easy addition to their processes?

 

How The Pros Do It

When it comes to getting your team up and running with SMS, there are a few options. Most of our customers choose to crawl, walk, and then run!

 

First, We Crawl.

Together, we help you get your notifications set up, integrate with your ATS, and upload some shared templates for your team to use. We also get your team logins set up.

Don’t believe us?

"The implementation plan you gave us just looked way too easy. I told my IT contact that this was going to be a disaster… It was just too easy. I thought something had to be wrong."

 

Then, We Walk.

Once your team is up and running with templates and notifications, the fun can begin! Any time you would pop over to your email to shoot a candidate a message, try texting them instead.

If you have a group of candidates you want to reach out to collectively, try sending a bulk message instead of individually reaching out to each of them.

Lastly, if you’re ready to go pro with your follow-up game, start scheduling nudges when you send a candidate a message, or set up a bulk message campaign. Grayscale herds your cats for you, so you can sit back, connect with your candidates, and make excellent hires!

Unsure if it makes a difference?

“Our biggest issue was not being able to reach our candidates. We relied heavily on email communication, but having an option to text has increased our response rates and decreased our lag time from application to initial interview.”

 

Then, We Run!

Once you’re feeling settled and comfortable with SMS in your hiring process, it’s time to give it a little pizazz! By incorporating automations, your messages will be triggered to automatically send when another action happens, i.e., a stage change or an upcoming interview reminder.

Here’s what our users say,

“Communication with candidates via text messaging is at times more efficient and delivers faster results. Bulk messaging saves a ton of time, and automations are a lifesaver!”

 

Turns Out, People Are So Much More Inclined to Respond to a Text than They Are to an Email.

Believe it or not, we’re all a little fed up with our inboxes! Honestly, can you blame us? Between the amount of work and clutter we accumulate from our jobs and everyone’s favorite—spam—the thought of maintaining our email comms is draining.

Finding a way to get out of the chaos and into a quiet channel can help ensure your important messages are never lost to a spam filter, accidentally deleted, or archived in a purging episode. Plus, you’re more likely to receive a timely reply.

So, yes, texting your candidates is trendy, but it’s also a great way to keep them engaged without overwhelming your recruiters. Ready to give it a try?

 

Explore:


Your Ghostbusting Guide to Getting Candidates to Day One

Your Ghostbusting Guide to Getting Candidates to Day One

Halloween may be right around the corner, but it's “spooky season” every day for recruiters and HR professionals.

Ghosts are hiding inside every great candidate, waiting to make them disappear.

This leaves many recruiters backfilling roles, crossing their fingers and toes, knocking on wood, and absolutely never holding their breath on the off chance that a candidate will show up for work on day one. The more this occurs, the more discouraging it becomes to our hard-working recruiting teams.

So, why are new hires ghosting before day one, and—more importantly—how do we make it stop?

 

Why are New Hires Ghosting?

Great question! Here's what we know…

With the current generations of the workforce growing up quickly satisfied by TV, microwaves, cell phones, instant pots, drive thrus, and Amazon Prime, it can be hard to keep someone’s attention without providing almost immediate feedback.

Due to the pressing communication expectations awaiting our recruiters, slow and/or unorganized processes are a red flag sure to make your best applicants disappear.

When we think about the most frustrating situations in the world, we imagine delayed flights, building Ikea furniture, and instances when we don’t know what’s going on, i.e., situationships, filing taxes, anything involving financial aid, and chaotic hiring processes.

Bottom line: People like to know what is happening, and they would like for it to happen quickly and efficiently.

 

How Do We Stop the Ghosting?

Putting an end to the Harry Houdini acts of our candidates can feel like fighting a forest fire with a watering can—impossible. But here’s the thing: every little bit helps! Below are a few ideas that lead to positive results in your pipeline.

 

Stay in Touch Throughout the Process

By adding some touchpoints, you can keep your candidates from slinking off into the abyss. We recommend using technology to enable some of these simple “checking in” messages while maintaining a high level of efficiency for your recruiting team.

These can look like adding confirmation messages to your already existing workflow. Something simple like “Your background check is clear. You’ll hear about next steps shortly!” goes a long way.

 

Get Personal!

Take time to update your messages or templates with your candidate’s first name, and create templates that ask the candidate to engage. As you reach out, ask your candidate a question or request a response of some sort.

The goal here is to make your communication go both ways. Instead of hogging the texting thread, this gives candidates the opportunity to weigh in and build a relationship with the recruiter. If they feel personally connected to the team, they will be less likely to disappear without warning.

 

What Will it Take to Change the System?

Those on the job hunt are looking for employers who value them, are focused on creating manageable workloads, and are interested in investing in their long-term development. While it can be hard to change the culture of an organization, many are on the right track!

Here are a few ideas to help you keep the candidates first in the hiring and onboarding process to attract the best talent.

 

Personalize Your Communications

I know, I know, I sound like a broken record, but taking time to update your templates so they feel personal makes a lasting impression on your candidates. No one wants to feel like just another number or just another application. By using a candidate’s name, you’re humanizing them and their experience every step of the way.

 

Use Your Channels Cohesively

Be thoughtful about not overwhelming your candidates with hoards of emails and texts and phone calls. Make sure you’re not sending the same message in three places, and use your discretion as to what is too much when it comes to contacting your candidates.

 

Send Helpful Messages

Don’t send things just for the sake of it.  Sending a “good luck on your first day” text is cute, but sending them instructions on how to get into the building or which door to park near is 700 times more valuable. Give your texts the same energy as your favorite aunt or your best friend; offer your candidates the DL and help them go into their next interview or their first day with confidence!

Sure, candidate ghosting is a common problem, but we don’t have to accept it for what it is. We can take charge, make some changes, and get our candidates in the door on day one.

 

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They Say You Can’t Have It All. They’re Wrong

They Say You Can’t Have It All. They're Wrong.

Recently, that adage about quality, time, and cost has been making its way around the internet. If you’re unfamiliar, it goes like this:

  • You can have something done good and cheap, but it won’t be fast.
  • Or, you can have something done fast and cheap, but it won’t be good.
  • Or, you can have something done good and fast, but it won’t be cheap.

 

The idea is that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You have to pick an area of your process or final product to compromise on to give your customers what they want in another area.

With the current expectations on TA teams to prioritize cost-effectiveness while also meeting the increased needs for seasonal and growth-based hiring, many people are starting to face a similar problem.

 

We Know That the Best Hiring Systems Are a Combination of Three Things: Personal Connections, Quick Processes, and Cost-Effectiveness

For the sake of simplicity, let’s make this adage TA friendly and assess our options:

  • You can have a hiring process that is relationship-oriented and cost-effective, but it won’t be quick.
  • Or, you can have a hiring process that is cost-effective and quick, but it won’t have the same relational development.
  • Or, you can have a hiring process that is set up to promote relational connections and move quickly, but it won’t be cost-effective.

 

But, what if you didn’t have to pick just two? What if you really could have it all.

So, maybe not, like, all of it. We can’t tell you how to eat right and get to the gym, sleep nine hours a night and have a social life, crush it at work and disconnect well, live in a city and spend time in nature, stay up-to-date on trends and not be inundated with the internet… It’s hard!

BUT, what we do know is that you can create your dream hiring process to transform your candidate engagement, reduce ghosting, and hire faster without having to reinvent the wheel.

Here’s the 💡 moment…

 

You Can Use Technology to Scale a Personalized Recruiting Process and Better Connect with Your Talent Pool

Imagine this: Without hiring another recruiteror, well, ten you could 10x a single recruiter’s bandwidth…

Or, what if you could deliver white-glove service to all your hourly applicants without hiring a whole new recruiting team?

It’s 2022, and while we’re not living like the Jetsons quite yet, here are a few tricks to help you leverage Grayscale’s technology to create a scalable, personable, and quick recruiting process.

 

Automate the Monotonous

“Congrats! Randi, you’re moving to the next phase. Please complete your background check at this link and we’ll be in touch with your next steps!”

How many emails/texts/phone calls are you making that say this exact same thing? With stage change automations, you can reach out to your candidates without a second thought as you move them through the pipeline.

Stage change automations make it easy to stay in touch without disrupting your workflow or distracting you with manual, repetitive, and mundane tasks.

 

Get to Know Your Candidates

As you connect with your candidates through automations, they can reply directly to you to build a personal connection and ask questions. You become a trusted advisor in their process instead of another Joe Schmo trying to wow them.

With the convenience of one-on-one messages, you can send tailored follow-ups to conversations in an approachable manner to help promote team connection.

The best part? You can access your Grayscale inbox from your browser, in your ATS, or on your phone via our mobile app. Your candidates won’t be stuck waiting to hear from you for long!

 

Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge

“Hey there, just wanted to check in and remind you to complete your background check! LMK if you have any questions!”

Are you spending hours each day reminding people to follow through on asks/requests? Well, what if you didn’t have to? What if you could set up a couple of nudges and never think about it again?

With all that time back in your day, you can work at double, triple, or maybe even 10x your previous speed.

Sure, many people want to believe they can’t have it all, but with some small tweaks to your processand better technology for your teamyou can, in fact, have your cake and eat it too. 🍰


Getting Your Ducks in a Row for Seasonal Volume Hiring

Getting Your Ducks in a Row for Seasonal Volume Hiring

Thanksgiving is just over 100 days away, which means that the holiday season will be upon us quickly. For many of us, this upcoming season means shopping, family time, pretty lights, festive traditions, and the mixed emotions that come with the hustle and bustle.

For those of us involved in the retail industry, we’re gearing up for the event of the year. Many of us are starting to hire, onboard, and train seasonal staff so our stores, warehouses, and support centers are ready to meet the increase in demand needed to make this holiday season a memorable one.

Even if you aren’t heavily involved in hiring in the retail or seasonal space, with the economic climate, the need for high-volume hiring could come at any time! Let’s talk about when the need for high-volume hiring arises.

Your TA team is often tasked with high-volume hiring when you experience: extreme growth, seasonal peaks, or when you open a new office, warehouse, and/or support center.

Most commonly, people think of high-volume hiring as hiring a large number of candidates in a short period of time. This is a great example of high-volume hiring, but it’s not the only source of pain for some of our TA teams.

 

When we think about high-volume hiring, we include:

  • Hiring a large number of candidates in a short window of time
  • Any job requisition that gets a large number of applications
  • Positions with a high req count

When TA teams fill positions that meet this criteria, they are normally working to support and fill hourly positions. So, if high-volume hiring is impacting over 50% of our workforce, how in the world do we make it quick, painless, and maybe even effortless?!

And no, we’re not just talking about easing the burden for the candidates. We’re talking about improving processes for everyone involved. We want high-volume hiring to feel less like herding cats and more like watching a well-orchestrated circus act.

We believe high-volume hiring can be a fun, inviting, and human process for both the candidates and the recruiters.

 

Let’s make high-volume hiring human again.✨

High-volume hiring gets painful because we’re asking recruiters to handle way too much. We expect them to screen, interview, and onboard hundreds and sometimes thousands of candidates.

Without the proper tools, one person simply can’t manage req loads that large. You may be asking, “Is it even possible to accomplish high-volume hiring in a way that isn’t draining, detached, and rushed?”

If you’re wondering, “How in the world do we provide a classy candidate experience at scale in our high-volume hiring process?”

I have some good news for you.

While it sounds contradictory, in high-volume hiring, you can rely on technology to create a relationship-forward, human-first experience for your candidates.

Our customers have taught us a few things when it comes to maintaining the balance of human connection and process-enhancing technology.

 

Here’s how they do it… 👇

 

Use Technology to Fill the Pipeline

Our customers use programs like Text-for-Jobs to help increase the number of potential applications they are receiving for a job posting. Features like this can help increase your leads by 50%, driving up to 20% more applications in the door to help you find the right candidates for every role.

Text-for-Jobs allows interested job-seekers to text a word (like “jobs”) to a shortcode (like 876543) and be directed to the most interesting job openings for them. that they are most interested in.

Not only can you get contact information from them, but you can also set up your Text-for-Jobs campaign to send them a link to the application so they can apply right from their phones.

 

Stay in Touch Proactively

When a candidate submits an application, the clock starts ticking. The sooner you can follow up with them, the more likely they are to make it to the next phase, potentially becoming a great hire. While following up in a timely manner is reasonable for roles with smaller application numbers, in the context of high-volume hiring, it feels a lot like you are Hercules battling the hydra.

For every text or email you send out, you have two more added to your to-do list! Performing this task manually becomes overwhelming and frustrating.

We recommend setting up an automation to send a welcome text to each candidate from the recruiter they will be working with for the foreseeable future. Something simple, but sticky. The goal is to use this first touchpoint to be professional and personable.

Luckily, you don’t have to abandon technology after the first interaction. With enhanced automations, nudges, and scheduled messages at your disposal, you can automate intelligently to optimize your candidate journeys at scale.

 

Automated Message Examples

 

Re-engage Lost Talent

There are two groups of lost talent you can re-engage in your pipelines.

You can use bulk texts to spread the word about hiring events, job fairs, open interviews, etc., to those who ghosted in the pipeline or didn’t engage with you initially.

Or, you can use bulk texts to revisit the process with your old silver medalists when you’re looking for your next great hire.

Using technology to re-engage and cultivate your talent pool can help fast-track hiring and allow you to stay on pace with your requisition goals.

High-volume hiring can be a daunting process to be involved in, but hopefully, with the help of the hiring tech stack, you can develop a hiring strategy to engage talent, keep your TA teams sane, and increase both your candidate engagement and your recruiter efficiency.