3 game changers for the staffing industry

There’s no denying it: it’s a wild, wild time to be in staffing. On the one hand, we’re dealing with challenges that include record low unemployment, more job openings than we’ve had since 2001 (which means more reqs to fill than ever) and unprecedented shortages in skilled labor for specific fields.

At the same time, there has never been so much incredible technology to help solve these “problems.” (I actually hesitate to use that word, because for me, and anyone who loves this industry as much as I do, these are just opportunities to become even more productive.)  Millions of dollars have poured into recruiting technology in recent years. And anyone who went to this year’s HR Tech saw the results of that first-hand: a dizzying overload of software solutions.

Yet, even with all of these options, 51% of staffing professionals told Monster in our 2018 State of Recruiting survey that technology makes it harder to connect with humans.

I wish I could tell you that there was a holy grail to help you fill open reqs in record time—sorry, the industry isn’t quite there yet. But as I get prepped for Staffing World (October 16 - 18, in D.C.), I see three areas of opportunity I believe staffing companies should focus on that will make the biggest impact for your customers. If you can get these right, you’ll be able to set yourself apart and move the needle—even in today’s challenging market.

Making your job ads more engaging

You’re not alone out there in the pursuit of the A-plus candidates. In fact, 53% percent of you told us you’re feeling even more competition from other recruiters than in the past. As your peers close in on the same high-quality candidates you’re chasing, you’ve got to do even more to help your customers stand out.

Even with so much new technology out there, job ads are still the mainstay of the recruiting business. We know this. But keywords can only take you so far. Once your customers’ jobs find their way to qualified candidates, how do you keep them engaged?

A recent study showed that today’s consumers respond to authenticity, and this is certainly true for job candidates. One of the most authentic tools at your disposal is video.

That’s why video-based products like Monster Studios—which lets recruiters create video descriptions to append to job ads in a matter of minutes—are going to be such game changers for the industry. We’ll be previewing Monster Studios at Staffing World (come visit us at booth #900!) next week, and if HR Tech was any indicator, the buzz will be huge.

Video brings job opportunities to life in a way that text-based job ads alone just can’t match. It allows staffing firms to convey authenticity and build trust with candidates.

Candidates have more information when they can see and hear from the actual recruiter, and they can then more easily self-select. This, in turn, means more qualified candidates for your customers.

Video also enables companies to control the messaging surrounding their brand rather than allow third-party platforms or review sites to dominate the conversation.

Improving access to diversity candidates

We know diversity is a top priority for you and your customers. First of all, accessing diverse sources of talent increases your candidate pool. Secondly, as McKinsey reports, better diversity practices directly impact a company’s bottom line. So for staffing companies, it’s crucial to find more and better resources for diverse candidates.

One of our greatest strength areas at Monster (and a competitive advantage of ours in fact) is in military and veteran hiring, due to our Military.com property. Military.com provides access to 10 million members, including veterans and military spouses—something no other job site can boast. That’s a huge pool of talent that we have direct relationships with. We are so proud of this part of our business, and personally, I feel like it’s a rich source of talent that more staffing companies could use.

Our nation’s veterans are a highly-skilled workforce, ideally suited for many of the jobs your customers need to fill most. But they may not always be able to make the connection between work in the service and work in the civilian world. So, after record levels of veteran unemployment following 9/11, we developed Monster’s Military.com skills translator which enables veterans to find civilian jobs that align with their military background.

Next month, we’ll also be revealing our 2018 Best Companies for Veterans, and the results of a survey showing exactly what veterans would like to see from employers. Stay tuned!

Finding better ways to connect with candidates

From tech to healthcare, transportation to retail, there’s hardly a sector that’s been untouched by today’s tight labor market. More and more candidates are labeled “high-demand.” That simply means that it’s tough to find them, and even tougher to engage them.

On the first part—finding the talent—you need to be able to go beyond the resume, whether that means scraping information from social and online profiles or using enhanced search technology.

At Monster, our product teams have been improving our search capabilities to pinpoint the exact candidate you need—by skill set, location, veteran status, and so much more. By increasing the number of inputs candidates have and also increasing the search criteria recruiters can use, we’re allowing recruiters to broaden and narrow their searches to ensure they don’t lose candidates. We’re working on giving you the ability to toggle and refine your search results the same way you do when you’re shopping for a pair of shoes or a car, getting more or less specific based on the features you select.

Next, you’ve got to talk to this talent pool via the methods that they’re used to. Email and phone calls alone aren’t cutting it anymore. That’s why we at Monster are offering a communication platform that allows you to engage using AI, text and live chat, to start. The open rates are incredible. For text messaging alone, we’ve seen open rates at 99% compared to 8% for email. 

Video job ads, diversity networks, and the latest in candidate communication may not solve all the challenges in staffing today, but they’ll certainly tackle some of your stickiest. And most important, they’ll help you make more meaningful candidate connections. Here at Monster, we believe that making stronger matches between clients and candidates isn’t just a possibility, but a reality and a necessity—it’s something our product teams are working on improving every single day.

We know that when staffing agencies make better matches, everybody wins. We can’t wait to help you make better matches. And I can’t wait to see some of you at Staffing World next week.

Going to Staffing World? Let’s chat about ways we can work together to help solve the challenges you’re facing. Get in touch or come stop by our booth (#900) to say hello. I’ll also be participating in a panel discussion—“Four Ways to Motivate Your Sales Force”—on Wednesday, October 17, at 1:15 p.m., and I would love to see you there!