High VOLUME, rock & roll!

I started my recruitment career in the volume space. All the way back in 2010. The market was recovering from GFC, but the recruitment landscape had shifted dramatically. Organisations had started to hire internal Talent Acquisition teams, and companies were using agencies less than they had in the past.

I joined recruitment, working for an amazing agency, with a long, respected history. Under the guidance of Geoff Slade and Anita Zeimer of Slade Group, I entered the world of recruitment, following the footsteps of many of my friends, and of course my partner Jason.

My next move was to find an industry vertical for volume recruitment and I joined the insurance and superannuation sector, again with a high volume recruitment desk, which I continued all throughout my agency career. A lot of my clients and candidates are still friends to this day. I often miss those days. It was so rewarding.

I always believe that volume recruitment is the best training ground for recruiters. I know so many that specialised in this field, both early in their careers and some have continued because they love it. It really is a fun, vibrant area to work in, and often very rewarding when you have the ability to build out entire teams and see them flourish.

However it isn’t all roses. The key challenge faced by recruitment leaders when running high volume recruitment is that the need to scale can have a detrimental outcome, often resulting in long lead times, and can even lead to poor candidate experience. It's a game of juggling. Massive volumes of applications to go through and a fast moving sector, where candidates are often snapped up quickly before you have even had the chance to call them. And, unfortunately, you do lose many throughout the process due to speed to hire.?In order to place multiple candidates a day, volume recruiters must move candidates through the hiring funnel: filter, evaluate, interview, check and offer at the speed of light. It's a daily adrenaline rush and not for the faint hearted. If you can recruit well, and provide exceptional candidate experience in this space, you can do anything!

So, was I equipped 10 years ago to be able to run a volume recruitment desk effectively??

Hell no!?

Back in those days applicant tracking systems barely had any ability to talent pool, communicate seamlessly, or even provide any reporting or insights. They were clunky and required incredible attention to detail (something that I certainly do not pride myself on, let's face it how many recruiters list ‘attention to detail’ as a key skill set on their LinkedIn profiles!).

I honestly spent so much of my day calling, leaving messages and calling back; remember landlines were the main point of communication back then. And reference checking! It was all via telephone and transcribed into a Word doc for distribution to the hiring manager.

I am amazed at the technology available to recruiters these days. I am even more impressed at the technology and services coming out of Australia.

Working in internal recruitment, most teams need to handle at least some volume recruitment. Some internal Talent Acquisition Consultants even specialise in this space 100%.?

I often wonder where would I start if I was implementing an internal volume recruitment solution?

It tends to fall into the three categories listed below:

1. Communicate en mass with Bulk SMS

The majority of the volume recruiters’ time is spent calling, leaving messages, missing return calls, calling back - what I like to call the phone tag cycle. First, I would implement an applicant tracking system with 2-way SMS technology enabled. No more voice messages/ call backs and the ability to communicate with candidates at the right time. And effortless information sharing, on the device and communication channel that suits them. To put it precisely, I would implement LiveHire, hands down!

2. Integration of best-in-class providers

I am a firm believer in supporting Australian innovation, and would integrate an Australian owned and operated reference checking platform. Through LiveHire’s open API integration capability, you can implement this solution with ease. Tick. No more hours wasted phoning referees, and of course the editing and formatting time that comes after. Not to mention a far greater experience for the candidate and referee. If criminal background checking, soft skills and/or psychometric testing is required I would do the same. Best of breed local providers all the way!

3. Simplifying your hiring process through automation

Ease of application is critical - I would ensure a quick apply option is available through all sourcing channels. LiveHire also has a unique?automation?feature that works by streamlining the application process to a small number of Expression of Interest (EOI) advertisements. Secondly, LiveHire’s technology automatically sorts the applications into relevant geographic locations and relevant job vacancies when they arise. Readily available talent pools, for you to connect with as each volume assignment arises. Pretty neat, huh?

This is just the beginning of how LiveHire can help you with your volume recruitment solution. But, it is a great place to start. I only wish I had the access to the technology available to volume recruiters these days. Technology is an enabler- designed to help you work more effectively, and provide a world class candidate experience that you will be proud of. At the end of the day, we all joined this industry to change lives.?

An effective volume recruitment solution will enable you to do so.

Curious? Im available to provide you a demo- just reach out and I’d be delighted to!