A recent Mercer survey of more than 12,000 respondents found that the top HR priorities are centred around improving employee experience, retaining top talent, investing more in benefits and enhancing workforce planning. These priorities indicate that the talent war is far from over, and employers will have to go the extra mile in finding the right candidates for the right role. 

Given that the business world is looking at another year of unpredictable events and economic challenges, HR has its task cut out. In this scenario, HR leaders and professionals must look for the best talent while simultaneously finding new ways to reinvigorate the employee value proposition and the employee experience. 

Building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce through objective hiring practices is also more important than ever. Furthermore, HR must ensure engagement, anticipate attrition, implement EAPs and build a positive workplace culture to retain high-performing individuals. 

Here are some of the best strategies for hiring top talent that highlight how you can use recruitment management software tools to craft a highly skilled workforce. 

Smart, data-driven workforce planning

Building a resilient workforce starts with aligning the organisation’s business objectives with human capital strategy. This enables HR teams to understand who to hire, how many people to hire, and when to hire them. Through strategic workforce planning that helps decode current employee trends and predict future talent needs, you can build a strong hiring strategy that works in collaboration with different organisational functions.

Smart workforce planning has several critical aspects, such as talent management, performance assessment, succession planning and workforce analytics. Data-driven analytical tools can provide insights to help identify which high-performing individuals are at risk of leaving and gather quick insights through pulse surveys.  

For instance, using Keka’s Resource Management tool, you can decipher trends related to employee efficiency, attrition and engagement and work towards understanding them at a more granular level. You can also monitor early signs of disengagement or negligence and measure employee competitiveness to design more effective workforce strategies.

Standardised candidate testing and evaluation

If you wish to identify the top talent out there without any bias, objectivity needs to be at the front and centre of your recruitment process. Here are some ways to enhance objectivity while hiring:

Anonymous resumes: Consider making nameless and ageless resumes the norm. These documents include only the most pertinent candidate data necessary for the role.

Uniform testing and scoring: Implement standardised assessments for both technical as well as soft skills to identify the most talented candidates.

Checks and balances: Design the hiring process with multiple steps and decision-makers so that others check one decision-maker’s biases.

Keka’s applicant tracking system offers smart pre-employment tests for candidates for easier evaluation and comparison. Each applicant also gets a scorecard with a glimpse of the test result.

You can also set up internal job boards, check the performance of your job postings, and manage your talent pipeline actively with Keka.

Foster a positive candidate experience

No one wants to lose out on quality candidates, especially due to an unpleasant or disjointed experience. It is critical to remember that the recruitment process is a two-way street wherein the applicants are also evaluating your processes, culture, and communication skills. Here’s how you can enhance the hiring experience for candidates:

Automate operational tasks: Automate interview scheduling and timing using smart management tools and integrate self-service features in the process.

Maintain constant communication: Provide updates about different interview rounds and inform candidates of any delays in the decision-making process.

Offer sincere feedback: Inform every candidate about the hiring decision, whether it goes in their favour or not, and offer actionable feedback that can help them improve for future interviews.

With Keka’s applicant tracking system, one can reach the right candidates, manage job boards, schedule interviews, and simplify offer letter management. By leveraging smart insights on the candidates – through reports and analytics – it is easy to build an engaging candidate experience that truly appeals to applicants.

Seamless and engaging onboarding journey

Though the candidate's journey concludes with the offer letter, the employee's journey is just about to commence. Managing this transition with care and attention is critical to building and retaining an engaged workforce, as great onboarding can improve retention by up to 82%. Here are a few best practices to make employee onboarding more effective:

Plan the first day well: Plan every aspect of the first day carefully by organising introductions, compliance training, and other crucial tasks. Try to look at things through the new employee’s perspective while deciding how to welcome them on the first day.

Appoint ‘buddies’ for informal check-ins: Ask existing employees to volunteer as ‘buddies’ who can touch base with new employees every week for the first two or three months to expedite assimilation.

Manage technical formalities in advance: Whether issuing a parking pass or setting up new workstations, make sure all the technical formalities and paperwork are sorted before a new employee joins.

Keka’s employee onboarding software helps you create the best experience for new employees by engaging them before their first day, streamlining communication, and setting a 90-day onboarding framework.

Building an agile team: The last word

Employers need to implement a robust, comprehensive, objective, and data-driven recruitment process to scout for the best talent. With talented professionals in short supply, an efficient hiring framework should be dynamic and open to leveraging new talent pools, engaging candidates and encouraging lateral movement. Equipped with the right tools and insights, you can meet organisational talent requirements and build a resilient workforce that will thrive in a future that is bound to be full of disruptions.  

This article is part of a series on HR technology in emerging businesses in partnership with Keka. Click here to learn more about how your organisation can benefit from recruitment management software tools and find out how to bolster your hiring function using technology.Read more such articles here.