Using Technology to Build an Employment Brand

By Jessica Miller-Merrell

There is no doubt that the technology we have seen introduced in the recruiting space in the last several years has changed us for the better. Today’s applicant tracking systems and candidate relationship management systems make our excel spreadsheets of yesteryear look like cave drawings. We’re able to track, connect with, screen and keep up with candidates like never before, but many companies are still faced with a major problem. They‘re not able to do all these things in one place, and not in ways that support their employment brand.

While CRM and ATS technologies were game changers when they were introduced, they’re just not cutting it for those who want to be efficient and competitive in their recruiting. It's time to welcome a new technology that not only works on the back end but also presents your employment brand to the world.

The key to using these technologies like Talent Circles to build an employment brand is to incorporate these three essential elements. But first, your network or community starts with engagement, conversation and relationships not just a database. 

Provide a unified platform

The most vital part of a recruiting technology is that it provides a unified platform for you to manage all your recruiting activities and interactions with candidates. This means that both you and candidates have one central place to go for all recruiting activities. This can include applying, interviewing via video or phone, completing screening activities and connecting with recruiters and others.

Without a unified platform, your employment brand can become segmented as you send your candidates on a virtual scavenger hunt, gathering information about your company from LinkedIn, connecting with recruiters on Facebook, applying on your website, etc. Imagine if all these resources were in one place, and then consequently, all the information you could possibly need about a candidate is in one place. That’s what a unified platform does.

Foster a community

For all that technology can do for recruiting, it can’t make a candidate feel connected and desired. There will always be an element of human interaction and networking in recruiting and building your pipeline, so it’s important not to neglect that as part of your technology. Within your unified platform, you can create a community that allows candidates to connect with recruiters, other candidates and current employees. This can help them get their questions and learn more about the company, all under your watchful eye.

Make tasks easier and more efficient

The back-end features of your technology are just as important as what candidates see. It can make the difference between you being able to effectively recruit and being bogged down by endless details and ineffective data management. When choosing or developing a technology, you’ll want to make sure that it has the features and functions that you need as well. Essentially, it should be a hybrid of technologies that allow you to plan, engage and manage all from one place, making your job easier and tasks more efficient.

Technologies that do all this, such as the Talent Circles’ system, allow recruiters to present a consistent employment brand, meet candidates’ needs and streamline their duties like a CRM or ATS never could. 

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media.  She’s an author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter @blogging4jobs.