Recruiting has long aspired to leverage technology as a strategic advantage. However, the reality is that many technical aspirations go unrealized; technology routinely fails to match its boldly stated potential even as recruiter workload has steadily increased. A 2016 SHRM study indicated an average of 40 requisitions per recruiter, a number that shows no signs of decreasing.
At the same time many organizations are evaluating new technologies such as AI to assist their already busy recruiters, few are making use of the work that has already been done. In theory, when opening a new requisition, a recruiter could look back at the last job of this type that they filled to see if there was a candidate who progressed to a finalist stage that they could consider for the new position.
Yet silver medalists-- those individuals who made it to a later stage in the recruitment process but were not hired-- are not easily reconsidered when the recruiter workload is heavy or when multiple recruiters are working on similar openings. In addition to silver, there are also bronze medalists who may not have progressed as far or been the exact fit for similar positions. They have already expressed interest in your brand and working for your company and are known to possess at least the basic qualifications for the job. They have likely gained additional experience since they were last considered, meaning that they might be an even better fit for the role than before. Finally, you have already made an investment in them in initial recruiting efforts – marketing costs, assessments and other vetting, recruiter and hiring manager time and effort, travel, and any other associated recruiting costs.
Together, silver and bronze medalists make up our podium candidates, and here are some of the things to know about them:
- They have already expressed interest in your brand and working for your company and are known to possess at least the basic qualifications for the job.
- They have likely gained additional experience since they were last considered, meaning that they might be an even better fit for the role than before.
- Finally, you have already made an investment in them in initial recruiting efforts – marketing costs, assessments and other vetting, recruiter and hiring manager time and effort, travel, and any other associated recruiting costs
The silver medalist, or podium candidate concept is often mentioned, yet infrequently implemented. This is due in part to a lack of definition around who qualifies as a podium candidate, but often the real challenge is how to scale the approach without massive manual effort or additional resources. Medalists exist within the sea of candidates in your ATS and Taleo Reporting via Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI) or Embedded Reporting can help you easily identify them.
The first step is to establish a definition of your podium candidates:
- Reached a certain stage in the recruiting process
- Applied within an established timeframe
- Were rejected or declined for specific reasons
- Who may have been interviewed and have an existing evaluation form
- May have a valid external service result (IV, assessment, reference, background, etc.)
- Internal candidates
- Considered for the same or similar job roles
Once criteria are determined, Taleo Reporting & Analytics can do the heavy lifting. Generating a list of podium candidates can be as simple as inputting a job code and refreshing the report. The results will show all podium candidates who were last considered within a specific time frame. Almost as important, the report will also exclude candidates who should not be considered based on the inverse of the criteria – rejection reasons for example. A report like the one above is based on job code and identifies silver medalists with the details necessary to look up the candidates. Additions can be made to further refine the data, such as by location or market area. From there, the basic report data can be enhanced with assessment results, interview notes, deep link to an application, candidate profile, and any other available data points you choose to present.
A report like the one above is based on job code and identifies silver medalists with the details necessary to look up the candidates. Additions can be made to further refine the data, such as by location or market area. From there, the basic report data can be enhanced with assessment results, interview notes, deep link to an application, candidate profile, and any other available data points you choose to present.
Surfacing great candidates who have shown interest, met qualifications, and have been screened to some level allows you to speed the process and ultimately know the upper tier for a specific job or category. Leveraging the search logic through reporting tools and delivering to the recruiters in a timely manner can truly be a game changer.
Once identified, how you engage and invite podium candidates to be considered again is equally important. This could finally dispel the long scoffed at closing “we’ll keep your information on file in the event a similar position comes up.” A thoughtful and contextual invitation on why they are being asked to consider you again can make all the difference.
As a final note, while many great options exist to identify your podium candidates, make sure that any approach is aligned with your company’s approved sourcing strategy.
Please contact ThinkTalent to discuss how Podium Recruiting might work in your environment or for any of your other Oracle Taleo (OTAC) needs.
