Whether your industry follows traditional seasonal hiring patterns or you have peaks and valleys unique to your vertical, you have likely experienced challenges in your recruitment and hiring process. The past year has been a workers’ market, and employers have struggled to fill both temporary and permanent positions. With such a tight labor market, recruiters and human resources professionals must look at new ways to attract talent. Technology is one way to become more competitive.

Tech-savvy companies are taking a page out of marketing’s playbook and creating consumer-like experiences for attracting applicants. UPS has developed a website dedicated to its employer brand and recruitment strategy. The UPS site presents job seekers with an immersive experience. Prospective candidates can watch videos about job openings, fill out applications, and more.

Other big brands have developed apps to streamline the interview process. Home Depot, for example, launched an online scheduling tool just in time for its spring hiring push. Applicants can choose their preferred interview time making the process more convenient.

As you begin to plan for your seasonal hiring, think about the ways technology can help your business. Here are a few  examples to consider:

• Follow UPS’s example and develop a robust online employer brand. Use blogging, social media, video, and a branded careers page to keep your company top of mind – and at the top of search engine results pages – so that active job seekers can easily find you and understand your corporate culture.
• Research and select an applicant tracking system (ATS) to streamline hiring processes during peak recruitment periods.
• Develop pre-screening question and processes that automatically filter the pool applicants down to the most qualified candidates.

Don’t Forget Technology to Connect with Freelancers

With such a tight market for human resources and recruitment professionals, some companies have begun looking to the “gig economy,” made up of freelancers and other independent workers, to fill talent gaps. By 2020, self-employment may triple growing to 42 million workers with millennials leading the charge. In fact, 42% of U.S. self-employed workers will be millennials. 

Technology platforms exist to help hiring managers and recruiters find potential matches for short-term projects and ongoing contract work. Popular gig economy solutions include Upwork and Freelancer for finding talented and affordable workers. For companies that require more specialized workers, there are niche freelance hiring networks for engineering or science and researchers.

Independent workers offer organizations the ability to quickly and easily scale up and down, save time and money, and increase operational flexibility. However, many hiring managers worry about how to engage these professionals compared to direct employees. The answer is to incorporate the right technologies that promote collaboration and communication. Your freelancers can become productive members of the team when you:

• Invite them to use corporate communication and project management platforms. This step will help promote collaboration between your independent workers and the rest of the team. For example, use a shared Slack channel to work with freelancers.
• Use time tracking tools that are part of your company’s time clock system to manage freelancer workloads, or explore alternatives like Toggl for your independent contractors.
• Provide access to shared drives and centralized information (as appropriate) to promote transparency in the freelancer-client relationship.

Are You Using Technology to Improve Your Seasonal Hiring Efforts?

As you vie for top talent in your community or industry, you need to be nimble. You could hire more people to help you hire more people, but why? There is technology out there – including applicant tracking systems like TAM – that can streamline the process and maybe even save you some money.

Are you ready to take on new technology for your seasonal hiring needs? Stay up to date with the latest HR technology news and updates by subscribing to the TAM Blog below.

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