Recruitment teams find engaging line mangers within the recruitment process one of the biggest challenges when attracting talent, according to new research conduct by e-recruitment specialists WCN.
The software company surveyed over 50 HR professionals from some of the UK’s biggest recruiters and found that a fifth of organisations struggle to identify and engage with scarce talent, whilst 22 percent battle to engage their line mangers in the recruitment process.
Furthermore, 16 percent of HR professionals find it a challenge to have the right technology in place and utilise it properly, causing candidates to fall out of the process as it becomes an overbearing challenge to manage their expectations.
The research was conducted among top decision makers who attended the CIPD’s HR Software Show event in London. It also highlighted that budget restrictions and managing limited resources, the top issue for HR professionals last year, is now a lesser concern, with just 12 percent of respondants citing it compared to 22 percent last year.
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Ruth Ferguson, marketing manager at WCN, said on the findings, “It’s interesting to see how priorities have shifted from managing limited resources to the lack of engagement by line managers. Recruitment teams are now expected to do so much more – manage candidate expectations, large volumes of CVs and applications, and use of latest technology and social media platforms to engage with new talent, making it clear why many companies, without well thought through e-recruitment solutions, are struggling to do it all.
Ferguson believes that line managers should still be playing a key role, saying, “While HR often contribute to recruitment process, it is also important that they build up the capability and confidence of line managers in order to ensure that engagement levels can be sustained day in and day out, as this will affect the atmosphere, focus and direction of the business, which in turn affects recruitment and the hiring of new talent.”
The WCN research also found that 44 percent of HR professionals stated social media as the biggest innovation to affect the recruitment process when attracting new talent. “These figures should prompt those who have yet to move to e-recruitment, or are unhappy with their current system, to take action,” remarks Ferguson. “e-Recruitment systems should provide the support teams needed – reducing day-to-day recruitment tasks, which can cut recruiting administration by as much as 50 percent, meaning more time can be spent on other HR initiatives to enhance engagement within the business.”
