Written by MJ Fadaee, Senior Product Manager
If you build it, they will come. Most of us have heard that famous misquote from the movie Field of Dreams at some point in our lives. But could it hold true for manufacturing recruitment? For example, if you put together an outstanding job posting, does that mean the right candidates will come flocking to your door?
Sorry, but no. A good posting is the first step, to be sure, but it’s what you do with that posting that matters. Gone are the days of “post and pray” job advertising, where recruiters simply hoped that qualified and interested candidates would see their postings. Today, successfully attracting enough of and the right types of applicants is heavily dependent on programmatic advertising via recruitment platforms.
But there are dozens of platforms, each boasting its own array of features. How do you decide which one meets your specific needs as a manufacturing recruiter? Let’s look at the seven key things manufacturing recruiters need from their recruitment automation software to elevate their recruitment success.
7 Things a Manufacturing Recruitment Platform Should Have
The best recruitment automation platforms have an end-to-end approach that helps with everything from sourcing applicants, screening candidates and developing candidate engagement to scheduling interviews and managing applications. Here’s what you should look for as you evaluate software options in the market..
1. A diverse approach to sourcing.
Yes, this is obvious, but if you want qualified job seekers to apply to your job posting, you need them to see it. Where does the platform post jobs, and do those sources cater to manufacturing workers? You want a platform that sources not just via the major job boards like Monster and Indeed but also through manufacturing-specific sites.
When evaluating the range of sources a platform offers, don’t overlook the need for geographic specificity. In an in-person industry like manufacturing, you need workers who are where your jobs are.
FactoryFix shares job posts with our network of over 700,000 qualified manufacturing candidates as well as major job boards, industry-specific and local job boards, partners like the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and select trade schools. This enables our customers to build a robust pipeline of qualified candidates interested in manufacturing work.
2. A powerful programmatic engine that understands manufacturing workers.
Programmatic job advertising, also known as programmatic recruitment advertising or just “programmatic,” uses automation and algorithms to ensure that job postings are shown to the right people in the right places at the right time so you get as much traffic to your posting as possible. You’re not merely hoping for the best; you’re stacking the deck in your favor.
But programmatic job advertising is only as good as the engine that powers it—and the factors that inform programmatic recruitment advertising for office workers or retail salespeople won’t necessarily work for manufacturing workers. You don’t want to just randomly shotgun your job posting out to everyone; you want to have it pushed out at the time and place when manufacturing workers are most active and most likely to see it.
What makes us unique?
At FactoryFix, we understand the habits and schedules of manufacturing professionals, because we exclusively work within that industry. We know where they are and when they’re there, based on granular information about which job boards and sites get traffic and when, so our clients get the most eyes on their postings. We also have a deep understanding of factory jobs, so our programmatic engine has a rich taxonomy around machines, brands and job title nuances in the industry.
3. A positive candidate experience with streamlined communications, ideally via text.
Once you’ve posted your job and distributed it to the right audience, it’s time to start engaging with candidates. I recommend setting high expectations for this capability in particular: don’t settle for a merely tolerable candidate experience when the right platform can help you deliver an outright enjoyable candidate experience that sets you apart from your competitors.
A great experience starts with regular communication—and since manufacturing workers aren’t usually sitting at a desk, you need a recruiting platform that lets you engage with candidates who are on the go, via text messaging (SMS).
TalentEngage from Factory Fix doesn’t just help you communicate with candidates via text messaging—it’s set up to automatically reach out to candidates within minutes after receiving their applications, so they are quickly engaged in the recruitment process.
4. Time-saving features that move candidates through the recruitment process faster.
Don’t make more work for your talent acquisition teams or leave candidates on the hook for weeks while you painstakingly evaluate applications one by one. Look for a platform that leverages both automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to streamline candidate screening and interview scheduling.
TalentEngage can be configured to send out customized screening questions automatically, so your team can quickly filter the most qualified candidates to the top of the pile. Plus, FactoryFix tracks people, not applications; we have data about each manufacturing professional in our network that our AI technology uses to guide recruiters in finding the best talent matches for each new job opening.
5. An intuitive interface and solid customer support.
Watch out for platforms so bloated with features that no one can figure out how to use them. Instead, look for recruitment automation software that’s easy to use and supported by a team that understands your industry and your needs.
6. Data analytics for critical measures.
How long does it take your team to hire? How many qualified applicants did your last five posts attract? How diverse are the candidates you’re hearing from? The way to improve your processes is to evaluate them objectively with accurate data, so make sure that any recruiting platform you’re considering offers reporting capabilities that measure what matters to you.
7. Predictable and affordable pricing.
Maybe this last one goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: you need to know exactly what your recruitment platform will cost, and you need that price to be within your budget. With many recruitment automation platforms, the price of filling a single job can fluctuate wildly, depending on factors that aren’t always within your control. Skip the surprise billing; look for a partner with transparent pricing so you always know what you’re getting into.
FactoryFix offers flexible plans with predictable pricing that scales to meet your needs, so you’ll never be hit with an unexpected bill.
Click here to claim your free trial and start experiencing the power of recruitment automation with FactoryFix.
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