If you haven’t been paying attention to all the buzz around Google for Jobs, it’s time to start. Launched in June, Google for Jobs is the search engine’s improved job search feature - and it’s already changing the way talent acquisition leaders think about recruitment. Using a new algorithm that goes beyond keyword matching, Google for Jobs gives job seekers more control over how to filter the results to best meet their needs. In other words, Google for Jobs was created with the job seeker – not the recruiter – in mind.
What does this mean for HR professionals and talent acquisition leaders? In a recent webinar with CareerBuilder, Tim Sackett, president at HRU Technical Resources and a leading HR blogger, gives expert advice for how talent acquisition professionals can “break through the noise…and utilize these major changes right now.” Keep reading to learn about four main actions recruiters and talent acquisition professionals can take now to adapt to today’s new talent landscape.
1. Optimize your job postings. It’s important to know that the vast majority of job seekers start their first job search on a search engine, namely Google. So it’s to your benefit to make your jobs more “discoverable” by Google. Start by adding job posting structured data to your job posting web pages as Google’s rankings are based largely on job metadata. Also, keep in mind that Google favors certain information and structures. If your job postings enable quick apply, include specific locations in the title and/or description, include job titles that are the industry standard (e.g. “Marketing Manager” vs. “Marketing Rock Star”), and include salary data, they will rank higher in search results. Another way to improve your discoverability: Pay attention to your URL – make sure it includes keywords such as title and location if possible) – and don’t have the same job posted in several different places.
(Pro-tip: If you use CareerBuilder’s Job Postings, you’re already in good shape: “CareerBuilder is fully integrated with Google to feed content to them, and will include all of its jobs from its job sites and talent networks in this new feature,” according to a recent press release from CareerBuilder.)
2. Understand your source of applicant data. Do you know where your applicants are coming from? Google for Jobs is changing where traffic is coming from in a major way. If you’ve already been analyzing your source of applicants on a regular basis, you may find that it has shifted since the launch of Google for Jobs. This should make you re-evaluate where you’re allocating your funds. For example, if 40 percent of your applicants are coming from CareerBuilder, but only 20 percent of your spend is going there, why is that? Find out where your recruitment dollars are getting the highest return and invest accordingly.
3. Make your resume database work for you. “’Post and pray’ is dead,” Sackett says, referring to the recruiting method of “posting a job and praying that candidates find you.” Waiting for candidates to find you is no longer sufficient. With Google for Jobs, it is crucial that talent acquisition leaders take a more proactive approach to recruiting. Start with your own resume database, which has the potential to save you loads of time and money. “Within your own database, you’re sitting on great candidates,” Sackett says. “It’s important to go back into your database and see where there might be a great match within your own system.” CareerBuilder’s Resume Database utilizes booth Boolean and Semantic search to make finding candidates who fit your criteria easier and more efficient than ever.
4. Embrace CRM software. Candidates today need and want a more personal experience, a pain point that Google for Jobs aims to alleviate. Investing in candidate relationship management (CRM) software can help you provide a better candidate experience, because it enables you to “go out and nurture relationships with potential candidates,” according to Sackett. CRM software also helps ensure you don’t “forget about the candidates who have already raised their hand and said, ‘Hey, I want to come work for you.” Sackett says. Just because you don’t hire a candidate the first time they apply is no reason to discount him or her for future opportunities. With today’s CRM software, you can automatically re-engage prior candidates. A solution such as CareerBuilder’s Talent Network enables you to build a pipeline of interested candidates (pre- and post-apply) and automatically re-engage them over time.
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