3 New Year’s Resolutions for Every HR Professional

Every year, we all resolve to make changes. We keep some resolutions, while others fall by the wayside. I believe that the more practical the resolution, the greater chance we have of keeping it. Here are the three simple and reasonable resolutions that every talent acquisition professional should make in 2017.

Resolution #1: Make the candidate experience a priority

Everyone talks about the candidate experience. No doubt it is on your agenda, but have you actually taken a hard look at the actual experience you offer candidates? I suggest that you start by pretending to be a candidate. Search for a job that you offer, and see whether your company appears. Follow the candidate’s path through to your career site. Consider it through the eyes of a job seeker:

• Is there a visually appealing employment brand that communicates who you are and what you offer?
• What relevant career-related content are you providing? Does it answer the questions of a typical candidate, including “What’s in it for me?” (Here’s a site we created that does just that.)
• Is it easy to navigate and find a job?
• How difficult is the application process?

Now follow the same procedure on mobile, because that is increasingly where your traffic is coming from.

Make notes on the challenges, breakdowns and barriers that you see to creating a smooth and seamless candidate experience – then make a checklist to get started on addressing each one of them in 2017.

Resolution #2: Take analytics seriously

I know from experience that most clients do have some form of analytics on their sites. NAS also provides a lot of data to clients on our ACTIVATE platform and career sites. It’s just that they do not take the time to review their analytics regularly.

Our expert Brenda Silver wrote a post on the most important analytics for HR professionals, which I encourage you to read. It boils down to two areas:

• Tracking candidates from source to hire, so that you can determine the media sources that are offering the most value – and the best candidates – for your money
• Tracking candidate behavior on your site, so you can understand what content is most relevant and thereby improve your candidate experience

If you are new to analytics, you may need a partner like NAS to help you understand what to look for and how it can impact your strategies and results. Trust me, once you begin down the path of using real data to make decisions, your world will change. Which brings me to…

Resolution #3: Recharge your strategies

You now have a great destination to drive traffic to, and you know the best sources for getting more job seekers to visit and apply. Once you’ve streamlined the candidate experience and reached an understanding of where your candidates are coming from and what they are interested in, it’s time to put that knowledge into action. Here are a few timely tips:

Review, don’t just renew: Look at all existing contracts based on their results, not tradition. If the performance is not there, move your budget elsewhere.

Attract rather than react: Create strategies that build your employment brand and consistently drive traffic, instead of just advertising when you have an opening.

Social is so special: Target candidates where they are today – online and on social platforms. Use Facebook, Google and other platforms like Pinterest and Instagram.

Need a partner to hold you to your resolutions? Consider working with the experts at NAS. We’ll help you achieve your goals in 2017 and beyond. Contact us today!!

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