As the job market remains in flux after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, recruiters are faced with an exciting new opportunity. In a phenomenon dubbed ‘The Great Exodus’, individuals are leaving their current positions in mass drifts, causing a record number of employment vacancies. From December 2021 to February 2022, the number of job vacancies rose to a record high of 1,318,000, an increase of 105,000 from the previous quarter. As a result, the increasing mobility and flexibility of the workforce has opened a wider pool of candidates for recruiters.  

To take full advantage of the new hiring environment, it is essential that recruiters use technology intelligently and purposefully. Recruitment IT is helping the industry to overcome major challenges such as identifying suitable candidates, communicating with applicants and ensuring data security. In particular, recruiters can harness the productivity, connectivity and unparalleled insights of Microsoft 365 to boost their business’ technical capabilities.

So, are you making the most of your recruitment IT? In this blog, we will outline the key ways you can use Microsoft 365 and related software to overcome challenges in the recruitment sector and improve the efficiency of your everyday operations.

Microsoft Teams and Teams Phone

Communicating effectively with candidates and prospects is one of the most essential parts of working as a recruiter. You need to ensure that you are maintaining efficient communication with applicants at every stage of the recruitment process, no matter whether the outcome is positive or negative. This will help you to retain your positive brand image.  

Fortunately, there are a variety of technical solutions that can facilitate clear, transparent communication. Microsoft Teams is a video conferencing and collaboration platform that sits within the Microsoft 365 productivity suite. You can connect with candidates via chat, audio or video functions, on the desktop or mobile applications or via your web browser. Microsoft Teams has now developed an additional telephony feature, Teams Phone, that allows users to make and receive calls from within the application. Essentially, VoIP functionality is integrated into Microsoft Teams, enhancing the flexibility with which you can make calls. Microsoft Teams and Teams Phone allows recruiters to stay ever available and connect seamlessly with applicants, in the office or on the go. 

Recruitment IT integrations  

There are a multitude of recruitment IT integrations for Microsoft 365. These include a range of applications designed to make the recruitment process easier and more efficient. For example, you could integrate Breezy, a visual recruiting and applicant tracking system, or Firefish, a combined recruitment marketing and CRM software. These recruitment IT integrations allow you to overcome key challenges in the recruitment industry, including organisation, management, scheduling and more.  

Microsoft Dynamics  

Dynamics is Microsoft’s customer relationship management (CRM) software, which can be leveraged by recruiters to assist the process of selecting, organising and onboarding candidates. Microsoft Dynamics has a Recruiting and Onboarding module that supports you throughout the applicant lifecycle, from receipt of the application to hiring or rejecting. The module has a built-in talent search feature that assists the process of looking for suitable candidates. It also includes an integrated application tracking system that allows you to quickly glean how appropriate a candidate is for a particular position, and monitor them through the recruitment process. As Microsoft Dynamics integrates directly with Microsoft Word, you can create offers based on your existing templates, and seamlessly transfer applicant data to the new employee’s digital personal file.

Microsoft Power BI and Automate 

Admin-heavy tasks hinder the efficiency of the recruitment process and divert resources away from more essential jobs. Microsoft Power BI can be used to discover hidden insights within your recruitment data, and identify areas that can be optimised through automation. Then, using Microsoft Automate, you can build automated process and enhance workflows with AI. Automation is beginning to revolutionise several areas of the recruitment industry, being used to identify candidates, screen applicant CVs and even carry out the early stages of communication. Automating these processes with recruitment IT helps to speed up the initial stages of the recruitment process, allowing recruiters to focus on more essential, human-centred tasks.  

Blue Saffron is the Managed Service Provider for the recruitment industry, offering expert technology insights and solutions based on our wealth of experience in the sector. To find out more about how to use recruitment IT to overcome challenges and enhance opportunities in the recruitment sector, download our eBook, You’re Hired! IT in the Recruitment Sector.