The industrial sector thrives on efficiency and precision. Companies need a highly skilled workforce filled with professionals who can accomplish their responsibilities with safety and quality in mind. This is why leaders are always on the lookout for the best ways to improve their recruiting process.
Aside from developing your hiring procedures, what else can you do to improve recruiting? The key is to streamline the preselection process for high-volume industrial roles in your organization.
What Are High-Volume Roles?
High-volume roles in the industrial sector typically involve positions that require frequent and large-scale hiring. These include positions such as warehouse workers, production operators, and quality control inspectors.
Based on the responsibilities each role covers, it’s safe to say that these positions form the backbone of industrial facilities. The nature of these roles usually involves specific technical skills and physical capabilities. They must also be able to work in structured environments with established safety protocols and quality standards.
Leaders often choose high-volume recruiting when they must simultaneously fill multiple identical positions. Instead of interviewing each person interested in the positions, you can use preselection.
Read more: Maintaining Momentum: How to Tackle High-Volume Hiring with Efficiency
What Is Preselection and Why Should I Consider It?
Preselection is crucial in high-volume industrial hiring as it helps organizations efficiently filter through large candidate pools to identify the most suitable individuals. It typically includes several key steps, such as application screening and skill evaluation.
What is the importance of preselection in hiring? In essence, preselection is a systematic approach meant to reduce administrative burden while recruiting a high volume of qualified professionals. It ensures consistency in candidate evaluation, minimizing the risk of a wrong hire. Moreover, effective preselection can:
- Significantly improve retention rates
- Reduce training costs
- Ensure that only candidates with the highest potential proceed to later stages of the hiring process
Read more: Spring Back into Productivity: 16 Quick Hiring Strategies to Turn Around Last Year’s Turnover
5 Techniques to Streamline the Preselection Process for High-Volume Industrial Roles
High-volume recruiting can be difficult when you don’t have the right recruitment processes in place. Instead of traditional recruiting strategies, improve your talent acquisition by applying the best preselection techniques. These include:
1. Digital Application Forms
Aside from big machinery on the industrial floor, technology can help your business in simple but meaningful ways. One example is the usage of digital application forms during the preselection stage.
In simple words, these are standardized online forms that aim to collect candidate information. They gather essential data to be used when choosing who will move on to the next step of the recruitment process.
To implement digital application forms, your company should first identify all critical information needed for initial screening. Once you’re finished, work with your IT team or recruitment software experts to create user-friendly forms. Make it mandatory for interested candidates to provide the information you’ll need for preselection.
2. Automated Initial Screening
These types of screening systems use artificial intelligence and algorithms to evaluate applications against specific job requirements. They can quickly process large volumes of applications and filter out candidates who aren’t fit for the role.
Automated Initial Screening uses the information you’ve gathered through the previous technique. Once the machines are fed the data, they can finish screening professionals much faster than human resource experts.
To utilize this technology, it’s important to first define your minimum requirements and key qualifications. Avoid being general. List specific details for each open role. Afterward, invest in AI-powered applicant tracking systems that can automate your screening process.
3. Predictive Analytics
Predictive Analytics uses historical hiring data and performance metrics to identify patterns and characteristics. Once identified, they are used to predict an employee’s potential to succeed in a role.
Using predictive analytics can help high-volume recruiting since it provides insights needed to make more informed decisions. To implement this pre-recruitment strategy, it’s best to start by collecting and organizing historical hiring and performance data. Make it a point to work with data analysts or HR analytics tools to identify key success indicators and develop accurate predictive models.
4. Reference Check Automation
Automating reference checks can make a traditionally time-consuming process much easier to accomplish. It utilizes technology and systems to:
- Send automated requests to references (such as an applicant’s former colleague or supervisor)
- Collect standardized feedback through online forms
- Compile the results for easy review
In volume hiring, choosing this strategy can significantly reduce the administrative burden on your teams. You’re also ensuring that all candidates chosen to continue in the hiring process meet the basic requirements you’ve set.
Implementing this strategy involves selecting a reference check automation platform that integrates with your existing HR systems. Moreover, take the time to develop standardized reference questionnaires. Focus your questions on key performance indicators and past behavior patterns. When choosing or creating a system, remember to include features for tracking response rates and following up with non-responsive references.
5. Pre-Employment Assessments
An effective strategy to separate qualified candidates from non-qualified ones is to implement pre-employment assessments. These are combined tests that focus on technical skill evaluations and behavioral assessments. They aim to provide hiring managers with a comprehensive view of candidates’ capabilities.
Technical assessments measure specific job-related skills, while behavioral assessments evaluate personality traits, work style, and cultural fit. Knowing these can make it easier to predict job performance if they’re chosen for the role.
Always begin this strategy by identifying critical technical skills and behavioral components needed for your open positions. Choose assessments based on what you’ve identified. Ensure that the tests you choose are validated and specific to the industrial roles you’re trying to fill. This can help you both find the right employee and stay legally compliant during the entire hiring process.
Read more: Emerging Talent Trends in Manufacturing: What Recruiters Need to Know to Stay Ahead
The Role of Staffing Firms in Streamlining the Preselection Process
Despite understanding the five strategies discussed in this article, improving high-volume recruitment can be difficult. It requires new investments and the implementation of unfamiliar processes. To avoid these challenges and ensure improved candidate experience, consider partnering with a trusted staffing firm.
Working with a staffing firm offers a strategic advantage in high-volume recruiting. It gives you immediate access to established recruitment infrastructure and expertise. There is no longer any need to make substantial investments that are usually required to build these systems internally.
Moreover, specialized staffing companies already possess advanced tools and systems necessary for a successful preselection process. From automated screening technologies to applicant tracking, they can make your overall high-volume recruitment process easier.
With the existing candidate databases of your chosen firm, combined with matching algorithms and industry-specific screening protocols, you’ll get to experience rapid identification and evaluation of qualified candidates. This can ultimately reduce time-to-hire in your high-volume recruiting efforts.
Build a successful workforce with Horizon America.
Staffing firms like Horizon America serve as strategic partners in workforce management. Thanks to our years of experience, we can offer you comprehensive solutions to streamline your high-volume recruiting process. We are also equipped with effective programs and software you can utilize when partnered with us.
Instead of relying on traditional job advertising and social media posting, take a chance with us. Contact Horizon America today to learn more about our services!
