9 Ways To Use Your Earned Data Better

How is the second half of 2022 shaping up?

Well, Microsoft and Google called for hiring freezes. Lyft shut down an entire division. Major layoffs have been hitting the news feeds for weeks. And the US economy will likely enter into a recession before the year ends. 

So…it has its challenges.

Staffing teams are in a particularly unique position. The past year has seen unprecedented growth (21% in 2021 alone), alongside massive industry changes like increased tech usage and a more concentrated focus on candidate experience and diversity recruiting.

But as we head into the rest of 2022, there’s a question on everyone’s mind: What will happen now? 

It can feel like all doom and gloom at the moment, but there are steps you can take as a staffing team to cut costs, increase productivity, decrease time-to-submit, and support your clients in the coming months…no matter what happens.

9 Ways To Use Your Earned Data Better

Let’s let you in on a not-so-secret secret: Earned data is about to be your best friend. 

Your earned, owned, and already available candidate data (i.e., candidates already in your ATS or CRM) is a treasure trove, especially when it comes to weathering storms like we’re about to face. It’s one of the most cost- and time-effective ways to gather a candidate shortlist, given there’s no battle for attention on job boards or time spent throwing out LinkedIn messages.

But actually using that data is easier said than done. It’s often locked away in a messy ATS without search functionality and relies too heavily on keywords and not enough on intelligent search.

Let’s fix that.

Understand Its Role in Your Process

What do you want your earned data to do for you? Most people we talk to aim to make the ATS the first stop when a requisition comes in.

Maybe your goal is different, and that’s great too! Make sure you understand your earned data’s role and what you want to change. It can also be helpful to know why you want to make this change. That way you have a purpose, not just a plan, to use as a guiding light.

Clean It Up

Serious question – When was the last time you cleaned up your ATS? 

Cleaning up earned data could mean augmenting or updating what’s already there (through an email campaign inviting people to update their information) or deduplicating or removing unnecessary profiles. We’ve spent a lot of time in ATSs, and the data tends to be less-than-ideal.

Remember to build a system for new data coming in. You don’t want to clean up a system just to mess it up again. Ask yourself, what qualifies someone to be entered into the system? What information is required to be considered a complete profile? Can you set up an automated email to invite them to new job opportunities? Or maybe automatically request that they update their profile?

Appeal to Clients With Visible Data

With the right tools (spoiler: it’s HiringSolved), you can be on a call with a potential client, ask them what sort of candidates they’re looking for, and immediately input the search and know how many potential candidates you have to offer their request.

This is an excellent chance to attain new clients through data rather than simply charm and sales skills. Be upfront about what you can offer, and they’ll know they’re working with an agency that will be a trusted partner.

Know Where To Grow

By understanding what data you have through clean-up and insight, you also know what information you’re missing. For example, let’s say you have over 1500 project managers but only 12 data-entry specialists. That knowledge means you can turn to external sourcing with a goal and purpose rather than aimlessly gathering whoever you can.

Automate Talent Redeployment

By some estimates, at most, 30% of staffing firms redeploy talent. If you automate your redeployment process, you’re already ahead of 70% of the market.

Tools like Talent Redeployment help you visualize who is out on a contract, when those contracts are finishing, and what sort of positions may be best for their next role. This can be particularly valuable if you work with H1-B visas and need to keep contractors constantly employed.

Increase Diversity Recruiting and Hiring

Data is the foundation of effective staffing and hiring practices, and diversity recruiting is no exception.

Your earned data could be a treasure trove of diverse candidates (and likely is!), but unless you are using your data with an eye to that, you may never know. Our system uses a tool called Diversity Boost to support diversity recruiting without relying on self-identifying information that people may be wary of sharing. Diversity Boost uses key diversity indicators like sorority membership or previous military service to predict diversity, but don’t worry, we keep humans, like you, in the loop the whole time.

Mine Those Notes

When done well, resumes are great. But job seekers are often fed some outlandish resume recommendations (like stuffing keywords in white text or how the ATS will “reject” you) that could mean you’re not getting the information you need from a resume alone.

The gold about a candidate stems from those conversations on the phone or over email. Attaching notes that capture a candidate’s actual skills and power (and making those notes searchable) will make your earned data shine.

Make Matching Work for You

Staffing recruiters are all-stars at remembering one candidate who would be a perfect match for a new requisition…but what if your data could do that for you automatically?

Candidate to job matching systems can take the data in a job posting, create a search from it, and automatically deliver matching candidates to kick off a search and make qualifying a candidate as simple as possible.

It’s important to note that automated matching shouldn’t replace a recruiter but rather work to take some of the most rudimentary qualifyings off of their plate so they can focus on moving the candidate forward.

Incentivize Using Earned Data

MeeDerby did precisely that when it came to implementing HiringSolved, but the same can be said for getting recruiters to turn to earned data first (whether you have HiringSolved or not). Whether that incentive takes the form of a monetary bonus or recognition at the next all staff meeting, people want to be rewarded.

We only suggest incentivizing using earned data after you know the system has been cleaned up and is easy to use. Forcing people to use an ineffective tool will just lead to frustration.

Moving Forward

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that we never really know what’s coming up next around the corner. But you can never go wrong with investing in what you have and ensuring that your team has the tools they need to do their job well. Using your earned data better is just one way to do precisely that. 

Let us know how you’re preparing for the rest of the year on Twitter!

Related Resources:
7 Things To Do With Your ATS Data Today
5 Ways To Get Your Team on Board With New Staffing Technology
Case Study: National Staffing Team Save $200,000 and Increases Placements