On the twelfth day of appreciation HR gave to me, 12 recruiting experience lessons from Santa Claus

This year, hiring teams have encountered their fair share of turmoil. With new business needs constantly arising and employees resigning at record rates, recruiters have had to work around the clock to grow talent pools, entice prospects, and quickly convert candidates to employees.

With the holidays right around the corner, it got me thinking about how Santa Claus would handle recruiting today and why he might be an exemplary role model to build your acquisition experience around.

Year after year, Santa takes time to understand precisely what his clients want, works tirelessly to deliver it, and always meets his expected deadline. Under Santa’s tutelage, his organization of elves delivers delightful holiday experiences to people across the globe, leaving no person unsatisfied (no nice person, at least).

With that, here are a few valuable lessons on delivering exceptional hiring experiences that recruiters can learn from Father Christmas:

Target a global audience

Long before the pandemic normalized working from home and hiring teams began expanding talent outreach efforts, Santa served clients in nearly every country. Fabled children’s stories detail how Santa travels around the world to deliver gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

Recruiters can take a page out of his book and focus on delivering experiences wherever candidates are. If your organization offers location flexibility, use it to your advantage! Expand outreach to new regions and learn about the needs and interests of these new potential candidates. This research will help you compose communications and campaigns that resonate. Understand the most popular job search channels and make sure you’re leveraging these mediums to build awareness with the right people.

Doing your homework ensures you’re delivering experiences that strike a chord with candidates. Before you know it, your pipeline will contain clients from across the planet, just like jolly Saint Nick.

Build a memorable personal brand

Even in countries that don’t traditionally celebrate Christmas, people know of Santa Claus. People love him not just for the presents, but because he’s also reliable, knowledgeable, and kind-hearted.

These verbs describe the thoughtful and trustworthy experience recruiters should strive for when working with candidates. Since the Great Resignation began, organizations have been actively searching for applicants to replace lost talent, and delivering outstanding recruiting experiences is one sure-fire way to attract more prospects. Focus on building strong relationships with candidates by being an empathetic listener, responsive communicator, and a true value-add to their job hunt.

When you consistently seek to understand the needs of your prospects, over-communicate details, and show dedication to finding the perfect opportunity, you develop a brand reputation that spreads and gets you in the door (or chimney) of candidates. Prospective candidates appreciate you more, and you can pass that appreciation onto your workforce.

Embrace new technology

Have you ever seen a Christmas movie that gives you glimpses into the inner workings of Santa’s workshop? It often features high-tech computers, industrial-grade workshops, or rocket-powered sleighs to explain how Santa knows who’s naughty or nice while delivering presents with impeccable timing.

For recruiters, these tools come in the form of applicant tracking systems. ATS solutions are nothing new but have significantly evolved over the past few years. We’re appreciative that many such solutions can now automate complex hiring tasks, treat current employees as potential candidates, and take the guesswork out of recruiting by predicting whether a candidate is a good fit or accepting a job offer. It frees up our time to focus on the human side of hiring, which is what building great companies and culture is all about.

As for the experience they deliver, modern ATS’ provide personalized and streamlined resources to candidates and recruiters. When candidates see tailored content and encounter easy application processes, they’re more likely to connect and apply to your business. For recruiters, a personalized and accessible UX means better productivity and flexibility in how, where, and when you work.

When you focus on creating great recruiting experiences, you demonstrate how you’ll treat future employees. By taking a few pages out of Santa’s book, you can feel confident that your recruiting experience will have candidates eagerly lining up to work with you.

To learn how modern ATS solutions can help deliver exceptional candidate and recruiter experiences, visit oracle.com/recruiting.

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