The Hiring Tree: Laws of Applicant Attraction
Have you experienced the frustrations, pressure, and challenges as it relates to hiring qualified applicants in the last two years? What if a recession is pending, how will your organization pivot? The biggest mistake 80% of employers make is the use of a job description as their job ad. New job board rules are being enforced due to Search Engine Optimization practices (SEO), Artificial Intelligence technology, and an influx of scam artists during the pandemic, forcing many employers to make changes they are not familiar with. But what are those changes? In this session we will cover the analogy of the Hiring Tree and discuss specific branches of the hiring process that will provide immediate results to attracting top talent, regardless of a recession on the loom. In other words, this presentation will address specifically what those changes are, and how you can make an immediate impact in your hiring process, increasing applicant flow by 50-300%. In The Hiring Tree, too many employers rely heavily on one core process for hiring, which has often remain unchanged for the last decade. The challenge with this is like a tree with one single branch, the tree branch will topple over as it begins to bear fruit due to the weight. It creates an awful experience for applicants. 20th century recruiting methodologies are slowly being replaced by new technologies, which means employers need to stay on top of what is happening in the market more than ever before. A truly balanced tree has multiple branches, a solid trunk (application process) and firm roots to produce award-winning fruit, which means any hiring strategy must include multiple channels and have the right foundation. From the roots to the trunk, extending out the branches, this presentation will help attendees understand how to develop a sound 'Hiring Tree' that will produce fruit (applicant flow) in ANY market, regardless of unemployment rates, recessions, layoffs, pandemics, ghosting, & quiet quitting, which all plague employers today.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand and define key differences between job boards, search engines, aggregators, and social media channels plus how algorithm changes and AI technology have impacted hiring strategies. You will be armed with ideas on how to strategically approach these channels when marketing roles for your organization in an effective way.
- Gain a sound understanding of the core elements of a job ad to gain more visibility and attract more qualified job seekers to your roles for active job seekers. Learn the strategic elements of a job ad that need to exist to give applicants a higher chance of finding your jobs and lead to 50-300% more applicants.
- Know how to effectively develop the three core elements of the application process that leads to higher conversions, providing more applications and mitigate drop off rates.
- Learn the differences between resume parsing and profile parsing, and whether or not resumes will be part of the future of hiring.
Steven J. Smith
Steve will be the first to tell you that recruiting is marketing. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance at Brigham Young University and started his career in recruiting in Feb 2005. In 2008, he took a risk during a recession to help start a new company with Ryan Kohler, called ApplicantPro, a full suite HR platform for small to mid-sized businesses. With 11,000 clients and close to 300 employees, ApplicantPro has made the Inc 5000 list 11 years in a row, Top Places to work in Utah 3 years in a row. ApplicantPro was also named an Indeed Platinum Partner in 2023, one of five companies in the country to receive this designation. Steve is SHRM-CP and PHR certified, and currently volunteers on the Utah SHRM State Council as the immediate past State Executive Director. His book, The Hiring Tree: Laws of Applicant Attraction, was released in early 2023, and has helped thousands of organizations across the country rethink the way they approach hiring. If you need help understanding the principles and role of SEO, marketing, and AI when it comes to attracting job seekers, Steve provides a solid framework for hiring.
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