A brief recap of the closing day of SmartRecruiters’ 2019 European conference for talent acquisition professionals.

The enthusiasm and momentum from day one at Hiring Success carried over to Wednesday morning virtually uninterrupted. Shortly after 8 a.m., the Compagnietheater was once again brimming with conference-goers. The crowd chattered excitedly, their optimism buoyed by the scent of freshly-brewed coffee in the air and the resonating sound of the theme from Mission Impossible, provided by a trio of string musicians in the foyer. It was an auspicious beginning to the day, indeed.

The chorus of voices in the lobby turned to whispers, then gave way to silence as the attendees filed into the venue halls for the morning sessions. The lectures held throughout the day proved to be equally engaging as Tuesday’s, ending the conference on a high note. Here’s a glimpse at some memorable moments from the final day of Hiring Success EU 2019. 

Best of Breed Innovation

SmartRecruiters’ Head of Product Management, Natalia Baryshnikova, commenced Wednesday’s activities by presenting on the ways that technology enables Hiring Success—particularly compelling candidate and user experiences. 

Before unpacking her ideas, Baryshnikova took the opportunity to share an anecdote about the Dutch Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh, an apropos reference given the conference’s location. In his prime, Van Gogh produced four paintings per week. His productivity, she noted, was marked by regularity and consistency.

What does that have to do with SmartRecruiters or Baryshnikova? Regular and consistent productivity are instrumental in her approach to product development. Baryshnikova’s team strives to release around five product updates every week. This allows for a product that’s agile and can quickly adapt to the needs of both customers and candidates, thus providing compelling experiences.

To illustrate her point, Baryshnikova, with the help of colleagues Kelly Fang and Rafal Szczepanski, demoed two upcoming product feature updates: 

• The addition of multi-language, automated and integrated SMS communication with candidates
• The ability for users to forward CVs from their email accounts directly to their SmartRecruiters accounts

These innovations may not be Van Gogh masterpieces, but they’re essential in the ongoing process of creating an ATS that doesn’t just help people with their hiring needs, but to achieve Hiring Success.

Become an Inclusive Leader

What does an Aikido master, who also happens to be the first ordained meditation master of African-American descent, and is now an advisor to Fortune 50 CEOs have to share? Albeit a rhetorical question, Dr. Steven Jones walked the audience through a captivating session on inclusive leadership, with simple and live exercises that showed how different perspectives, when managed well, yield stronger results.

We learned that the human brain isn’t wired to see things as they are; we see things as we are. Similarity signifies safety, and as such we naturally gravitate towards perceptions and concepts that we’ve grown accustomed to. Jones encourages us to constantly remind ourselves to see things from others’ perspectives.

“Diversity is about counting heads, inclusion is about making heads count.”

Dr. Steven Jones

So on the conference themes of Innovation and Inclusion, approaching work (and relationships in general) with a truly open and inclusive mindset builds trust. This ultimately drives productivity and performance. As Jones thoughtfully put it, “Diversity is about counting heads, inclusion is about making heads count.”

Reflecting on Freedom 

The final keynote speech for Hiring Success EU 2019 was delivered by Khalil Osiris, a speaker, educator, and activist. Osiris, a one time member of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, found himself locked into America’s criminal justice system at the age of 17 and wasn’t paroled until his 40s. 

While in prison, Osiris corresponded through letters with one of Nelson Mandela’s daughters. He found liberation through these missives, as well as intense self-reflection. After leaving prison, he began to volunteer for a civil rights organization where he mentored children of incarcerated parents. Soon thereafter he co-authored a book on the psychological experience of inmates, which became a college course, as well as a DVD series. 

Osiris continues to work as an advocate for those from backgrounds similar to his, and works with them to find inner peace and mental freedom before becoming physically incarcerated. His story is an admirable example of the perseverance of the human spirit and the importance of devoting one’s self to purposeful work—whether in the office or the world at large.   

The above mentioned sessions only represent the tip of the iceberg that was Hiring Success EU 2019. We would like to thank all of the amazing speakers at this year’s event, the entire SmartRecruiters team, the staff at Compagnietheater, and all of our sponsors: 

Christmas may have been a month ago, but SmartRecruiters has one more little present for its users: a new product release.

On January 25th, SmartRecruiters rolled out its Winter 2018 product update to all users of the platform. The release came packed with quite a few developments – including custom data reports, and integration of regional social networks such as DACH’s Xing and China’s WeChat – however, one of the most extensive updates concerns parallel processing and universal profiles.

What Exactly Are Universal Profiles and Parallel Processing?

Parallel Processing allows a candidate to apply for multiple positions within a single company. This new development takes full advantage of our new Universal Profiles, which allow you to quickly and easily see every application made by a particular candidate via a new ‘All Applications’ tab.

On an industry-wide scale, only around 15% of candidates make multiple applications with a single employer, although that number fluctuates depending on the sector, industry and job type. For example, companies which tend to source younger, graduate applicants are likely to see higher numbers of parallel applications, especially for entry-level positions or internships. Universal profiles will be particularly useful to these kinds of SmartRecruiters customers.

How Does It Benefit Candidates and Hiring Managers?

Universal profiles are designed to benefit both the candidate and the hiring manager at the same time. For the candidate, the benefits are clear: they can now apply for more positions within their favorite company, increasing the chances of nailing down that dream job. What’s more, hiring managers can keep better track of your applications, reducing the chance they’ll be lost in the ether. These developments will also result in a better candidate experience by providing additional transparency and ease of communication.

These benefits also carry over to the hiring manager. The increased collaboration and transparency means embarrassing mistakes can easily be avoided, such as two separate hiring managers sending offers or templated rejection emails to the same candidate. Now, thanks to Universal Profiles, each hiring manager will know where a particular candidate is in the process of all their applications with the company, as well as who is handling these applications, allowing them to better tailor their responses and communications.

All-in-all, this leads to an increase in candidate satisfaction, which leads to better employees and ultimately, hiring success.

Additionally, for companies undergoing expansion, restructuring or reorganizing, universal profiles could be an invaluable tool for dealing with many current employees reapplying to different positions within the company.

An Opportunity to Change Up Your Recruitment Process

Parallel processing also offers the opportunity to get creative with your hiring processes. For example, it could be used to foster internal competition between hiring managers for particular candidates, imbuing your staff with new drive and determination in their recruitment efforts.

If that’s not your style, the very same functionality can be used to encourage new levels of collaboration and cooperation. The ability for each manager to see where a particular candidate has applied means communication between users is seamless. So, if a candidate has applied to multiple roles, hiring managers can now easily discuss which position for which the applicant is actually best suited.

How Was Universal Profiles Rolled Out?

Universal profiles and parallel processing will became available from January 25th as part of our Winter 2018 product release. We understand the changes could impact upon existing workflows, and so a two-month opt-in grace period will be available from the date of release. Customers eager to jump in and take advantage of all parallel processing has to offer are free to do so from day one, however, those who want to take longer preparing, training, or testing the changes on test accounts will also have the time they need.

After the grace period, parallel processing will be rolled out to all customers as part of the SmartRecruiters platform.

When SmartRecruiters’ Community Manager Lexie asked me to write about our hiring philosophy at Shoto Consulting Group I quickly replied, “Sure.”  What I hadn’t realized is that we never put into words exactly what that philosophy might be.  I’m sure lots of you are in the same boat.  You might know what you’re looking for on a case–by–case basis, but what are the underlying fundamentals?  Rather than getting deeply philosophical, I’ll keep it simple, which is how we tend to do things around here.

First, we hire for attitude.  One thing we have not been able to figure out is how to train attitude.  I have seen firsthand a well–qualified candidate lead to disappointment once hired.  It came down to hiring for what the person was on paper and believing his qualifications could be his salvation.  It won’t happen and none of us have time for that.  No matter where the candidate might fit into our company, someone who is positive, flexible and adaptable ranks well above where he or she may have worked or from what school he or she graduated.  So what’s the takeaway?  Save yourself the trouble and consider your candidate’s attitude with weight.

Second, we hire for experience, but not the ‘working’ kind.  We look for candidates with an adventurous past and an overwhelming excitement for life.  We seek out active, highly–capable people who have a thirst for worldly experience and growth.  Many times we look beyond our current boarders, in fact, most of the people on our team have lived abroad, have grown up abroad or are currently living in a country foreign to their own.  Why is this so important to us?  Travel experience breeds creativity and adaptability.  Travel fosters intelligence and brings about a positive attitude.  These are all must–have’s for us.

I am what some call a Third Culture Kid (TCK): someone who spent a significant amount of his or her developmental years outside of his or her home culture.  I seek out others who have similar backgrounds.  I believe real diversity creates an amazing group dynamic, one where past experiences from different cultures come together to create highly effective ideas and strategies.

Having lived in Tokyo and Singapore during my adolescent years, I attended school with classmates from over thirty countries.  This, I believe, will serve as the workplace of the future, where it will be natural to look not only to new cities for opportunities, but across boarders.  Both of my alma maters, the American School in Japan and the Singapore America School are a preview of what is to come, a prototype.  And it’s happening at Shoto, too.  We’re currently managing three projects full time, with team members from Albania, Bermuda, Bulgaria, Canada, Japan, Singapore and the US.  Additionally, we have candidates right now, thanks to SmartRecruiters, from China and India.

So, back to hiring for life experience.  When you consider someone who has traveled around the world, they bring along the excitement for living that best fits our group.  We aren’t tied to our desks; in fact most meetings take place while on different continents.  Our most active project, developing and shooting a TV pilot, has involved a team that’s currently spread between Albania, Singapore, the US and a variable third country, usually India or Indonesia.  We work remotely, using nothing more than our laptops, Skype and a concentrated focus on timezones.  We work this way because we’ve chosen freedom over structure.

Since we’re always out engaging the world, we never really had a good method for sourcing candidates from multiple platforms, nor for tracking applicants.  SmartRecruiters has taken all of that work out of the equation.  I would never say hiring is an easy process, but the boring, stop–us–in–our–tracks ‘paperwork’ side of things is now gone.  That means more time to focus on development, application and our lives.  The candidate–tracking feature I love.  I’m a visual person and having all our applicants in one place – on one screen – has been incredible.

SmartRecruiters has also held several web seminars that I’ve listened in on.  I’d strongly recommend joining in sometime.  And if you don’t already know how easy the SmartRecruiters software is, I’m sure it won’t take long.

Adam Hacker is the Founder of Shoto Consulting Group.  He’s been launching and managing small businesses for the past ten years.  He attributes his success to being adaptable and building diverse, well–traveled teams.

“If I can get a meaning across without speaking I will,” explains SmartRecruiters Lead Designer Jason Hegyessy.

As a UX/UI designer, Jason brings the Scandinavian philosophy of minimalism and functionality to the SmartRecruiters’ platform. He studied traditional illustration at the Academy of Art, spent a few years mastering the ways of the web via the freelance world, and most recently, worked for Apple.

“The designs that last are extremely simple,” says Hegyessy. “They say ‘no’ to the other things that people might say they need to include. They reduce everthing to the bare necessity.”

Everyday Hegyessy reads Daring Fireball, a tech and Mac news blog. The site design has not changed in 7 years. A testament to fact that the internet is not just fads. Remarakable ideas, content, and design can pass the longevity test. Hegyessy believes, “Good design is like a timeless suit; it never goes out of style.” Not to say that everything that can be done has already been done; a good new suit can always be designed. Hegyessy points to Microsoft’s new homepage (designed by Paravel Inc) as an example of where modern design is heading.

When asked about influences, Hegyessy says, “I don’t follow a specific person. Good design is everywhere.” Before conceding, “There is also bad design everywhere. Graphic design is about solving a problem. People often don’t know how to ask the right questions; that’s why there is so much bad design.”

For Hegyessy, everything in front of the user must have purpose.

“It’s what you leave out. Why did I use red? Give some people a pallet and they’ll use every color, but why? The truth of the matter is space structures the universe.”

Through his years, Jason has formalized a process. Hegyessy’s Design Rules:

1. Put everything that will be on the page – all the content – just put it in there.

2. Can anything be removed? Is it functional? What would make a task easier?

3. After much deliberation, delight the user. Create visually appealing design, but never at the expense of simplicity and functionality.

Throw it all in there. Strip it all down. And make it elegant. “I’m a man of few words,” says Hegyessy in a few words. For Hegyessy, it’s time to start up.

SmartRecruiters is the Hiring Platform. Everything you need to source, engage and hire top talent. 

Today we’re excited to introduce our new Enterprise Membership program.

A rapidly growing number of companies are relying on SmartRecruiters to manage their hiring efforts end-to-end, from sourcing all the way to hiring.  This program is designed to reward those  corporate customers with personal attention, savings and outstanding service levels.

Benefits of being a Member include:

• A 10% Discount on everything you purchase in the SmartRecruiters Store, including Job Posting, Assessment, Databases, Recruiter Fees,…
• Access to a Dedicated Customer Success Manager to help you optimize your use of SmartRecruiters and make your hiring life easy.
• A Priority Support service accessible via phone and email to answer questions and resolve any issue any time.
• An Enterprise-class Service Level Agreement with guaranteed uptime, incident resolution, back-ups, disaster recovery and priority restore. The SmartRecruiters SLA is the best in the industry.
• Exclusive Access to our roadmap with Feature Preview so you can see what’s coming before anyone else.
• Free regular User Training so you can easily involve Managers and Contributors in your hiring efforts.
• And Exclusive Members-Only Offers and special promos on selected services and partners in the marketplace

Membership Fees are company-wide and designed to offset themselves against savings you make through the store-wide 10% discount.  Some companies may elect to join because it saves them money. Some because they like the exclusive access and in-person support. Others for the comfort and security of a contractual Service Level Agreement. In any case, whether your company becomes a member or not, the use of SmartRecruiters is and remains entirely free with no limitations.

Become a SmartRecruiters Member.

We released the ability to create templates for frequently posted jobs, making it easier for companies with multiple locations or decentralized hiring teams to quickly post commonly open positions without having to recreate the entire job ad. We also retired our “on-hold” job status to further simplify the hiring process.

Posting multiple openings for the same position has never been easier. Admins now have the ability to create templates for jobs frequently posted by your company, including the option to save a new job as a template. To get started, users start typing the job title into a blank template and are automatically presented with options to select a prefilled job template or to copy another job ad.

Templates can include prefilled fields for the job title, company description, qualifications, additional information, industry, function, type of employment, experience level and EEO data. Users can preview the template and edit these fields prior to posting.

In addition, we’ve retired our “on-hold” status on jobs and migrated existing jobs with this status to “cancelled.” In the jobs list and on the jobs page, you can reactivate a cancelled job to any step associated with an active status, including draft, sourcing, in-review, interview and filled. When moving an active job to cancelled, we prompt you to unpost it from job boards and your career site, job widget, or Facebook Careers App to prevent candidates from expressing interest in inactive positions.

Please see Get Satisfaction to review bug fixes in this release, and as always, we look forward to your feedback!

A business to business website should give a great experience while providing the demanded service. We created a new website with the goal of being easy and effective for you and your business.

As Leonardo Da Vinci said and Steve Jobs popularized, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This new website is designed to get people hiring in minutes.

To provide everything you need and nothing you don’t, we cut, we evolved, we cut more, and we created. With less jargon (and frankly, less words), the messaging is candid and clear. The layout is clean; we eliminated all columns filled with links and widgets for more intuitive navigation.

The goal of the website is to drive conversions. We reduced the number of fields per conversion. The signup panel is now accessible on every page, allowing you to signup, anytime from any page in your browsing experience. Even YOU could signup right now, or when you’re done reading this cool post. On SmartRecruiters.com, signup is seamless from wherever you are.

Content wise, we focused on what matters. It turned out to be just 7 Pages:

• Product > Its so important, we have it on the homepage.
• Testimonials > Customers are the best voice. Customers are our voice.
• About & Careers > Short company background, video, and our open jobs.
• Zero Unemployment > What we believe in – our purpose as a company.
• Help > A deep dive into the product, and everything you might want to know.
• News > What we’ve been up to and what people are saying about us.
• Blog > Our contribution to share and make the world a more welcoming place.

And that’s that.

Ahead we have a Store Page, which will feature the growing ecosystem of our wonderful partners … and a Developer Page for access to APIs, Widget, WordPress plugin, etc.

So what do you think? Did we get it right? What do you like / don’t like?