Here’s Why Traditional Hiring Methods No Longer Work

Your ideal candidate isn’t peering over a newspaper; they are squinting at their phone screen exploring online job listings. That’s the reality of today’s millennials and Gen Zs. And they make up nearly 50% of the workforce! No wonder, about 73% of employers find it difficult to search for skilled candidates. Most of them are still using traditional hiring methods. Which means they are overlooking the drawbacks of the traditional methods of hiring. 

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Companies that have been around for a few decades are naturally more inclined to go with these tried and tested recruitment strategies. But it’s time they face the music—traditional hiring methods are outdated now. 

One study shows that more than 70% of the workforce is a passive talent. They are not actively job hunting. So they are less likely to be found if you rely on traditional recruiting practices. In a technology-driven world, it just doesn’t make sense anymore. 

Before we dive into the drawbacks of traditional hiring methods, let’s take a glance at how limited your options are if you are seriously considering them. 

What traditional hiring methods are available to you?

• Newspaper advertisements – effective for a limited local radius
• Local employment office postings – for employing unemployed people looking for a job
• Temp agencies – recruitment agencies that shortlist potential candidates for your company
• Internal hiring – hiring existing employees for other positions within the company
• Job boards – bulletin boards of job postings at different places
• Job fairs – for meeting local potential candidates face-to-face

Needless to say, your options are too limited. Now, we’ll take a look at the challenges you’ll face if you go with the recruitment practices listed above.

Some deal-breaking drawbacks of traditional methods of hiring

Alert: You are about to feel really frustrated. And so are your prospective employees.

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1. Limited access to talent and diversity

If you print a newspaper job ad, your prospects are limited not just by the geographical boundary but also by a factor of chance. The ideal candidate might just breeze through your job posting without even noticing. 

Unlike a digital system, there is no algorithm matching ideal candidates to job listings. You can only do so much targeting in a traditional hiring approach.

And among those few people—who are in your area, who notice the job posting, and decide to apply—you are left with scarce options. Here is why that happens:

• Separation between internet users and non-users. Traditional hiring methods are more likely to target non-users.
• Chances are, such a candidate is not going to be well-versed with technology. That usually refers to the older section of the population.
• Limited to the demographic of qualified candidates within the location. Really shrinks down the talent pool. 
• People from other ethnicities and backgrounds will be at a disadvantage. Since traditional recruitment methods rely heavily on human opinion, it runs a high risk of being unconsciously biased.

2. Restricted flexibility of job postings

You will face quite a few hurdles in merely posting the job ad. In most print ads, there isn’t enough space for the entire job description and requirements. This is equivalent to selling yourself short.

Another problem is the frequency with which job postings can be placed. For enhanced visibility in the digital medium, recruiters can delete an old job posting and post it afresh on job sites. However, that is not possible in the traditional approach. 

After you attend a job fair, post a bulletin board, or print a newspaper ad, you can only wait. You can’t do it all over again in a short interval of time. 

3. Company reputation becomes a decisive factor

Let’s say there are two job postings side by side—one from Google and one from your company. Which one will attract more candidates? 

This is a war you cannot win. If it is not a huge organization like Google, your own competitors with a better reputation than yours will snatch away candidates in a traditional job market. Top talent goes off the market within 10 days!

Because the options are so limited and you only have such little scope to elaborate about your company and the job role, your reputation and popularity will call the shots. The more well-known your brand name is, the more the chances of success.

In a study, where job candidates were asked about employer preferences, more than 55% said they did not want to apply to companies with bad reviews. Moreover, 50% of them said they did not want to work for a potentially bad employer, even for a pay hike. That’s how sensitive traditional candidates can be.

4. Low number of applications due to poor reach

An obvious outcome of the geographical boundary, restricted posting flexibility, and low reach due to a bad reputation (or lack thereof), is a pennyworth of applicants. A rigorous recruiting campaign using traditional hiring methods might not feel worth your while if you only get 10 applicants. 

5. Excessive cost

Traditional recruiting is an expensive process. You are going to have to spend $1000 – $5000 per recruit. Depending on the industry, that number can easily reach $10,000.  

With modern hiring methods, you can recruit candidates at a fraction of this price. Here are all the areas where you’ll lose money if you go traditional:

• Advertisements
• Recruitment agency charges
• Hiring professionals
• Duration of the process

Also read: Lower the Cost of Hiring an Employee: In-house vs. Pre-vetted Talent

6. Time intensive procedure

Let us give you a rundown of a typical traditional recruitment lifecycle:

• Getting the word out about a job opening
• Waiting around for weeks for physical applications to come in
• Sorting through each job application manually 
• Arranging tests and interviews
• Calling in each shortlisted candidate 
• Finally selecting someone after months

Technology can automate the majority of this process, cutting down your hiring period drastically. It also makes the process far more efficient, since it eliminates the factors of human fatigue, oversight, and bias. 

7. Candidate frustration and withdrawal

Needless to say, a candidate who is actively looking for a job is going to decide between the first few offers they get. They aren’t going to wait around for two months. That’s where companies who use modern hiring methods have an upper hand.

8. Low-quality hire

When you finally make an offer to the best candidate, you may find out they have already moved on. This is considering you even receive such good quality applications in the first place. 

If it is an urgent role and the budget is tight, you might not get an opportunity to start the hiring process all over again. What usually follows is that you end hiring a subpar candidate. 

Over 42% of employers think there is a lack of talent in the market. This number only increases if you use traditional hiring methods, since your access to this limited talent is further narrowed.

An efficacious alternative to traditional recruitment

It’s obvious by now that traditional hiring methods no longer work in the digital age. However, it won’t be right to say that modern recruitment tactics are foolproof either.

Using technology cuts down on cost and time and provides access to talent on a global scale. But much like the traditional hiring process, you can’t be sure of the quality of the hire. Not to mention, it still requires a lot of strategizing and effort. 

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There is only one way to surpass all the drawbacks of both modern and traditional methods of hiring—stop trying to do it by yourself. Just outsource this task to the experienced talent pool curators. 

That is where Uplers Talent Solutions comes in. On this platform, you can hire top tech talent in under 48 hours! 

It is more effective than any other hiring method currently on the market. 

Here is how the hiring process will look like, if you choose Uplers:

• Share your job requirements
• Uplers will shortlist among their pre-screened candidates who have already gone through a rigorous vetting process
• You conduct the final interview within 48 hours 
• Hire among the top 3.5% of talent in India while saving 50% on salaries as compared to your local talent
• Uplers will provide remote onboarding

That’s how easy the recruitment process can be if you leave it to experts like Uplers. We suggest you rethink your hiring strategy and move on from outdated methods to something more progressive. 

After all, you know what they say—the only human institution that rejects progress is the cemetery.