Welcome to “The Most Interesting Recruiting Stories of the Week,” a weekly post that features talent acquisition insights and information from around the web to kick off your weekend. Here’s what’s of interest this week:

Top Articles to Read Now

Can Store Associates Work At Home?

“Salespersons with the customer’s phone numbers might get one day a week to stay home and make phone-calls and appointments for customers to come to the store,” this Forbes story posits. Hey, anything is possible!

Remote Work Has Opened the Door to a New Approach to Hiring

“Firms should consider the flexible or open talent model: project-based or temporary work that is staffed with workers who are not permanently attached to a company,” explains this Harvard Business Review story. There are a few situations where it makes particular sense to use open talent, such as when: 1) insiders cannot be redeployed easily, 2) outsiders are less expensive than hiring a new insider or paying overtime to existing ones, 3) highly specialized skills are needed and they are not available internally, or 4) returns on exceptional solutions are high.”

Is Your Applicant Tracking System Hurting Your Recruiting Efforts?

“[R]recent studies show that a perpetual quest for new efficiencies may be exacerbating one of the biggest problems organizations face today and preventing many of those same recruiting technologies from achieving their goal: finding candidates to fill open jobs amid severe labor shortages,” points out this HR Magazine piece.

Requiring College Degrees: A Sign of a Lazy Employer?

“Google ditched a college-degree requirement for most job openings, weighing other factors such as relevant experience,” explains this HR Executive story. Of course, Google is now alone. Read how college degrees are increasingly losing relevance. Sort of.

Bitter Recruiters, Hire Miserable Employees!

“The pandemic actually helped some organizations weed out miserable recruiters, at first,” Tim Sackett writes. “But the last year has burned out a ton of recruiters that were left and many are flat out miserable. They hate you. They hate candidates. They hate hiring managers. They hate the job.”

How Life As a Trucker Devolved Into a Dystopian Nightmare

“Today, long-haul truckers are some of the most closely monitored workers in the world. Cameras and sensors dot their trucks, watching the road, the brakes and even the driver’s eye movements,” according to The New York Times. Is it only a matter of time before we are all under Big Brother’s eye?

Starting Your Job Post With “About Us” Is a Mistake

“I don’t really understand why we read those lengthy bios at the beginning of the session anyway,” Katrina Kibben says. “You showed up for the session based on the topic, not the credentials. Turns out, the same thing applies when companies lead a job posting with their About Us. If they really want the job, you should focus on the topic not the perks.”

Blow Up the RFP? Let’s Fix It Instead.

“Your recruiting technology partners hate requests for proposals (RFPs). That’s hate with a capital H,” ERE tech columnist Lance Haun points out. “Many recruiting leaders also don’t particularly care for them. Yet I’ve also heard from a few folks who are happy with RFPs because an upfront investment might lead to a better product selection.”

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How to Systemize Talent Management for Increased Hiring Efficiency (Wed, March 23)

HR and TA leaders abhor lengthy hiring processes. So do candidates. Systemizing hiring can improve efficiency and quality, but it can be hard to shorten processes without negatively affecting results. Join this webinar to learn how to improve efficiency and efficacy, decrease hiring time, ensure clear job descriptions, and more. Register here.

How to Design and Implement Recruiter Training/Mentorship Programs (Wed, March 30)

Recruiting leaders worldwide recognize the importance of enhancing the abilities of their teams. They want to make their team members more effective in their roles, but often do not know where to begin, especially when it comes to new recruiters. Join this webinar to learn a framework that will help your team make their new hires successful. The processes shared will drive employee development and improve retention through employee empowerment and engagement. Register here.

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Stay in Touch

Join the conversation about all things talent acquisition in the ERE Facebook Group. It’s a great venue to gain information, support, and network with fellow peers. We’re talking about some of the stories above, as well as other hot recruiting topics, so come share your own views in the ERE Facebook Group. We’d love to see you there!

Additionally, got questions? Feedback on a story? Or want to pitch a story idea? Get in touch with ERE editor Vadim Liberman at vadim@ere.net.

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