As the US economy continues to grow, more job opportunities are created giving potential candidates an opportunity to land their dream job. With startups, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike competing for new talent, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find quality resumes, especially as applications get easier to submit but more difficult to sort accurately. Screening resumes requires resources, which are often limited to the recruitment team. Various channels do exist, however, to enable recruiters to automate repetitive and voluminous tasks while searching for resumes. Below are five smart ways to find resumes that recruiters can use to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

1. Resume Database Software

Resume database software can be a valuable tool for recruiters to screen through their resumes. Good resume databases allow recruiters to go beyond the usual keyword searches to apply advanced categories and classifications among other meaningful identifiers to discover candidates. They facilitate searches holistically where the functionality goes beyond matching keywords in resumes with job ads. While the system resembles that used by Application Tracking Systems, resume databases do not wholly depend on keywords.

The functionality commences at the advertising stage where resume database software allows you to design your ad based on the language that your ideal candidates use on their resumes. This will include keywords that authentically make up the profile of your target candidate. Candidates who appear on resume databases may not be actively looking for jobs but have designed their profiles with their sought-after employers in mind. With this in mind, you can design job ads that are more visible to candidates that have done their research and created their profile to meet your search.

2. Candidate Rediscovery Through ATS

Job position postings attract hundreds of applicants, which makes it difficult for recruiters to identify the right match. Your application tracking software containing resumes from previous applicants is a potent tool for recruiters to identify the most qualified individuals in less time. This works for a re-advertised position, in which case you can look through resumes of previously interviewed unsuccessful candidates.

While you can use other online talent pool aggregators to get ideal candidates, candidate rediscovery saves you time from sifting through your database for resumes. Since potential candidates keep updating their resumes, you can integrate your ATS with other resume database software to enable you to get updated resumes rather than relying on the old ones. You can deploy AI candidate rediscovery tools to help you identify the right match. When successful, you can use automated outreach systems including emails to re-engage with previous applicants.

To engage candidate candidates, AI-powered applications can ask candidates about the type of jobs they are looking for which will help recruiters to prioritize where they are spending their resources. Candidates who are actively searching for employment opportunities would be more valuable as compared to shortlisting candidates randomly.

3. Resume Chatbots

One of the latest trends in recruiting is the ability to communicate with candidates using recruitment chatbots. As it holds, getting the right resume from the millions of resumes available online remains the most challenging task for internal and external recruiters. The communication capabilities that chatbots offer makes it easier for employers to communicate and identify the right match for the job. With candidates adopting chatbots to share their resumes, it is increasingly easier for employers to get the right resume once they deploy chatbots in their recruitment process. Chatbots in the recruitment process record details of interactions between candidates and companies, which helps recruiters to find the right candidate more quickly.

With robotic technology, chatbots can ask leading questions including the work experience, previous company details, and skills that match the position. All through the chatbot will record these details for assessment along the job requirements to determine if the candidate fits the position. They will further communicate on scheduled interview dates and any other relevant information to the candidate. Since they are flexible, chatbots can be deployed through emails and social media platforms that are easily accessible to candidates.

4. Employee Referrals

Recruiters heavily rely on referrals from existing employees to get resumes of potential candidates. Referrals are strong resume search tools that get you the right resume since they come as reliable sources that will vouch for the right candidate. Most companies offer monetary incentives to their employees to recommend candidates within their network. Since they are already accustomed to the organizational culture, it is easy for employees to identify candidates whom they believe will fit into the organization.

5. Job Boards & Portals

While this may sound trite, job boards and portals remain the top place where recruiters can get resumes of qualified and interested candidates. Unlike application tracking systems that store resumes of past applicants, job board databases have millions of resumes that span different countries, industries, and experience levels.

Today many job boards have advanced their services to offer recruiters niche technology that allows recruiters to find resumes with instant filters. They facilitate a passive approach where they ask candidates to upload updated resumes for you to identify the match without having to post a job ad. You can set up email alerts or synchronize the job boards into your ATS to get notifications once a matching profile is identified. You can also find the right pool of talent from non-traditional job boards. A large portion of non-traditional job aggregators act as de facto job boards without the actual design of a job portal. They allow professionals in a given industry to interact with recruiters by showcasing their skills.

Leveraging Technology

Recruiters, whether working internally or externally with agencies will engage in numerous techniques to find the best possible candidates to sell upwards. With advancements in technology, recruiters, just like job seekers, can leverage these techniques to help them find the best resume matches from the millions available.

As a leading SaaS company in the recruitment landscape Interseller works with internal and external recruiters to build a predictable candidate pipeline. We help you save on time and resources by finding and reaching out to candidates via emails through automated and personalized email sequences, maintaining up to date ATSs.