Survey solutions for HR teams and recruitment agencies

Every recruiter wants to save time and focus on the best quality candidates. A well-executed recruitment and selection survey can help.

Recruitment agencies can collect the data they need to find and match the right candidates to vacancies, and HR departments can better understand and communicate role and candidate requirements both internally and externally.

Not sure where to begin?

Outlined below are some frequently used examples to illustrate how you can use recruitment surveys to gather information:

Gather company information

Start by collecting accurate and relevant data that can be used to cross reference against potential employees. With a range of question types you can gather both qualitative and quantitative data to filter the most suitable employees for each company and create pre-determined applicant pools to contact about jobs.

Examples of Question Types:

• Descriptive Text – Add informative text or imagery to questions
• Multiple Textboxes – Respondents enter a series of short free form text answers
• Comment/Essay Box – Respondents can provide a detailed text answer
• Date/Time Box – Insert a date from a calendar and enter a specific time

Application forms for candidates

Surveys make it easier to search for an applicant with specific work experience. By entering candidates’ information in specific search fields, you can quickly find the resumes that contain the criteria that you require. You can gather relevant information about each applicant, including;

• Job titles
• Skill sets
• Relevant experience
• Keywords to match for jobs

Upload CVs

Candidates can securely upload their CV by using File Upload for easy access when they apply for jobs and can be linked to any job opportunities that open up in the future. Surveys can also replace CVs and cuts down on the time spent reviewing job applicants’ information. Specially created online questionnaires provide the specific information that you require to make more informed decisions regarding applicants.

Assessment forms for specific roles

Data can reveal the secrets of getting to the top in the corporate world as well. But data can tell us so much more about the common characteristics of great business leaders, such as their educational background, degree and first post-graduate job.

Alerts can be set up that notify you when you receive an application, or you can set up alerts that notify you when there is something in the data that suggests they’ll be a great applicant, so that you don’t have to monitor every single resume that you receive.

Exit surveys

A happy, engaged workforce is the backbone of a successful business. By gathering real-time feedback via employee exit surveys and monitoring progress, you can measure employee engagement and gather real insight to assist you in placing the right candidate in the right job.

Recruitment tools to integrate with SmartSurvey

SmartSurvey is integrated with Zapier to allow you to link to more than 750 everyday web apps, including Office 365 and Google Sheets.

You can integrate with your favourite recruitment CRM software such as Bullhorn, enabling you to automate the recruitment process.

An example might be: When you get a new entry from a SmartSurvey form, use a Zap to create a new recruitment candidate in Bullhorn.

Client surveys

Well-constructed online surveys can help recruitment agencies by facilitating two-way communication, which in turn will improve employee placement. Surveys can provide actionable data that allows you to implement changes over time and continue to improve client and applicant satisfaction levels.

How Recruitment Agencies benefit from using SmartSurvey

Online survey software has multiple uses and recruitment presents a key example of the benefits that can be gained from utilising both basic and advanced survey software features when collecting data.

Recruitment agencies, aspiring to match organisations with the very best applicants, understand the importance of gathering job and candidate information and streamlining the data collection process. Online recruitment and selection surveys can be used as the foundation to develop the collection of data to maximise recruitment systems.

Data collected can provide valuable information about candidate requirements, the recruiting process and employee retention. When done as part of an ongoing review process, gathering information via surveys will help develop client relationships and source exceptional applicants.

The benefits of gathering data with surveys

It all starts with having accurate, actionable data. One of the most beneficial factors of using recruitment surveys is being able to collect and store easily accessible information when carrying out the candidate sourcing and selection process.

Recruiters and hiring managers rely on information they gather to find the right person for the right job. Filtering key data fields, such as education, work experience, location and other demographics, makes it easy to identify relevant qualified candidates from thousands of job seekers.

Surveys make creating databases and streamlining processes simple. When evaluating data, you can register respondents’ requests and identify individuals who are willing to take the extra step for chances to improve their skills. Not only will this help to identify job opportunities and create a productive employee base, but it can also show you which employees are outperforming others and who might be motivated and ready to advance their careers further.

Beyond recruitment – surveys for the employee lifecycle

For HR teams and employers, surveys need not stop once the recruitment stage is complete. Run onboarding surveys to understand new starters’ experiences and feelings about their new role, their colleagues and the culture. Capture 360 feedback for better-informed, impactful appraisals. Or run regular employee pulse surveys to quickly identify and respond to any developing trends or workplace issues. These are just a few examples of the insights an employee survey program can have throughout the employee lifecycle. From selection to exit, we’ve got you covered.

Using surveys in the recruitment process

By referring to data you collect over time, you will be able to identify patterns regarding employee placement, which in turn will help you manage staff turnover rates and plan strategies for acquiring valuable talent and determining career paths.

Matching professional and personal attributes, including the soft skills that interest employers, makes determining career paths and climbing the career ladder a simpler process.