What is automation in HR, exactly? It can sound like companies are trying to take the “human” out of human resources. But really, automation is about finding an efficient way to help HR teams navigate the ever-changing platforms and technologies across the internet to find the best candidates for hire as efficiently as possible. In the ever-growing healthcare industry, a streamlined hiring process can really be a gamechanger to meet the increasing demands of healthcare service workers.

The next healthcare specialist you need to hire may already have been targeted for recruitment by another organization. With increasingly sophisticated technology, automation helps HR teams streamline the hiring process and even target candidates before the next vacancy opens up.

Create Targeted Job Advertisements

While your company might still find an alumni talent pipeline recruiting at a local educational institution, automation might involve a social media ad that reaches those same alumni where they are spending a lot of time each day—online. This is not to say that automation shuts down traditional recruitment avenues; rather, it replaces the outdated models of posting internet job ads. Automation takes the guesswork out of job ad posting by using algorithms to classify jobs, assess the best space to post and calculate the most efficient costs.

Where automation really shines is in its ability to assess the job ad’s performance using real-time data. (And it can do this for multiple job ads at once, maximizing your job ad budget.) When an ad isn’t getting applies, the automated process “learns” using AI technology to readjust and post in the most efficient locations. By doing this, you do not pay for ad space that has no return on investment. Instead, you get the most out of your job ad spend by targeting more candidates on websites where they already search. By using historical job ad data based on job type, whether it’s an EMT or respiratory therapist, technology that uses automation can make smart job ad posting decisions for you.

Screen Candidates

Automating the “busy work” of hiring, like screening countless resumes, can help HR teams get to the more “human” and most enjoyable aspect of HR: engaging with qualified candidates. But first, you need to find your next healthcare specialist in a pile of resumes. Automating the screening process can help.

For example, do you need a nurse who has earned a BSN? A simple keyword can screen these resumes for you. With automation, you can direct the software to search for multiple factors—and, using natural language processing, it can also ensure that you don’t miss out on a great candidate who used a synonym. Are you looking for a candidate with volunteering experience? If you automate these kinds of searches, the automated process can also find candidates who put “community service” on their resumes as opposed to “volunteering.”

There are a number of other ways automation can streamline the process, like scheduling interviews once resumes are screened. As you know, when you have a lot of candidates, emailing and scheduling interviews can add up to a lot of busywork for HR professionals.

Look To The Future

Of course, the best thing about automation is that it is forward-looking. If you’re in the healthcare industry, you know that turnover can be high. Automation helps collect data so you can actively search through quality candidates who might be a better fit for future open positions. From candidate tracking software to recruitment marketing strategies, automated processes can capitalize on the wealth of information available to hiring professionals in the healthcare industry.