HR Digital Transformation Series: 3 Paper Processes HR Needs to Digitize

Harvard Business Review recently published an article on digital transformation noting, “one of the most obvious consequences of the current Covid-19 pandemic will be ‘the infusion of data-enabled services into ever more aspects of life.’ We expect digital transformation to be an even bigger imperative for organizations in the short-term future.”

As many organizations moved to remote work, the need for HR digital transformation became more and more apparent. Here at Checkr, we often think about how to make HR processes more efficient so teams can be more productive. One thing that slows all HR teams down is paper.  In remote settings hand-written notes, stacks of physical files, and paper-based processes are just not an option. 

With some expert input from HR leadership at our partner organizations, here are three easy ways to move away from paper and begin the HR digital transformation process. 

We have all experienced an interview where a candidate shows up with an entire stack of printed resumes. Naturally, at least one of the interviewers takes notes directly on the paper resume and then the rest of the hiring team never sees their notes. Corey Berkey, the VP of Human Resources at JazzHR commented, “If you’re still reviewing paper resumes, digitizing your screening process is an absolute must. Centralizing these records with an applicant tracking system will allow hiring team members to stay more organized, speed your time-to-hire through automation, and more easily find the best-fit candidate from your talent pool.  By digitizing your stack of resumes now, you’ll build a candidate database from which you can continue to engage candidates as new roles open.”

As you transition away from paper resumes and towards a fully-digital interview process, be sure to train your interview teams on where to take notes so they are visible to the entire organization.  Additionally, make sure your candidates know they do not need to bring a printed resume to their interview. “A modern, efficient end-to-end recruiting process requires zero paper printed. Many organizations still print out candidate resumes to look at during the interview, and many candidates are still trained to bring numerous print-outs of their resume in order to impress their interviewers – but, that process is dated,” said Jacqui Maguire, Senior Director of Talent Advisory at Greenhouse Software.

One of the hardest parts of interviewing, from the candidate’s perspective, can be getting the same question from interviewers over and over. Candidates can only answer, “what is your greatest accomplishment?” so many times in one interview cycle. This repetitiveness is rooted in a lack of visibility into the full interview process. Creating a digital interview kit for each interview gives interviewers a more full picture of the candidate.  It can also help direct them to ask specific questions or dig into a relevant topic so each interviewer can learn something different about the candidate. Jacqui recommends, “In a structured hiring process, the recruiter provides a digital interview kit to each interviewer. It includes the candidate’s resume, details about the role, prep for the interview and a scorecard to submit their feedback – all in one place. This new process has removed the need for recruiters to send multiple prep emails because the interviewers now have everything they need in a central location.”

Resumes and interview kits are good first steps in digitizing the hiring process, but it is important to ask yourself and your organization where you are relying on other paper processes. Cassie Whitlock, the Director of HR at BambooHR commented, “The reality is, HR needs to digitize everything. We live in a 24-7, global economy. If you want efficiency in your HR departments, you have to take a digital approach to everything. Put things like performance reviews and PTO tracking into the hands of your employees and managers instead of bogging down your HR team with paper processes.” Look at all of your HR processes and make a note of where you are relying on paper or where your team is spending time on manual tasks. Ask your team what slows them down or makes them feel the most inefficient. These are the places digitization can lead to digital transformation. 

HR digital transformation is not an overnight process, especially in HR, but there are easy steps you can implement today. Each process digitized will save your team time, bring efficiency to your organization, and allow individuals to spend more time on work that matters most.