The rise of modern technology has touched, changed and revolutionized almost every industry and market. The world is in a digital age, the age of Google, as some might say. As advancements in technology continue, we can only expect for things to adapt further with technology.

Looking exclusively at the impact technology has played on the recruitment industry; Ira S Wolfe, a thought leader in workforce trends breaks down employment facts. Unemployment is below 4% nationally. 9 out of 10 business owners reported getting too few or no qualified applications. Time that it takes to fill positions is increasing, on average, it now takes 31+ business days. Workers are choosing to leave their jobs at a faster rate. Many companies are experiencing candidate abandonment rates. The world is changing, and recruiting strategies need to adapt as well. Here are 4 tips from Ira S Wolfe’s Recruiting in the Age of Googlization on how to improve recruiting efforts in the age of Google.

1. Eliminate Recruiting Blunders
Today, practically everything is available at the swipe of a screen. Long application processes will deter candidates from engaging with your company. Jobs should be posted on sites that are easily accessible and available. Think about how to market both the company and position an enticing way. In under a 4% unemployment rate, candidates will walk away from companies with difficult application processes – don’t give them a reason to.

2. Expand your Reach
Create a pathway for success that surpasses an online job-board experience. With technology, everyone has access to job descriptions and anyone will apply to your job – and they’re not always qualified. Are you communicating with candidates after they apply? Implement technology to work to your advantage. Research shows that disengagement comes from an un-engaging communication approach on the road to hire. There are simple automated programs that can solve lapses in communication, look at what products might be beneficial to your company’s hiring process.

3. Learn how to play by Google’s rules
Google has new free services open to the recruiting industry to streamline Google into everyday life. Google is the most commonly used search engine. There are 6 billion searches per day, 7.2 trillion searches per year. If you are not tapping in to how to optimize your recruiting process through partnering with Google, you’re doing it wrong. 73% of job searches start on Google, 300+ million job related searches each month. Tools like Google Jobs are free for companies to use, you must learn how to use Google’s resources correctly.

4. Embrace the candidate experience
Reputation matters, what people think and hear about your company matters. If your digital reputation is negative or outdated it will be a factor that will inevitably drive away the candidates you’re trying to attract. Invest in candidate experience initiatives including embracing all things mobile.

It’s time for hiring processes to embrace technology and use it to their advantage. Google isn’t going away anytime soon, the better you understand how Google works, the smoother your application and hiring process will be.