The latest research from global talent acquisition and management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions, titled “Early careers recruitment: What are the opportunities from digitalization, STEM and Diversity & Inclusion?” examines how trends in digitalization, STEM and Diversity & Inclusion impact GenZ, specifically recent college graduates entering the workplace.
Drawing on insight from various industry experts, and providing takeaways of her own, Alexander Mann Solutions’ Global Head of Emerging Talent Consulting, Jane Clark, addressed questions including: Is digitalization eliminating human interaction in recruitment? How much of a real problem is the STEM talent shortage globally? And what does D&I actually mean to the new generation of graduates?
HR Technology News: ADP Achieves a Perfect Score in Workplace Equality for 11th Straight Year
With the intense focus on engaging these candidates through technology, Clark found that businesses need to ensure they are appropriately utilizing digital technologies and balancing them with the human touch. Otherwise, talent attraction strategies can create potentially negative impacts on company culture and diversity. And, despite candidates now expecting a streamlined recruitment process enhanced through digitalization, 78 percent in the 16-34 age bracket prefer face-to-face or telephone interaction. Only 3 percent didn’t consider talking to someone as being important.
Many businesses are successfully using gamification to engage with early career candidates; yet, the approach can nurture bias if the right balance isn’t struck.
Liz Wessel, Co-Founder and CEO of WayUp, commented on one such example, “Something like 55 percent of candidates that were applying were women. But only 40 percent of candidates who were completing and passing the gamification were women. Gamification can be great when it’s deployed properly. But many of the instances that we actually hear about will often either favor certain demographic groups, or hurt the company’s overall hiring initiatives.”
HR Technology News: Berwick Partners, an Odgers Berndtson Company, Expands Into North America’s Senior Management Recruiting Space, Hiring Two Senior Consultants
Jane Clark said, “This report seeks to help employers understand the role that technology can and should play in talent attraction and engagement strategies, particularly in relation to emerging talent. While it’s great that digitalization is now being leveraged to streamline the recruitment process and engage fresh talent, the right balance between technology and human interaction still must be struck.”
She continued, “As much as the new Gen Z wave of graduates appreciate a faster and sleeker recruitment process, they also want to interact and meet in person. While bots have a critical role to play in talent acquisition process of today and in the future, like all job applicants, Gen Z prospects still value the interactions of a real person in the hiring process. While leveraging digitalization can be instrumental in hiring and retaining top talent, businesses can ensure that they are accessing highly skilled individuals. However, any digital transformation exercise must reinforce and work alongside the company culture.”
HR Technology News: Glassdoor Launches New Tools To Help Job Seekers Land The Right Job In 2020