Technological advances have made life more comfortable and less complicated, both personally and professionally. Companies, especially recruiters, are using technology to recruit top talent with tools such as texting, social media, and AI-driven chatbots. These pieces of technology often take out the headache of back and forth emails, long hiring times and ghosting–but at what cost for talent teams?
With these techniques taking over the human aspect of recruiting, it is important to remember that candidates still value a personal connection and touch. Therefore, balancing technology and the human element is key to successful hiring.
Learn how technology and the human touch can work together through common recruiting practices.
Screening
98% of Fortune 500 companies rely on an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen resumes. This automation can efficiently narrow the applicant pool while identifying potential matches for hiring managers. Another piece of technology that certainly has a place in the screening process is texting. Nearly 80% of job seekers report landing a job through texting. Of the companies that use it for screening, 90% say it is imperative to their recruiting solutions. And chatbots are also great for screening candidates through initial sets of automated questions.
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But these systems are just technology. Without the right people and processes, it’s difficult to make them work. While text messages, emails, and chatbots enable quicker interactions between the candidate and recruiter, the recruiter must still create thoughtful content and messaging for relevant touchpoints with the applicant. For example, checking in with the applicant before and after their interview to see if they have any questions makes for a better candidate experience, improves communication, and demonstrates genuine care for the job seeker. However, premeditating which touchpoints candidates should receive when and scheduling the communications ahead of the fact will save recruiters time and bandwidth.
Interviewing
Technology can facilitate candidate interviews as well. Small but important recruiting tasks, such as scheduling interviews, distributing a candidate’s resume with hiring managers, and video interviewing can often be turned over to technology. And with job seekers 15% more likely to withdraw during the in-person interview of the application process, any help to streamline and facilitate is warranted.
While technology makes it easy for candidates to take part in an interview, human connection is what makes them feel valued. Connecting with candidates over a video interview can be an important step in building a relationship. The interview phase is the optimal time to humanize the process, and by getting to know applicants in person, recruiters get a better sense of whether or not their personalities, interests, and qualifications are a good fit for the company.
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On-boarding
Research shows that companies with the highest levels of employee engagement have 59% less turnover than those who do not build a strong employee-employer bond. They also report 41% fewer absences and a 21% boost in productivity. One way to help with this is through effective, personalized on-boarding.
On-boarding is a powerful aspect to building that vital connection. Adding technology to your applicant tracking system makes it easy to send new hire invitations to events, information about benefits, training videos, and more.
Developing good relationships with new hires during on-boarding and keeping his or her interest is critical. In fact, according to recent surveys, 96% of employees say that empathy from employers makes them want to stay at a job. Employees who do not feel personally valued in a company are less likely to perform well. They are more likely to leave, too. Interactive training sessions, first-day lunches, and welcome activities add a crucial human touch that cannot be achieved with technology alone.
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Employment Branding
Today, employment branding is more important than ever. According to LinkedIn research, more than three-quarters of people who are looking for jobs research the company’s employer brand before they apply. As a result, recruiters must strategically consider how to position what it’s like to work at their company.
While technology helps spread company awareness, the human touch can drum up valuable employee support. Current employees will act as ambassadors if they’re proud of where they work. The attitudes of current employees, positive or negative, further develop the company’s brand. Strong branding creates a cycle where the brand gets stronger, which makes employees prouder and happier, and so on.
Technology is expediting and simplifying the hiring process for recruiters worldwide. However, even in the face of change, it is important to keep the human element to make sure employees are happy, engaged, and truly on your company’s team.