HR Technology Delivers Fast Results to Impatient Job Seekers

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It’s a changing talent market out there, and recruiters who fail to adapt to the technological advances within the HR industry will be left with middling or bottom talent — or worse, no talent at all. The hiring process is a potential employee’s first interaction with a company, and giving the impression that your company is out of date could send candidates running for the hills.

And let’s be honest: For the most part, the candidate experience hasn’t been great leading up to the age of modern technology. Hiring and decision-making processes used to leave applicants waiting for months — if they heard anything at all. Nobody wants to go back to that.

Building a Technology-Fueled Talent Pipeline

Quality recruiters and hiring managers now use technology tools to source candidates and make sure they are processed as quickly as possible. After all, one of the keys to securing top talent is reaching them first, before anyone else has the chance to hire them.

Kurt Heikkinen, president and CEO of HR technology firm Montage, suggests recruiters and employers avail themselves of the latest streamlining tech to keep their candidate experiences engaging and efficient.

“For example, on-demand text interviewing is shaping the future of recruiting, and chatbots that use natural language processing are now being used to vet candidates’ baseline skills and schedule interviews,” Heikkinen says. “Adding validated assessments into the hiring process can also improve success. In doing so, hiring teams can work through their talent pipelines smarter and make job offers at a much quicker rate.”

For all of the talk of losing the human experience to automation, any applicant would rather be contacted within hours than have to wait weeks or months for the team to get back to them. The human touch can be delivered in the interview and on the job. Securing that interview should take first priority in the early stages of recruitment — and technology can make all the difference.

“Candidates expect a high-tech, high-touch experience,” Heikkinen says. “They expect their job-seeking experience to match their own consumer experiences — fast, transparent, and easy. Because of this, the use of technology in HR and recruiting is all about meeting the candidates where they’re already living. The introduction of new technology like artificial intelligence and candidate-first tools like on-demand video and on-demand text have made a profoundly positive impact on the industry and candidate experience.”

Choosing the Right Technologies

When evaluating what technology solutions will be useful for your organization, Heikkinen suggests adhering to the following best practices:

  1. Ensure Alignment With Employer Brand:Heikkinen says, “Using technology like AI and on-demand interviewing in recruiting arms the candidate with more information about your company as you learn details about them. Consider adopting technology that allows you to collect valuable information and insights while providing a fast, transparent experience on devices that candidates use every day. Look for technology that links the candidate experience and employer brand.”
  2. Understand What Matters Most to Candidates: Heikkinen says, “First, map out your entire hiring experience and determine which interactions matter most to candidates. Then, figure out how much expertise, time, and effort is required to perform each task. Ensure recruiters stay focused on strategic work and use new tools to automate time-consuming tasks like scheduling interviews and screening candidates. In doing so, your organization will see higher employee engagement and implement a better candidate experience.”

By Jason McDowell