The fast changing world of apps, social media, video technologies, games and VR is having a dramatic impact on HR processes. Today, you can have attractive advertisements on social media, create microsites for engaging potential candidates with videos, have her review testimonials and relevant job information that goes much beyond the info on the old, tired career sites. You can engage candidates with chat bots, have a video enabled smart, mobile screening session that lasts only 3-4 minutes with all the information you need for filtering. Provide assessments and tests to gauge fit, have them play games that predict competencies. It is definitely a much superior talent experience. Some companies even started to experiment with VR. Why not provide a pair of VR goggles on your onboarding experience? Imagine the fun and engagement when you put on VR goggles to see your future office before your first day of work. Cool!
Not so cool when you look at the numbers, though. According to Korn Ferry Institude’s Talent Forecast report less than 50% are taking advantage of recruitment technologies such as applicant tracking systems, video interviewing, or online assessment tools ❓
These are not good numbers of adapting new technologies especially when you consider the fact that among the 50% that claim they use digital new technologies, 46% use video screening only. Thus, only half of half is embracing a more holistic approach to adapting digital. I am not a math genius but even I can see that this is some serious resistance to change on part of HR teams.
Going into details of why HR teams are resisting the new technology is beyond the scope of a blog, nevermind that it would probably be a pretty boring blog after all. But what I can share is 5 myths that I see on the field that can help you make a better decision about digital.
1 - Candidates want “Human Touch”
No they don’t. They want a quick, easy process with timely updates. HR has a blanket answer to conducting unnecessary on site interviews arguing that candidates prefer a human touch but definition of human touch is not an interview with an HR person. Touch means having a continuous engagement and communication process. A one time face to face encounter in a stressful job interview does not cut it. Digital tools enable automatic, timely and quick engagement. This is valuable.
2 - Digital is for fancy talent experience
Although digital experience is fancier and superior on the candidate side, digital also means data. Very valuable, otherwise lost data for the HR teams. Every digital process is a standardized way of creating candidate, and process kpi data that can be stored, managed, modeled and used for intelligent decision making. You cannot measure how a CV print out worked for you but you can measure the effectiveness of your screening questions in the variance of a candidate’s 3 months sales bonus performance. D in digital is for DATA.
3 - Investing into new ATS is a too costly and lengthy process
Most cloud firms charge a low monthly subscription fee and the cloud software minimizes the need for lengthy IT implementation. The providers have gone a long way from the old ATS systems that require huge IT projects. Instead of re purchasing an ATS, you can upgrade your current ATS with digital providers within a 1 weeks’ turnaround.
4 - Mobile Career sites
64% of candidates are looking for jobs online but only 16% of companies have a mobile application process.
Beware! Just transforming your existing career site into mobile friendly view is not actually offering a mobile application. Holding your phone for 35 minutes to complete a single job application that asks a gazillion question on your background is not a truly mobile process. Few will like it, less will complete.
5 - Social Media recruitment = Job Posting
Posting a job on LinkedIn and Facebook is a good start but not very much different from putting a poster on the glass of a crowded street. Just as no one that would not walk across that particular window pane would not see your job post, no one but your already existing followers on social media would view your posts. That is it. Posting and doing nothing else, is a very limited way of using social media and digital. The power of social media is in the abilities of digital marketing and engagement. With smart advertising, A/B testing and a powerful landing page, you can do so much more. Some know how and a little budget will take your job posts to every corner in downtown, not just your window.