Digital Recruitment is Upon Us

Digital Recruitment is Upon Us – Don’t Overthink and Drown

It is no good denying. With the constant push for cost optimization, shifting demographics and new technologies, HR needs to become much more digital. Any conference you go to, any event you attend or anytime you start reading about HR trends, digital is the King. Data analytics, video technology, online interviews, assessments, etc. We even started to discuss robots.

Maybe it is still very very premature to talk about robots replacing HR jobs, but it is quite certain that digital will replace manuals. Even today, 63% of all job seekers are looking for their next career opportunity on their smartphones. Having noticed where the action is, 93% of all recruiters are also on digital, searching talent on social media. These are huge numbers. But given the gravity of the need for digital and mobile, only 16% of the global companies report that they have a mobile application process. If you compare the need and what is actually being done in terms of transformation, the gap is very concerning. Especially if you think about the 67 million Generation Z’er that will join the labor market in the next 4-5 years in the US alone. It will be much more difficult to explain a young talent of 2020, why she needs to copy a 50-year old CV format to express her uniqueness, embellish stuff on bullet points and then retype most of that same info into a tired looking application page that takes more than 40 minutes to complete. And then do the same for another company, again. How many of them do you think will read a 4 page long job description and connect with your brand over a single slogan on a crowded career website? Look at the numbers: According to Career Arc’s survey 60% of the candidates say that they had a poor experience and 72% of those would share this information with their friends online. Ouchh!

Well, this is not news. Everybody knows these or similar figures in the HR world. Everybody understands the need. But who can explain this gap?

Either the HR departments do not care much about the talent experience and attraction of young talent to their brands with utilizing new technologies, or they are not very sure about where to start, what works and what does not.

I meet a lot of HR leaders in different countries because of my job and I am sure of the ladder. Transformation is always difficult, confusing and HR does not want to get this important concept wrong. So they are reviewing, benchmarking, checking out alternatives, attending conferences, events and of course, reading blogs about digital HR. Getting ready to get it right.

This is understandable. But experience taught me that in times of major tidal shifts, being late is often the same as being wrong. Given how fast and strong the technology and demographics tides are that are upon us, I suggest 5 simple starting points to get into the journey, now:

1 - Re-write your Job Postings

They do not work. They are too long and mouthful and they do not convey the type of information that the applicants are looking for. There are great studies and tips on how to write an attractive job description on the web.

2 - Use Video Content

You do not need huge budget productions. Talent is looking for opportunities to understand what success means, what the working environment looks like, how is the team. Give them quick, sharp, fun videos to engage with you and get answers to their questions via videos.

3 - Smart Screen instead of Phone/1st Interview

Instead of long application processes or screening interviews, ask the most important qualifier questions by setting up a digital screening session. A typical smart screening session takes 4-5 minutes on mobile. Video screening is especially an excellent way to get culture fit and competency questions upfront.

4 - Don’t just Post, Promote as well

Posting and waiting for talent to find your posting is not social media hiring. A small budget and a targeted ad campaign gets a long way. Pair your advertisement campaign with a mobile screening to maximise your efficiency and brand power.

5 - Involve Hiring Managers into Digital

Share video screening sessions for them to review and evaluate. Set online interviews, have them play part in promotional videos, testimonials and onboarding. Their presence and commitment is invaluable.

There are great companies on the cloud that can help all of these first steps. Check them and us out and let’s get on with our journey.

For more info on Peoplise, click here.