Catalyst | Digital
D
Embracing
technology to
improve candidate
experience
Roberto Magliocco
Hiring managers must continue to build on the bold steps
taken to keep their organisations competitive within the
candidate market, writes Alexander Mann Solutions’
Roberto Magliocco.
Delivering a great candidate experience has always been a business priority
and was already a challenge for many organisations pre-COVID-19.
Today, in our more virtual world, we need to bring talent closer to our
brands through the lens of a laptop and ensure our hiring managers and
candidates connect in a way that is both meaningful and impactful.
Reimagining the candidate experience has required all those in talent
acquisition to embrace technology, a significant leap of faith for many.
Video-conferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and
Skype have become common digital enablers, allowing companies and
candidates to continue to connect and engage.
The benefits of this forced change have already started to emerge; the
opportunity to move at pace through a remote interview or assessmentcentre
process, the ease of scheduling these appointments into busy
diaries and the greater flexibility offered by virtual encounters have all
contributed to a decreased time to hire and lower associated costs.
Embracing digital, enhancing
candidate experience
This new approach has also enhanced the user experience in various
ways, according to candidate feedback: “Doing that first interview
remotely saves a lot of time for all involved,” commented one
participant, while another praised the ease of participating in virtual
career days:
“All candidates had equal opportunities to talk and engage in activities
on the platform; you could raise your hand to bring attention. I was given
all the information I needed for the day beforehand and, as a result, I was
confident in using the technology and navigating the event.”
Embracing technology is considered progressive and responsive: “Using
technology to conduct an interview is the backbone of what a technologyrich
company can provide and, amid the current pandemic, was a wise
move,” wrote one interviewee.
Hiring managers from across markets and geographies have also noted
advantages to digitally enabled hiring (despite many previously expressing
scepticism) including reduced lead times, the environmental benefits of
fewer journeys, and a positive reflection on employer brand.
The digital era
was already upon us,
but for many
organisations, it
took a ‘deep sleep’
to realise it
A new era of recruitment
The enforced evolution of our industry has changed expectations,
and our continuing flexibility and commitment to a new digital era
of recruitment will be a defining factor in delivering a best-in-class
experience.
Candidates have found comfort in ‘talent acquisition 3.0’ and, although
we still hope to shake hands again someday, a digital pathway has set the
bar high. As we awaken from this ‘dream’, we must not lose the insights
we attained during it. The appetite to return to ‘the old normal’ will
undoubtedly creep in as the months progress, and the lessons risk fading.
The digital era was already upon us, but for many organisations, it took
a ‘deep sleep’ to realise it. Mapping digital enablement into our talentacquisition
strategies, blending both virtual and physical processes
to create a rounded candidate experience, and continuing to find ways to
transform and challenge our norms (without an external impetus such
as coronavirus) will set us apart from the pack in the ongoing search
for talent.
To quote the British writer and speaker Alan Watts: “The only way to make
sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
Roberto Magliocco is global head of client services at
Alexander Mann Solutions.