With the rapid advancement of technology, recruitment businesses are embracing new technology, digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI). While technology is playing a huge role in business expansion and efficiency optimisation, it’s crucial that recruiters remember to balance technology with the human touch to ensure a seamless recruitment experience for candidates and other stakeholders.
Improving business growth and efficiency with recruitment tech
In recent years, the recruitment industry has experienced a significant advancement largely driven by technology. Traditional methods of recruiting, such as paper resumes and in-person interviews, have increasingly given way to digital platforms and innovative tools.
The right Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a must-have, streamlining the process of sifting through resumes and identifying potential job seekers. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms has revolutionised candidate sourcing and assessment, enabling hiring managers to pinpoint the most suitable candidates with greater accuracy and efficiency. Leveraging recruitment technology streamlines processes and improves decision-making, leading to significant cost savings throughout the hiring process.
As recruitment technology continues to evolve, it promises to further enhance the speed, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the recruiting process, reshaping the landscape of talent acquisition in unprecedented ways.
Utilising the human touch with technology
While technology does a great job of streamlining processes, increasing efficiency and reducing costs, it cannot replace the personalisation of human interaction — which is a hugely important part of the candidate experience and selection process.
Assessing candidate personality traits
Applicant Tracking Systems and automated communication tools are great at fast-tracking initial screening and scheduling interviews. It’s important to remember that neglecting other forms of communication has the potential to depersonalise the recruitment process. Personalised emails, phone calls, and face-to-face interviews help build genuine connections between candidates and recruiters, providing valuable insights into candidates' personalities, values, and cultural fit that technology alone cannot determine.
Personally engaging with candidates allows you to assess their essential soft skills, such as their communication, teamwork and emotional intelligence — a human perspective regarding soft skills can add value to the screening an ATS has undertaken.
Improving candidate experience
While recruiters aim to utilise technology to streamline their hiring processes, it’s equally important to ensure a positive and engaging experience for candidates. If a candidate has a poor experience during the hiring process, they are likely to be disgruntled and may go elsewhere. A talent acquisition process that is over-reliant on technology may lack user-friendliness, transparency or relevance, diminishing the candidate experience.
Recruiters should align technology with their employer brand, and maintain clear and frequent communication — including a mix of phone, email and face-to-face — striking a balance between technology and human interaction. By doing so, they add in personalised, positive interactions that resonate with candidates throughout the recruitment process.
Managing cyber risk
With cybersecurity remaining a significant risk for businesses, it’s essential to ensure reliable and compliant platforms are being used, as well as following cybersecurity best-practices like secure communication channels, data encryption and appropriate staff training. The collection of candidate sensitive information means there is a significant risk associated with unauthorised access or theft of this data. Data breaches could lead to identity theft or reputation damage, resulting in legal ramifications for recruiters. Correct handling of data, passwords and the use of two-factor-authentication are essential to protect sensitive information.
As AI explodes across a number of industries, it's important to be careful with how it is used. Before you allow AI access to your sensitive data and information, make sure you understand where this information could potentially end up.
Finding the right balance of technology and human experience
To find the right balance between technology and human interaction in recruitment, technology should be used as an enabling tool rather than a substitute for personal engagement. By utilising recruitment technology tools to automate repetitive tasks like resume screening, interview scheduling, and data management, recruiters can free-up valuable time to focus on building meaningful connections with candidates.This allows them plenty of opportunity to assess candidates soft skills in addition to their qualifications and experience.
Technology can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of recruitment processes, allowing for smoother communication of candidate queries, streamlined workflows, and data-driven insights. It's important to remember that technology should enhance rather than replace the human touch in recruitment. While automated systems can fast-track aspects of the hiring process, they cannot replicate the empathy, intuition, and rapport that comes with authentic human interaction. By strategically balancing technology as a supportive tool, recruiters can optimise their workflow, improve job performance, and ultimately deliver a more personalised and engaging experience for candidates.
The importance of keeping up with recruitment technological advancements
Investing in the right technology — and finding the right balance of tech and human touch — lays the foundation for sustainable business growth and success. Failing to utilise technology can slow the business growth trajectory, disappoint customers, and lower the attraction of top-tier candidates.
Without the appropriate technological infrastructure in place, scaling operations becomes a challenge. However, simply having the technology isn’t quite enough — the users need to understand how to utilise it effectively. Adequate training for staff ensures that they can harness the full potential of the technology at their disposal. Recruiters cannot reap the benefits that come with technology unless their staff are equipped with the skills and knowledge required.
A lack of knowledge and skills can even lead to the stacking of tech, where more and more APIs, software and systems are added to the ecosystem because the users didn’t realise their original recruitment software had the capabilities they were searching for. To ensure the most efficient utilisation of your recruitment technology, it’s essential to undergo proper training and stay on top of program updates.
Finding the right balance between recruitment technology and human experience is essential for the success and growth of recruitment businesses. While technology offers numerous advantages in terms of efficiency, cost savings, and scalability, do not forget the importance of personalised human interaction in the recruitment process. By finding the right balance and investing in the appropriate technology while prioritising human touch, recruiters can achieve sustainable growth, enhance the candidate experience, and maintain a competitive edge in the recruitment industry.
