Member Article

New whitepaper reveals that candidates want more ‘human touch’ in the hiring process

Global talent acquisition and management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions, has released a new white paper: Early careers recruitment: What are the opportunities from digitalisation, STEM and Diversity & Inclusion?. In this paper, new Head of Emerging Talent growth, Jane Clark, investigates how trends in digitalisation, STEM and Diversity & Inclusion impact school and college leavers across the world.

Drawing on insight from various industry experts, and providing takeaways of her own, Jane addresses questions including: Is digitalisation killing off the human or personal touch in recruitment? How much of a real problem is the STEM talent shortage globally? And what does D&I actually mean to the new generation of graduates?

A focus on Digitalisation

Businesses need to ensure they are appropriately utilising digital technologies and balancing this with the human touch in talent attraction strategies to prevent potential negative impacts on company culture and diversity, according to findings cited in this new whitepaper.

Despite candidates now expecting a streamlined recruitment process enhanced through digitalisation, 78% in the 16-34 age bracket prefer face-to-face or telephone interaction with a member of staff. Only 3% didn’t consider talking to someone as being important.

The paper also outlines that, while many businesses are successfully using the likes of gamification to engage with fresh candidates, the system can nurture bias if the right balance isn’t struck:

Liz Wessel, Co-Founder & CEO of the US online recruitment portal WayUp, said:

“Something like 55% of candidates that were applying were women. But only 40% of candidates who were completing and passing the gamification were women. Gamification can be great when it’s deployed properly. But many of the instances that we actually hear about will often either favour certain demographic groups, or hurt the company’s overall hiring initiatives.”

Commenting on the report, Jane Clark, Global Head of Emerging Talent Consulting, said:

“This report seeks to help employers understand the role that technology can and should play in talent attraction and engagement strategies, particularly in relation to emerging talent. While it’s great that digitalisation is now being leveraged to streamline the recruitment process and engage fresh talent, the right balance between technology and human interaction still must be struck.”

“As much as the new Gen Z wave of graduates appreciate a faster and sleeker recruitment process, they also want to interact and meet in person. While bots have a critical role to play in talent acquisition process of today and in the future, like all job applicants, Gen Z prospects still values the interactions of a real person in the hiring process.”

“Utilising digitalisation well is instrumental in hiring and retaining top talent, and by utilising the opportunities this can present to engage with emerging talent at an early stage in their career, businesses can ensure that they are accessing highly skilled individuals. However, any digital transformation exercise must reinforce and work alongside the company culture.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alexander Mann Solutions .