Companies are risking their employer brand by becoming less emotional in the hiring processes due to the ease of digital communication, according to research by global talent acquisition and management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions.
The firm revealed that while digital channels make it easier to contact wider talent pools, many organisations are failing to utilise these platforms to truly engage candidates with the brand, instead opting to take the approach of contacting the many in the hope of finding the few. According to Alexander Mann Solutions, this removal of the more emotional human interaction will only damage a company’s employer brand in the long-term. It is far better to have the best of both worlds by using a great HR platform option to digitize the majority of your operations, which would, therefore, leave you with more time to dedicate to taking a human approach to hiring that will ensure you make the best choices.
This insight follows recent research from the firm which revealed that the candidate experience was being negatively impacted due to a lack of real engagement.
In its 2016 Global Recruiting Survey, Alexander Mann Solutions found that only 5% of recruiters pick up the phone to try to reach new talent, with the majority preferring online channels to engage with individuals. However, this approach has led to an increase in spamming activity, with 72% of candidates not responding to this type of contact, an issue that can create negative feelings from an applicant’s perspective.
Adam Shay, Director of Consulting Services, at Alexander Mann Solutions explains:
“Digital is the way forward in talent attraction and management, but there is a real danger of falling into the trap of behaving like a robot rather than a person. We cannot forget that the end-to-end journey a candidate takes when searching for a new job is an emotional one, and that there still needs to be a level of human interaction and personalisation in order to truly engage and attract the future workforce.”
“As we digitise the content that a candidate consumes, we should be mindful that we’re replacing traditional interactions, such as face-to-face networking and telephone interviews, that are felt. We must find ways not only to retain this feeling online, but also capture how people are feeling as they progress through our digital recruitment process.”
