Whether it’s a candidate hoping to get noticed, or a hiring manager trying to find the best possible talent, the hiring process can be overwhelming for many.
For recruiters and hiring managers, the great resignation has added even more pressure to the hiring experience. Both are hiring at a rate they’ve never experienced before. In the last six months alone, one in ten workers admitted to quitting their job, leaving the UK with the highest quit rate since 2009.
And for candidates, many are finding it hard to get noticed in an increasingly competitive job landscape, with traditional hiring processes making the challenge even harder. This is due to historic hiring methods, such as cover letters and CVs, not providing an accurate representation of their skills and capabilities.
To allow for easy and effective hiring, hiring teams need clearly thought out processes that take the stress away from both the candidate and recruiter. Here we discuss three key examples of how hiring teams can harness technology to better the candidate experience.
The benefits of video interviewing
One of the biggest bottlenecks in the hiring process is scheduling interviews.
For hiring teams, the time it takes to organise face-to-face interviews could be better spent on employee onboarding, wellbeing or learning and development. And for candidates, from start to finish, traditional interviewing processes can be a frustrating experience – 75% of candidates say the worst part of the job search process is taking the time to apply for a job, to then never get a response.
Harnessing video interview software not only speeds up processes for hiring teams by streamlining efficiencies, but for candidates, interview aftercare is also improved. Certain types of hiring software use Artificial Intelligence (AI), meaning feedback can be instantly generated based on the candidates’ response to interview questions. This not only takes the stress away from the candidate, but also the recruiter too. They no longer have to personally follow-up with every applicant which is incredibly time-consuming.
Adopting video interviewing software also helps reduce bias in hiring. Structured video interviews are one of the best ways to improve fairness in hiring. It enables hiring teams to look past CVs by standardising interview processing with optimised interview questions.
Texting to recruit top talent
Talent is getting snapped up left and right, so hiring managers need to make sure the processes they use are not only easy and accessible, but efficient. Irritating processes or long wait times will cause candidates to seek easy experiences elsewhere. Remember, the hiring process is the first window into business operations that the candidate sees. Therefore, processes need to be top-notch, as they will reflect on how the company is run.
One way to reach talent quickly is texting. Rather than emailing back and forth with potential talent, hiring managers can communicate directly with the candidates, ultimately receiving faster responses. Compared to email, texts achieve four times more responses, and these responses are five times faster.
Texting also automates tedious workflows for hiring teams – a game-changer for the hiring experience. Recruiters can leave time-consuming hiring tasks, like scheduling interviews and sending reminders, to the technology. Then they can focus on activities where high-touch human interaction and decision-making are required, such as deciding between two top candidates.
The gamification of hiring
Traditional hiring methods, such as face-to-face interviews, cover letters and CVs, have long been the norm for hiring managers. But in recent years, it has become clearer that these don’t always take into account the different needs some candidates might have.
For example, neurodiverse candidates are often only offered interview options that set them up for failure such as requiring them to go to testing centres, which might cause them to feel unsettled and not perform their best. HireVue’s recent research found that game-based assessments are a great way of levelling the playing field for autistic candidates. In fact, the study found that 263 autistic candidates scored the same as 323 general graduate applicants when taking a HireVue game-based assessment.
Game-based assessments are far more engaging and accessible for all candidates. In most cases, candidates often become so engrossed in the games that they forget they’re taking an assessment, making them less stressed. And for hiring teams and recruiters, the interactive format provides more data points from the candidates’ answers – enabling fairer, more accurate hiring.
Easy hiring
The hiring process is a tricky beast to tame, but having a strong approach to hiring sets the right first impression, giving candidates a streamlined and helpful initial experience of the business. It’s a win-win for all.
