Recently, I chatted to a young graduate entering the world of work. She was surprised that after interviewing with leading firms, she quickly received job offers with attractive prospects, even though she doesn't have much work experience. “Who gets that response from employers?” you may ask. Well, if you meet her, you'll immediately experience her as someone who is bright, engaging, and ambitious. She fits the profile of ‘someone who has it all'. Clearly, companies who are concerned about thriving in the future of work view her as someone they want on their teams. “So, which job offer did she accept?” may be your next question. Her answer? The offer from the company that created the most attractive candidate experience.
In my curiosity, I asked my graduate friend what determined an attractive candidate experience for her. She immediately responded that it was the company who communicated personally, clearly, and consistently throughout their process. She intuitively surmised that this approach reflected their company culture and provided an environment geared for growth. My friend is not alone in her perspective. Research shows that 4 out of 5 candidates judge a company's culture by their experience in an interview, and CX (the candidate experience) is a dealbreaker in the world’s ongoing war for talent.
It follows that the question we need to ask in light of 5IR and age of AI, is how we can use technology to solve challenges in attracting, selecting, and retaining top talent through integrating AI and human-centred engagement.
Here are some practical tips:
- Embrace AI as a Collaborator, not a Replacement
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- AI can help streamline the initial screening process and identify top candidates more efficiently if you are willing to partner with your technology to train a less biased selection. Use it to handle repetitive tasks, allowing you to focus on the human element. Invest in learning useful tools and don’t shy away from technology.
- Personalize the Experience
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- Use AI to gather data about candidates and tailor your interactions accordingly. Build sequence maps that create consistent, engaging communication and enable personalised options at decision points. Avoid clichéd scripts for your messaging. Remember your process leading up to your interview sets the tone for your meeting and communicates your brand, allowing first impression bias to set in before you can engage in person.
- Carefully consider Video Interviews
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- Remember that video interviews do not necessarily showcase the skills your candidate needs to succeed in their role and virtual platforms decrease the human connection, even if you are meeting real-time. Use video interviews selectively and ensure your interviews are human-centred through honing your skills to set candidates at ease and showing genuine curiosity in each person’s career journey, values, and vision for their future.
- Update your Requirements
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- AI is changing the way we work, and the skills required for long-term success. If you are not refreshing your roles to focus primarily on purpose and outcomes; if you are not considering skills like prompt engineering, critical thinking, agility, curiosity, and resilience as you recruit for every role; and if you are not concerned about shared values in the people you hire, you are not recruiting for the future. Roles will continue to change, roles will be replaced, and as we move towards inevitable trans humanisation, we need different skills and attributes to thrive. Ethics will be a primary factor determining AI usage, demanding that companies carefully consider this aspect as part of their hiring process.
- Develop Soft Skills
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- Train your interviewers to excel in emotional intelligence, empathy, and active listening. These skills enable hiring managers and recruiters to minimise bias and make accurate assessments through targeted probing, while creating a magnetic and memorable CX. ‘Soft skills’ will only intensify in value in our increasingly digital world, as potential employers and employees seek to create in person engagements where AI prompts cannot screen what is real.
- Provide Timely Feedback
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- The most consistent outcry about negative CX in recruitment centres on the lack of feedback. AI tools easily enable timely feedback throughout the hiring process. Candidates appreciate knowing where they stand, and they will be your biggest brand ambassador if you communicate your feedback in a timely fashion, whether they are successful or not. Invest in personalising messages that reflect your culture and give people hope in their career journey, adding a human touch to your process.
- Continuously Improve
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- Use technology to collect quantitative and qualitative feedback from candidates about their interview experience and use it to enhance your processes. This will enable you to adapt to the speed of change amplified by AI and stay attuned to candidates' evolving expectations, ensuring your brand remains ahead of the rest.
We can never afford to compromise on how we make people feel if we want to remain human and see organisations thrive in the future of work.
In the words of my favourite quote by Maya Angelou,
“ People will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how you made them feel”
By Jane Moors – Talent Expert / Career Coach
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