Human Element Still Critical When Hiring Despite Technological Enhancements

Despite ongoing technological enhancements in the talent acquisition industry, both recruiters and candidates agree that an informed, responsive recruiter is critical to creating a positive candidate experience and to finding the best person for the job. These are the latest insights from global survey results of hiring experience — one of candidates and one of talent acquisition professionals, conducted by Korn Ferry.

The surveys found that 90 percent of candidates and 80 percent of recruiters say it is either very important or extremely important that the candidate likes the recruiter with whom they are working with.

“There is no doubt that the way we interview candidates is evolving. Technology allows us to accelerate the screening process via video/phone calls, virtual meetings, mobile apps and online assessments. It can be easily used to help us expand our talent pool globally to reach the most suitable candidate for a job. However, the most important stage in recruitment is still the high-quality candidate assessment carried out personally by our recruiters,” says Kathy Pang, Head of Search, Professional Search, at Korn Ferry Hong Kong. 

The positive interaction with a recruiter and/or hiring manager can make or break a candidate’s experience. When considering what is the top way a recruiter can gain credibility with a candidate, both surveys cite being knowledgeable about the specific job, organization and industry.

“Although technology has enabled the talent acquisition process to become more effective and efficient, human interactions are still needed in the process,” says Pang. “At Korn Ferry, we provide client candidate assessment reports and have also equipped candidates with information on jobs/roles, hiring companies, company culture and the recruitment process.” This candidate-oriented approach helps to ensure the likelihood of the candidate’s success in a specific role and pinpoints areas for further development and improvement.

More than half (53 percent) of the surveyed candidates say that the top way that communications break down is when a recruiter 'ghosts' them by not calling them back or letting them know where they stand in the hiring process.

“The best philosophy is to treat candidates like customers of the company for which they are applying. We want every part of the recruiting process to run smoothly, and a big part of that is being responsive and treating each candidate with respect,” said Jeanne MacDonald, global co-operating executive and president of global talent solutions for Korn Ferry’s RPO and Professional Search business. 

When asked for the top reasons as to why candidates are looking for a new job, recruiters cite a better title/more responsibility as the top reason (20 percent), followed by salary (19 percent) and they are bored/need a new challenge at 16 percent.

When a candidate is trying to decide between two offers, they say the best thing a recruiter can do is to discuss with them why the recruiter’s offer aligns better with their career aspirations (44 percent). Only 5 percent say offering a more competitive salary would be the top reason causing them to accept one offer over another.

When it comes to convincing a candidate to choose their job offer, only half (50 percent) of the candidates interviewed say the recruiter can convince them to take the job if they are unsure of the position. When asked the same question, recruiters were much more confident, with 83 percent saying they can convince an uncertain candidate to take the job.

Korn Ferry

Tag: human elements hiring experience technological enhancements Talent Acquisition responsive recruiter candidate experience online assessments