Lack of emotion in hiring may be damaging

Companies and recruiters are risking their employer brand by becoming less emotional in their recruitment processes due to the ease of digital communication.

According to research by global talent acquisition and management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions, many organisations are failing to utilise digital platforms to truly engage with candidates, instead opting to take the approach of contacting the many in the hope of finding the few.

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 explained: “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.”