Just saying that talent acquisition is impacted by technology would be an understatement. Over the years, technology has actually reshaped how recruitment is done, making it less time consuming and far more effective. The impact of technology on talent acquisition is not limited to easy job advertising anymore and it plays a vital role across all stages of recruitment.
Social recruitment has been one of the top trends in talent acquisition for a while now. Apart from making job advertising easier, it has also given recruiters access to additional candidate information that goes beyond the resume. They can delve deeper into a candidate’s thought process by analyzing what social forums they participate in, how well they express themselves through blogs and other interests that might be indicative of their behavioral traits and their potential performance at work. This is the future of talent acquisition that can vastly improve the ‘Quality of Hire’.
The widespread use of mobile phones also has a positive impact on both the outreach and the ease of communication for both recruiters and candidates. Most organizations now have mobile friendly websites and job application pages which makes it convenient for the candidates to complete their application. Recruiters have also managed to cut down on interview time substantially through interviews over video chats and using recorded video snippets which helps them assess the candidates’ body language and voice tone without spending too much time.
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Disruptive technology in talent acquisition like big data and artificial intelligence helps recruiters in predicting when a passive candidate might be more open to switching jobs. It also helps in providing an accurate view of top applicants, simplify and summarize the candidate information found on multiple social- media platforms and assist in sorting and picking the right profiles. AI in talent acquisition also ensures that data is gathered at each step of the process and then analyzed before making an informed and bias- free decision in the end.
AI in talent acquisition can also be used to eliminate a common issue of delayed feedback or no feedback from recruiters that has the potential of disengaging the candidate. It helps in maintaining a consistent, timely and updated feedback communication which helps in creating a positive interview experience for both the candidates and the recruiters.
Talent acquisition technology also includes simulation- based assessments by throwing real business challenges on candidates to assess their problem- solving skills, their thinking process and the ability to handle pressure. Another innovation in talent acquisition is the gamification of assessments that helps in keeping the candidates engaged and gives them an insight into the way the organization works.
Talent acquisition gets impacted by tech to a large extent now and provides an opportunity for recruiters to focus on the strategic needs of the business moving away from the day to day demands of sourcing and selecting. The impact of technology on talent acquisition is not limited to automating tasks but also in deriving insights that can be used to elevate the relation between the candidates and the organization to create better engagement.
Effective use of technology can be the future of talent acquisition if the recruiters can work with it optimally. Purposeful data gathering at every stage of recruitment can ensure benefits even beyond onboarding. For instance, data collected during the assessments can be used to create informed development plans for the new employees from day one and thus make their work impact quicker. Also, exceptional candidate experience throughout the recruitment process ensures an engaged talent network that can have a positive impact on retention. Talent acquisition gets impacted by tech in more than one way and enables recruiters to use data rather than instinct for a more effective hiring approach with long term benefits.
References:
- What is the impact of technology on talent acquisition? – Rohit Chandiramani, 11 September, 2019
- 6 Key Impact of New Age Technology on Talent Acquisition- Kenneth W Wheeler
- A Talent for Tech: How Technology is Changing Recruitment
