Recruitment Advice: The future of hiring

The landscape of recruitment has changed drastically over the last 5-10 years, and new technologies are released by the month that can support the recruitment process. But how do you identify the right approach to improve your business’ efficiency while ensuring recruitment is inclusive, diverse and effective? In our new recruitment advice series, you can get the answers direct from the MDS experts with over 37 years of experience in industry recruitment and trusted by 60+ agri-food, horticultural and supply chain businesses.

This month, Michelle offered her insights into the future of recruitment and how businesses can find the right balance between automation and authenticity.

There are so many automation systems that employers can utilise, but it is important to remember when engaging with the future workforce (gen-z) that they look for authenticity and a human touch.

ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) and AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Many employers use ATS to analyse keywords in applications and CVs to automatically score candidates and take out the hundreds of hours spent sifting through applications. AI takes this even further and can examine video CVs/applications/interviews (which many employers are using more and more frequently) to analyse body language, facial expressions and language to rank candidates.

Pros:

• Maximises efficiency
• Many of these technologies were created to remove unconscious bias – lots of companies have benefited from these systems in terms of creating a more diverse environment
• Can work well in the early recruitment stage

Cons:

• It can feel dehumanising for applicants, particularly for that gen-z demographic who favour a personalised and authentic candidate experience – MDS prefer a more personalised recruitment process to identify candidates with the potential to lead
• Bias can still come into play from the algorithms that dictate this technology and it can be riskier to find the right candidate when just analysing keywords

Tools to support diversity and inclusion

Diversity and inclusion should not only be embedded into the values and culture of your organisation; it needs to be at the forefront of your recruitment strategy. According to Glassdoor, over 67% of candidates consider diversity when seeking employment. As a result, employers are moving away from various forms of psychometric testing as it has been found to negatively impact lower socioeconomic groups. There could also be legal implications for your business after a 2017 employment tribunal, where a job applicant with Asperger’s Syndrome won an appeal against her employer after establishing their psychometric testing as discriminatory (The Government Legal Service v Brookes).

Many employers don’t consider that embedding inclusion starts as early as the job advert. Creating an inclusive and engaging advert can be challenging, but there are some great tools out there that can support you with this. One example is Textio, which can identify biased language to create a more refined message.

Pros:

• Identifies bias, business jargon and harmful phrases that could put candidates off
• Suggests new language that appeals to inclusion-minded people and tunes it to whichever market you are trying to hire from
• Scores advert for effectiveness and compares your posting to industry competitors

Cons:

• Expensive
• There is a potential risk of organisations becoming too reliant on these tools instead of taking time to learn how they can engage with a more diverse range of candidates. Diversity and inclusion does not stop here; businesses need to have it embedded into their organisation.

Onboarding Automation

Once a candidate has made it through the process, the work doesn’t stop there. Historically, this wouldn’t have been the case; however, competition is greater than ever. Your onboarding experience sets the tone for the employment, and it’s essential to ensure the process is smooth for all parties to ensure nobody slips through the cracks. You can use a range of technology to automate the process to focus more of your time on candidate experience. A piece of tech that the government recently approved for employers is IDVT (identity document validation tech). Where employers previously had to conduct identity checks in person (or via a video call over the pandemic), the law has changed to allow employers to use IDVT through a digital identity service provider to complete the identity verification element of the right-to-work checks virtually. There are a range of providers who all offer competitive pricing. At MDS, the IDVT is utilised alongside services like HelloSign have strengthened the onboarding process for MDS and increased efficiency levels.

Pros:

• Maximises efficiency – leaves your HR team with more time to focus on recruitment, onboarding and employee experience
• Minimises risk of document fraud – endorsed by the government
• The employer doesn’t need to carry out identity checks in person (this is particularly useful if you have remote workers)

Cons

• There could be challenges around integrating new processes and additional costs, however, these tools are still inexpensive and easy to get your head around

My advice

There is no one size fits all solution in the recruitment process. Ultimately in the business of people, every candidate is different. At MDS, we balance out automated processes and technology with the human side of recruitment to maintain our authenticity. While technology can be effective for an employer when used correctly, it’s vital not to lose the human touch.

Want to find out more about how we can support your business’s recruitment needs, please get in touch!