We rely on technology to make everything in our lives more efficient. Need food? Get it now. Need a date? Swipe right. Need a job? There’s an app for that too!
In making things more efficient, however, we’ve lost that which connects us to each other – especially when it comes to the job search and hiring process. With companies like Google getting upwards of 50,000 applications per week from all over the world, we’ve started to rely on automated hiring systems to keep up. But these automated hiring systems only work with a finite number of keywords. If candidates don’t describe their professional experience with the exact words needed, the system might not recognize their value, and you might lose out on a viable candidate.
Online recruitment tools make it easier for people to apply to jobs, but they do not make it easier to discern who actually has the human qualities necessary to thrive in a work environment. In fact, the impersonal nature of online recruitment systems can deter quality candidates who succeed in nurturing environments, seek long-term growth, and add to dynamic cultures. A human touch is needed to find candidates like these, and to bring them to the front of the queue.
So how can you sort through hundreds or thousands of resumes? Keep your hiring human.
Minimize reliance on job posting sites.
82% of potential hires say their ideal interaction with a company is primarily human-to-human, with tech operating behind-the-scenes.
Practice responding one-to-one versus one-to-many.
With over 63% of open roles being newly created roles, hiring managers need to find nuanced ways of communicating what they need so avoid templated emails or auto-replies. Use the phone. Talk it out.
Use your network.
As the saying goes, it’s about “who you know.” Employee referrals make up the top source of new hires, but are often not thought of as the first line of recruitment. Pay attention to the humans you already love to work with to find more like them.
If you find that you need hiring help now, expand your network to include staffing agencies like Creative Circle. To meet the most talented humans, you need a network of them and with an already established network of creatives, automated hiring robots need not apply.
Ryan is a Creative Circle candidate and freelance Content Director who enjoys reading menus. He got his start at BuzzFeed NY, and since has led content initiatives for startups, TV shows, and crowdfunding platforms. He’s now based in LA—but not in a suspicious way. If you want to work with Ryan, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.
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