In the 2017/18 early talent season, more than half of the UK’s top employers reported seeing an increase in the number of graduate applications compared to the year before. It’s just one of the pressures on the recruitment and selection process.
As numbers increase, technology advances and candidates have more choices open to them, organisations face the conundrum of balancing out the needs of the business as well as potential employees.
1. The business needs to automate the selection process but candidates want personalisation
Automating doesn’t need to take away a candidate’s control. Allowing them to guide themselves through the process at their own pace, making their own decisions over the questions and scenario to complete next empowers them. They feel ‘in control’ and stress levels are reduced.
2. The business needs the highest quality results from the assessment process to deliver the very best candidates as recruits
Assessment should be time considerate. A robust assessment can test several values, behaviours and strengths at the same time, meaning it does not require too much time from candidates to complete.
3. Candidates want to feel like they belong, whereas the business wants diversity amongst its workforce
The assessment should focus on being fair, robust and accessible to all candidates. The design should be customised to be cognisant of diverse applicant pools – for instance, the use of gender and ethnicity neutral scenario. It should also support accurate completion with user-friendly technology and language. For instance, personal phone calls for candidates who are visually impaired.
4. Candidates know little or nothing about the organisations and roles they are applying for, but businesses want to see high levels of motivation
Immersing candidates in the assessment process leads to good motivation and completion rates. Using a multi-media approach which asks questions and presents information with the use of video, images and text, the process can be differentiated, engaging and also informs candidates about the role and organisation.
5. The business will have to reject candidates. But these candidates might be customers now, or in the future
It’s important that candidates feel they have had something from the selection process even if they have not been offered a position or placement. By offering every candidate a personalised, career-based feedback report, organisations are giving them insight on their performance which they can take away as a learning.
Carmel Blair, Strategic Account Manager, Capp
Comments
Post a Comment