The time it takes to fill open positions in the United States is increasing. Employers are taking 44 days on average to make a hire according to advisory firm, The Josh Bersin Company. This as Gen Z will account for 27% of the workforce by 2025 according to CNBC. A generation that expects to be able to apply for a job on any device with quicker responses from talent acquisition teams. So how can AI streamline and simplify the application process, optimize efficiency for recruiters and get applicants to their first day of work fast? Here’s what we learned at our recent GDS Group HR Digital Summit.
In brief:
- AI helps talent acquisition and hiring managers find candidates quicker and more efficiently
- Members of Gen Z are digital natives. They prefer SMS messaging over a phone call during the application process
- Automation of manual tasks can save hiring teams hundreds of hours allowing focus on other priorities
Hiring Fast
Hiring teams want to hire as fast as possible because vacant positions cost money and delay operations. Yet, according to our keynote speaker, Kelsey Lisi, Pipeline Operations Manager at Fountain, a company that enables businesses to hire the right workers at scale through smart, fast and seamless software, “while your HR team is doing the best they can to work through those very time-consuming tasks, your applicant is caught in limbo. They’re asking, is this working out for me or should I look elsewhere?” The lengthy application process can lead to a possible missed opportunity to hire the right person with the right skills.
What Gen Z Wants
Members of Gen Z, people born from 1995-2010 are digital natives. They grew up with a cell phone in their hand. They prefer SMS messaging over a phone call and embrace technology in their everyday life. According to Lisi, when they apply for a job, they don’t want to wait long to hear back from you. “They enjoy that instant response and do appreciate human interaction but at the appropriate time, when they submit a job application they want to know where they stand in the process immediately.”
Automation
Using technology at the right points in the application process can alleviate workload on your teams and remove bottlenecks from spots where applicants get stuck. An SMS message can be sent on your behalf from the moment they apply to scheduling interviews. These automated texts can leave a good impression on the applicant and allow your teams to focus other priorities like personalizing the onboarding experience or corporate culture. When we asked HR executives at our most recent HR Digital Summit what their most pressing concern is for the next 6 months, culture topped the list.
What’s your most pressing concern for the next 6 months?
Using Technology to Make it More Human
So, how can implementing technology make us more human? As Lisi put it:
“As we think about this experience of the human connection, keeping that human connection is one of the biggest concerns I hear when speaking with HR teams. They recognize that this application is the first impression of the company, and they want to make it a good experience. So, while they may want to reach out personally at every single step, we know that increased applicant volume and competing pressures for HR teams’ attention can limit their ability to do that quickly. And so, we know that delays in the hiring process are leaving a candidate feeling unwanted or ignored, so we really need that balance between initial human interaction and then that fast response time.”
By adding automation to some of the most monotonous steps in the process like application review or interview scheduling, you are freeing up time for more meaningful and impactful connections. It’s revolutionizing the hiring process. So, where do you start?
GDS Summits are tailored 3-day virtual event conferences that bring together business leaders and solution providers to accelerate sales cycles, industry conversations and outcomes. Regarding the HR Digital Summit 88% of Delegates said the overall experience of the Digital Summit they attended was either Above Average or Excellent and 100% of Delegates said the Digital Summit provided them with actionable outcomes to support their current initiatives. For more, click here to hear from attendees on how GDS has helped them to achieve their business outcomes.
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