The Importance of Maintaining the Personal Touch While Using Technology in Recruiting

The manual process of recruiting practiced 20 years ago has largely been replaced with a much more impersonal one. It used to be, employers would advertise in classifieds or display ads in local print newspapers or trade publications, attend career fairs, and work their personal networks in search of that next employee.

Somewhere about the time of Monster.com, this personal touch began eroding. A recent article by recruiting advise site SHRM.com highlighted the need to maintain a personal approach while still using technology in modern-day recruiting.

Technology in recruiting is good, but there ARE limitations

While connecting with candidates using such technologies as LinkedIn and other social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram enables a company to reach a global market easily, it doesn’t mean the best candidate isn’t being overlooked. Their resume may not have made the cut to even be reviewed by human eyes because it did not contain the right keywords. The reality is, any HR department needs to be judicious in mixing both technology and human interaction in the search for candidates.

The millennial generation does use their devices to interact with companies when seeking employment. But, the very broad online presence of posted job openings means companies are faced with an exponentially-expanded number of applicants for any position.

Keep recruitment personal

Even with advances in technologies associated with the process, recruiting should maintain the personal touch. For many companies, localized approaches to recruitment can yield better results. Networking personally with high school and college counsellors and local Department of Labor offices will often result in a better applicant pool. Recruiting needs to be a balanced combination of new technology and traditional, more personal, channels. Maintaining a relationship with schools, networking groups and professional associations are still important. Participating in career fairs is also a great source of candidates the company might otherwise miss.

At Key Corporate Services, we tailor the executive search and recruitment process to the specific needs of our clients – qualifying the characteristics of each position to be filled. And we invest a great deal of personal time with each potential candidate, qualifying them before recommending them as an interview candidate to our client.