Four key hiring habits for recruiters in the digital age

Co-authored by Dr Alan Bourne, CEO at Sova Assessment, and Kirstin Schulz, Head of Assessment Consulting at Alexander Mann Solutions.

Hiring managers must upgrade their techniques to keep in step with the fast-paced 21st century job market

Cost effectiveness, quality of employees and a candidate’s experience level have always been the key challenges in recruitment. But in the digital age, how should candidate assessments evolve?

Here’s where the specialists step in. With their understanding of what makes a candidate suitable for a job or company – personality traits, abilities and so on – they can improve how assessments are run.

Here are some key new hiring habits for assessing talent in the digital era:

Go mobile

For the past two years, mobile search queries have surpassed those on desktop computers in 10 key countries. Letting candidates complete assessments on mobile devices at their convenience is a key differentiator for today’s progressive recruiters.

Customised assessments

It is crucial for assessments to be 100 per cent relevant to the job or company for which the candidate is applying. Assessments measuring generic skills or attributes aren’t much help to employers, or the candidates who take them.

Immersive brand experience

Candidates often want to know more about brands prior to joining the company. Providing an immersive brand experience in the recruitment and assessment process is not only enjoyable for candidates as they learn more about a company, but also helps companies as they begin imprinting brand values on candidates before they are even hired.

Smart, meaningful feedback

Candidates often don’t hear how they did during assessments, which may have taken them several hours to complete. Or, at best, they get some generic feedback. It is important to develop smart assessments with instant, meaningful feedback.

Companies invest heavily in profiling their candidates. But in many cases, assessments remain a simplistic gating system or, even worse, an excuse for hiring managers or recruiters to reject candidates when companies lack the means to make a more meaningful, holistic assessment.

Along with the need for companies to recruit the right talent, it is essential to start shifting from an organisation-centric to a candidate-centric approach. The candidate-centric approach encompasses branding, communications, messaging and marketing, as it is all about the candidate in the world of sourcing and attraction.