High-Tech, High-Touch Approach

Reinventing the hiring process...Utilising data and a feedback loop, technology can sift through candidates and select those that are suited for the company’s culture.

With a widening gap between talent and technology, companies are stumbling over one another to hunt for qualified employees. According to the Insights from the 2018 Global Candidate Preferences Survey (Malaysia) whitepaper by Manpower Group Solutions, companies are hard-pressed to find the right talent and they are faced with a stalling workforce.
 
In order to cope with the shortage of talent, companies have turned to technology.Usage of social media ads, smartphone apps and virtual job fairs have shown positive results, with candidates in Malaysia more likely to click on job-related social media ads. 
 
Globally,organisations are facing unprecedented talent shortages. No more so than in APAC where 56% of employers are reporting difficulty finding the talent they need; the highest levels since 2006. With the advances in technology, more employers are turning to AI to prospect, source and screen candidates. While that makes the process more efficient, the human touch is the differentiator as candidates today have more choices than ever. Companies seeking to engage the right candidates need to combine high-tech with a high-touch approach to win in the war for talent.
 

Tough decisions...The right technology has to be matched with the right candidates that the company is keen to hire.

Role of Technology

Technology has vastly altered the channels for recruitment – the number of paper resumes being processed are declining and Gen Z and Gen Y are opting for social media ads to look for jobs. To cater to that, companies have to provide a range of communication channels that are relevant to the community.
 
The usage of technology by job seekers such as Alexa, Cortana and Siri is rapidly increasing. Manpower Group Solutions recently identified candidates (job-seekers currently in the workforce) known as Early HR Technology Adopters. The criteria includes having searched for jobs using three or more technologies in a duration of six months. The purpose is to determine specific technologies most desired in the marketplace.         
 
Yet,with so many technologies available – from the usage of chatbots, artificial intelligence (AI) to parse resumes and automating job postings – companies aren’t asking the right questions, which, as the white paper lists, includes questions pertaining to the role of human interaction, preferred technologies by jobseekers, and whether investments in technology are truly enhancing the human experience.            
 
When it comes to job search, Malaysians are actively engaging with technology. 43%of the Malaysian candidates are drawn to ads on social media networks – a vast crevasse when compared to Japan, which stands at a surprising 10%. Furthermore,about 21% of Malaysian candidates would opt for virtual job fairs, whereas European candidates take the more traditional approach – by attending physical job fairs instead.

The Human Element

Malaysia has a high density of talents job-seeking via technology. It has become an enabler, allowing for increased mobility and engagement. Comparatively,Malaysia stands at the top three in terms of technology adoption when it comes to job searches, second only to India. With the boom of entrepreneurs and startups in India, it makes sense that India comes off on top of the chart.
 
Yet,with the proliferation of technology in the HR and talent-hunting environment,the human touch or interaction is ever-relevant; the need for a face-to-face contact is still expected and demanded. Take a look at Mexico for example,where the people believe that face-to-face interaction during the job screening process is essential for them to better to market themselves. The dehumanisation of technology is a topic of discourse that should be explored in this changing climate.
 
After the initial engagement, i.e. clicking on social media ads, or text messaging to find out more about the job advertised, a third of the Malaysian candidates still prefer high-touch in-person interviews. This clearly shows that even with the increased uptake of technology, the human element is no competitor, rather,complements technology in a favourable way.
 
No dissonance is seen between the digital natives of the Gen Z and the frontier people of Gen Y, notwithstanding the slight increase in uptake of technological means of job searching by the Gen Z talents.
 

Getting The Blend Right

Considering those facts, recruiters need to look at physical location and the talent pool’s local tech culture in order to determine the best strategy. The white paper states that “those looking to hire IT workers in Mexico, for example, will need to enhance the high-tech element of their approach, while blue collar workers in Czech Republic will need a more high-touch strategy.”
 
While technologies such as Cortana and Siri are able to provide information regarding job listings, they aren’t able to provide the high-touch elements that candidates are seeking.
 
First comes definition of the problem – HR technology is there to serve as a solution to an existing problem and its implementation must be purposeful. In order to quantify a solution, definition of the problem is essential; only then can its efficacy be evaluated.
 
Secondly,HR executives must be wary of bias when it comes to the program’s algorithm.The right technology has to be matched with the candidates that the company is keen to hire. If experienced talents are the objective, then diversifying into other options aside from technology is crucial.
 
Touching on diversification, the third aspect reiterates that no tech is the be-all-end-all to the every problem. Clearly, it varies from market to market and should be researched and refined before implementation. For example,WhatsApp is more commonly used in Malaysia but LINE is preferred in Thailand,and WeChat in China. These days, candidates are afforded various modes of communication.
 
Screening candidates based on qualifications and traits is where AI, machine learning and predictive analytics shine. Utilising data and a feedback loop, technology can sift through candidates and select those that are suited for the company’s culture. Furthermore, data can be mined from social media ad campaigns to improve outreach.
 
To reiterate, the fifth element is about the human touch, which – as a fore mentioned – seals the deal. In an increasingly tech-driven experience,candidates reserve the right to a face-to-face meeting and get human input.Technology, while an enabler, could also dehumanises a candidate; therefore,delivering a personalised message right from the horse’s mouth has no comparison.
 
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Sam Haggag is the Country Manager of Manpower Group – Malaysia & Indonesia. He is Chemical Engineer by training;and has over 20 years’ experience in the HR services industry in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.