You Get What You Give: Why You Should Give Technology a Chance
There is a difference between having a revolutionary product and actually showing that you can sell it. Let’s take Wendy’s for an example – a typical fast-food chain with quite a typical fast-food menu. What brought them to stardom wasn’t their self-claimed “fresh-not-frozen beef” though, it was their snark and sass-filled personality on Twitter which got into the minds of savvy Millennials and Gen Z-ers right away. The lesson here is quite clear – you could have an amazing invention or even a mediocre product, but no one will even give it a glance unless you perk it up in ways that can catch the customers’ attention. So what does any of this have to do with HR? Your target customers are ultimately the potential candidates you wish to bring on board to your company. So buckle up Becky, it’s time for us to show you how to snazz things up.
Get Social for Business
Wendy’s success in its atypical approach is enough to prove the value in building an online reputation. Brands with strong social media presence are usually recognized as cool and trustworthy, and it takes efforts as simple as uploading a photo online to make people go, “I want to work there.” Keep in mind that the majority of job seekers currently look for emotional connections with an organization before they’re even hired. Given that social media is a free and easily accessible platform, it might be the most cost-effective way to appeal to your talent pool.
A Different Approach for Different People
A few decades ago, most couples would tell us they had met in college, or through their friends or family – pretty much all the “sha la la’s” you see in romance movies. In this new modern era of dating, however, the introduction of smartphones and apps has made “meeting random people online” a widely accepted norm. With skyrocketing rent and other social expectations to worry about, why walk through all the bushes when you can now find your soulmate, or your dream candidate, through a simple swipe to the right?
Reaching out to people directly on their Instagram can seem a bit too much and may come off as kind of creepy. So how do we strike that balance in reaching candidates where they are? Luckily there are specific networks, such as LinkedIn which cater to the professional scene, where sending a “cold” direct message isn’t out of the ordinary. In cases where job seekers, likely introverts, prefer a slower and more controlled pace of meeting, networking apps are an ideal approach that will allow introverted talents and recruiters to connect under a more relaxed environment while remaining nonetheless professional. Here’s another good read on how introverts can be assets in a workplace.
From Pen and Paper to Computer… to Virtual Reality?
Combining science with technology has been one of Prevue’s greatest keys to success since moving from pen and paper to computer testing in 1998. Now that virtual reality has made waves in the entertainment industry, we can’t help but wonder how this will change the way things are done in other sectors – in our case, hiring and onboarding.
One area where things are getting less and less creative as time goes by are job interview questions. Think back recently, how many candidates have you interviewed over the years who did not sound like a pre-rehearsed robot? Incorporating fun and immersive games like virtual reality into pre-employment testing can not only help you see beyond the hard skills on their resume, but also give you an inside look at their learning speeds, problem-solving skills and interests. Many also believe it can help reduce subconscious bias to build a diverse workplace.
Integrating technology into hiring is more than just a gimmick to lure people into applying for the job. Our world is evolving so fast and soon we will reach a point where long-established practices no longer sustain modern expectations. You get what you give, so why not give technology a chance?