Technology is transforming talent acquisition rapidly. Some technology applications are gimmicks and some provide a real benefit and a return on investment. While a remote interview delivered via the internet does provide some convenience and cost savings, it’s really no different in substance than a live interview. In fact, there are potential downsides of the remote interview as well. For example, if a third party is conducting the interview, the quality of the interview will not be as good as using your own internal managers/recruiters that are best familiar with your company, its culture and its value proposition. But you still need to ask: Where is that initial interview in your overall process?

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) were built to manage the job posting but are now expanding to deliver assessment questions, publish job descriptions and much more. As a result, many companies are ending up with an online application process that is cluttered, and requires too much information from the job seeker. In turn, many quality candidates drop out of the process because it’s requiring the job seeker to sift through too much information and provide too much detail in order to show interest in the job.

Technology is needed to transform the talent acquisition process versus simply improving an existing process. It can replace the first interview, saving companies significant resources and provide so many additional benefits than the traditional interview and/or “fill out this application.” Technology is necessary to change the way information is delivered and the quality of information provided. When evaluating the quality of your talent acquisition process use the following chart to see if your solution will meet your future needs.

Criteria

Does you solution provide?

Appeal to “new generation” of applicants

Does your system use the latest technology, video, and is
it interactive based on candidate needs

Employer Branding

Highly individualized and personalized.  Differential
messaging customizing the experience to each applicants’ needs

Quality of information collected

Is information collected highly relevant, consistent,
objectively evaluated, and used real time to guide next questions, responses
and steps in the process

Convenience / Time to complete first interview

24 x 7 On demand interviewing.  Candidates proceed to
next step automatically when they qualify

Cost / Savings

Use technology when possible to replace someone’s time.
Save significant money from interviewing and hiring only candidates that are
“best fits” for your company

Treatment of High Potentials

Identify them during the process, communicate to them
differently, and provide different next steps for them

Quality of Candidate

Become the employer of choice for those candidates you
choose

Feedback to Candidates

Immediate for all candidates.  Feedback for
unqualified candidates is positive.  Treats all candidates as customers

An automated online interview with differential questioning is one solution that meets the above criteria. An automated interview is a way to:
• Transform the hiring process to be engaging to applicants
• Communicate your employer brand and employee value proposition early in the recruiting process
• Perform a quality interview with pre-qualified and knowledgeable candidates because your recruiters are interviewing only candidates that meet your company’s criteria.

Click here to learn more about an automated online interview and to see an example.

Related Resource: The Ultimate Guide to Pre-employment Screening

Related Blog Post: Fix Your Job Application Process to Fill Your Open Positions