Using technology to humanise the recruitment process

There is an increasing debate around if we are humanising or dehumanising the recruitment process by using technology. Almost everyone can admit that technology improves efficiency. However, some people also think that as a result of its implementation, we are dehumanising the process and more likely to miss some aspects of candidates’ personalities that could potentially lead to better talent acquisition results.

Relying solely on technology to pick out specific data points would run the risk of the exclusion of certain people who may not have presented the information in a specific way (James Webb, Propel London).

As in most cases, leaning to one extreme usually doesn’t provide great results. I believe it needs to be a balanced combination to be able to achieve what you really want: a process which is efficient but that doesn’t lose the human touch.

A piece of technology that humanises your recruitment process

From the large variety of technology solutions for recruitment, there is one that definitely helps with both efficiency and humanising the process: video interviewing.

Some people still think that video interviews are actually dehumanising the process. That only depends on one thing: how you use it.

Compare it to CV screening: do you think it is fair to screen candidates by just glancing at their CV? What if you also spent some additional seconds watching a video pitch from them? Would you have better information to make a decision on who makes it to the next stage? Would that be more human?

Compare it to a phone interview: you can get great information from a candidate in a 15 minute phone conversation. Wouldn’t you get even better information in 4-5 minutes of video with the candidate answering your questions? Would it be more human to base your decision just in the tone of the conversation and the information you get from it? Or even more so with having the above mentioned and additionally assessing their demeanor, communication and interpersonal skills?

Don’t compare it to a face to face interview: a common misunderstanding when talking about video interviews is that some people think that is it meant to be a replacement of the personal interview. That’s wrong. What do you think is better, more fair or human: inviting candidates to a face to face interview and in the first 3 minutes of conversation thinking “this one is not a fit”, or only inviting the ones that you and your team have already seen in a video interview and all of you think could fit into your organization?

Candidates put lots of time and effort in preparing for an interview. It is neither good for you nor them when you are not able to get all the information you need to make a good decision in inviting them to an interview. You are wasting your time and theirs.

Video interviews used in advance can help you and your team to make better decisions, improving your efficiency and of course, making the process more human.

What do you think? It is you recruitment process human enough?