BuildtheCandidateExperienceEquationInto

YourTalentAcquisitionProcesses

Published:30March2018ID:G00352840

Analyst(s):JasonCerrato

Whenapplicanttrackingreplacedpaper,systemsweredesignedaroundthe

requisition—company-centered,activity-basedandfocusedonbusiness

outcomes.Today'stalenteconomysystemshavethecandidateatthe

center,andapplicationleaderswillneedtolayersolutionstoadjusttothis

dynamic.

KeyChallenges

.Intightlabormarkets,talentbecomesascarceresource,andtheemphasisshiftsfrom

solutionsbuiltaroundjobrolestotoolsfocusedonthecandidate.

.Thesearchfortalentishighlycompetitive,andmodernjobseekersarewell-researchedand

tech-savvy.Theyseekresponsivenessandtransparency,andexploretheiroptions.Withtools

toreviewtheexperiencesofothersandtoprovidetheirown,theyhavewaysofinstantlyvoicing

theirdispleasurewhenprocessesfailtomeettheirexpectations.

.Asorganizationschangetheirculturesandmodernizetheirworkplaces,thetalentacquisition

processoftenbecomestheorganization'sfrontdoor.Whenselectingtoolsandbuilding

processes,applicationleadersneedtoreflecttheculturetheywant,becausecandidateswillbe

viewingtalentacquisitiontechnologythroughanorganizationallens.

Recommendations

Applicationleadersresponsiblefortransforminghumancapitalmanagementsystemsshould:

.Viewtheend-to-endrecruitingprocessasanoverallexperience.Audittheworkstream,and

mapoutthebusinessprocessesandtechnologyworkflowtoidentifypositivesandnegatives.

.Shifttoacandidate-centereddesignapproachwhenselectingandlayeringsystemswiththeir

recruitingprocesses.

.Harmonizeprocessesanddevelopsystem-to-systemorganizationalreadiness.Buildadata

collection/surveytoolintotheprocesstogetreal-timefeedbackintimetomakeadjustmentsor

todirectthenextphaseofprojects.

.Incorporatenewtechnologiesintowhattheteamdoestodaytocomplementprocesses.Newcapabilitiesandaddedfunctionalityshouldfreeupteamstofocusontherighttalent,atthe

righttime.Thesenewtechnologieshavebeendesignedtoovercomeperceivedprocess"deadends,"so,asyoubuild,ensurethatyou'renotcreatingnewones.

TableofContents

Introduction 2

Analysis 5

ViewtheOverallRecruitingProcessasanEnd-to-EndExperience 5

ShiftRecruitingProcessestoaCandidate-CenteredDesign 7

TheCandidateExperienceEquation 7

ExperienceandEngagement 10

ScreeningandAssessment 10

ResponsivenessandCoordination 11

FreeYourTeamtoFocusontheRightTalentintheRightPlaceattheRightTime 12

EnsureCandidateContinuityThroughouttheTalentAcquisitionProcess 13

GartnerRecommendedReading 13

ListofFigures

Figure1.TheTalentAcquisitionLandscape 4

Figure2.CreatingaCandidate-CenteredProcess 5

Figure3.CandidateExperienceIsanIntersectionofThreeDisciplines 8

Figure4.TheCandidateExperienceEquation 9

Introduction

Ashifthasalreadyhappened,andifyou'reunawareofit,you'realreadylosingtalent.

TheTalent

Board

publishesanannualbenchmarksurveyandissuescandidateexperienceawardstobest-practiceemployersthathighlightthisparadigmshift.Candidateshaveanewinfluenceover

employersthroughtheirabilitytosharetheirfrustrationordelightoveranemployer'shiring

practicesandprocesses.Atthesametime,businessleadershaveidentifiedacquiringtalentasa

keyorganizationalpriority.Hiringhasbecomeacomponentofbusinesssuccess,andwe'veevolvedintoatalent-driveneconomy.

Toaddresstheneedfortalent,organizations'traditionalapplicanttrackingsystemshaveexpandedwithcandidate-facingfrontendsthathavebecomerelationalplatformswiththecandidateatthe

center.Nolongerbasedsolelyontracking,socialmarketingplatformsextendtowardthepublicina

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layeredstackthatactsasthefrontdooroftheorganization.Withhighlevelsofvisibility,pressure

andvolume,thesesystemsrequireanincreasinglyspecializedcombinationoflayeredfunctionsandfeatures.Withintegrationsandcandidateexperienceontheline,applicationleadersneedto

understandhowtobuildthenewtalentacquisitiontechnologystack,andnotblowit.

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Figure1.TheTalentAcquisitionLandscape

Source:Gartner(March2018)

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Analysis

ViewtheOverallRecruitingProcessasanEnd-to-EndExperience

For20years,talentacquisitionsystemshavebeenbuiltprimarilywithrequisitionsasthe

centerpieceforeverythingelsethatfollowed.Howdoesthemanagerrelatetotherequisition?Howdoesthecandidateslaterelatetotherequisition?Howdoweinterviewforthisrequisition?As

vendorslooktohelpcompaniesmaximizetheirtalentpoolsandimprovecandidateexperiences,

newsolutionshaveadifferentdesignphilosophy,whichistousetoolstoidentifythebesttalentandmakethetalentthepriority.

Figure2.CreatingaCandidate-CenteredProcess

Source:Gartner(March2018)

Businessdemandsareputtingpressureontherecruitingfunction.Technologiescontinuetodevelopthatsupporttechnologystackautomationandoutboundactivitywithinapplicanttrackingsystems,candidaterelationshipmanagementsystemsandtalentrelationshipmanagementsystems.Artificialintelligence(AI),predictivescreeningandassessments,andautomationandproductivitysoftware

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aregrowinginimportance.Thecompetitivetalentmarketrequirestoolsthatofferspeedandagility,aswellascareandpersonalization.Multidimensionalsystemsneedtobeabletohandlehigh-

volumetransactionalstaffing,aswellasnichesearchesandwithhighlevelsofcandidatecare.Theprocesshasmovedbeyondelectronicrecordkeepingtosomethingthatlooksmorelikeasocial

marketing/e-commercemashup.

Thetalentacquisitiontechnologystackisexpandingandhasanopportunitytobecomemore

complicated.However,theuseofmultiplesystemsneedstoappearasseamlessaspossibleto

participants,andthedatapassingthroughneedstoremainascleanandtransferableaspossible.

Withdownstreaminvestmentsinanalyticsandthepromiseof"bigdata,"mostofthatorganizationaldataoriginatesfromthehiringprocess.Theinfrastructureshouldgatheritcollectivelyinathoughtfulmanner(see"TechnologyInsightforTalentAcquisitionApplications").

Intoday'sconnectedworld,userexperiencessuchascustomization,personalizationandassistedjourneyshavecometothedigitizedtalentprocess.Inatalenteconomy,wherehiringequals

businesssuccess,thetoolshaveexpandedtoaddlayersoffunctionalitythataremorerelationalandexperientialthansimplyprocedural.

Modernjobseekersaretech-savvy,researchingcompaniesacrossmultiplesources,suchasjobboards,employerreviewsites,Twitterandsocialchannels,andcareersites.Theyuseavarietyoftoolsandtendtoviewtheprocessend-to-endasanoverallexperiencethatrepresentsthe

companyandculturetheyarehopingtojoin.

Staffingisatransactionalprocess.Youhaveavailablestafforcandidates;youalignthemwithjobopenings.However,recruitingis,bydefinition,adifferentfunctionaltogether.Youneedtorecruitwhenstaffisn'treadilyavailableoreasilyidentified.Recruitingrequiresavarietyofprocessesandskills—researching,identifying,attracting,engaging,nurturing,influencing,motivating,retainingandconverting.Thesefunctionsrequireadifferentsetoftoolsthantrackingandprocessing.

Recommendations:

.Inventoryyourexistingtalentacquisitiontechnologycapabilities,andcomparethemwiththe

capabilitiesinFigure1.Somefunctionalitymayexistacrossyourcurrentprovidersthrough

productmodernization.Youalsomayseethattherearenewlevelsofexpandingcoverageinthesolutionmarketplaceinwhichyouhavegaps.

.Itemizetheactivitiesandfunctionscarriedoutbythesolutionstodeterminewhichare

transactionalandwhicharerelational.Determinewhetheryouhaveanytoolsthatmovebeyondtrackingtobuildrelationshipsandoutreach?Determinewhereyoucanapplyautomationand

whereyoucanfocusyourassociates.

.Reviewhowyourtechnologyandyourrecruitingteamaligntodeterminewhetheryou're

maximizingvisibilitytotalent.Takeadesignthinkingapproachtodeterminewhetheryourfocusisbuiltaroundtherequisition,orthecandidates—andwhichyourstructureandprocessmorecloselyfollows.

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ShiftRecruitingProcessestoaCandidate-CenteredDesign

Withtightlabormarketsforskillsetsfromsoftwareengineerstowelders,andfromhealthcare

providerstocommercialtruckdrivers,talentisthescarceresource.Employersarelookingfor

solutionsandarepartneringwithoutsourcingfirmsorbuildingin-house"agency-style"teams,andthevendormarkethasshiftedfromsolutionsbuiltaroundjobstotoolsfocusedonthecandidate.Asapplicationleaders,yourapproachtoselecting,integratingandcombiningsystemswithyour

recruitingandonboardingprocessesneedstoshifttoacandidate-centereddesignapproachaswell.

TheCandidateExperienceEquation

Therehavebeenmanynewentrantstothetalentacquisitionvendormarketplace,andmanyoftheexistingplayersarerollingoutinnovativeofferingsandexpandingtheirreach.Modernrecruiting

requirestheintersectionofemployerbranding,humancapitalmanagement(HCM)softwareandoperationalworkflow—toputitmoresimply,art,technologyandbusiness(seeFigure3).

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Figure3.CandidateExperienceIsanIntersectionofThreeDisciplines

Source:Gartner(March2018)

Thisgrowingmarketfortechnologyproviderssupportstherecruitingprocessinaddressingcandidateexperiencesinthreemainways(seeFigure4):

.Experienceandengagement

.Screeningandassessment

.Responsivenessandcoordination

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Figure4.TheCandidateExperienceEquation

Source:Gartner(March2018)

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ExperienceandEngagement

Candidateexperiencehasbecomeakeytalentmetricandanindustrybenchmark.Similarto

competingbusinessesthatbuildstorefrontsacrossthestreetfromeachother,today'sjob

applicantshaveoptionsiftheydon'thaveapositive"jobshopping"experience.That'swhytoday'ssystemsarebuildingontheevolutionoftalentacquisitiontechnologythathasalreadytakenplace:marketingfunctionality,e-commercefunctionality,advancingtopersonalization,customization,andresponsivenessanduserexperience.ThinkofbringingtheNetflixandAmazonuserexperiencetothehiringprocess,andyouwillunderstandthedigitalizationwaveoftalentacquisition.

Themodernjobseekeristech-savvy,usesmultiplesourcesandtoolsintheprocess,andviewsthe

processend-to-endasanoverallexperiencerepresentativeofthecompanyandculture.As

recruitingplatformshavealsobecomemultimarketingplatforms,thebrandingcontenttheycarryisfilledwiththeemployervalueproposition,aswellastheindividualjobdetailthecandidateis

reviewing.Tothatend,anorganization'stalentacquisitiontechnologystack,recruitingprocessesandemployermessageneedtoalignasone.Theyneedmakeacohesive,congruentandinfluentialstatementtothecandidate,whilebeingabletoflexandcustomizetoavarietyofaudiences,basedonjob,geography,level,etc.

OnlinesitessuchasGlassdoorandVaulthavebeenaroundforsometimetohelpjobseekers

researchcompanies.Researchhasdeterminedthatmorethan50%ofapplicantswillhave

interactedwithyourcompanyinthepastbeforeapplyingascustomers,competitorsorpreviousapplicants.Jobseekerscanreview15ormorereferenceorjobsitesintheirjobsearches,soit'simportantforemployerstomanagetheirreputationthroughoutthehiringprocess.TheTalent

Board'scandidateexperienceresearchhasdeterminedthat64%ofcandidateswhoratetheir

applicationexperiencepositivelywilldefinitelyincreasetheirrelationshipswiththeiremployer,and82%willbeextremelylikelytoreferacolleague.

Conversely,applicantswhohavenegativeexperiencesarelesslikelytorefercolleaguesandwill

placenegativeperceptionsonemployersbasedoninteractionsduringthehiringprocess.More

importantlyforapplicationleaders,thesecandidateperceptionsandassessmentsarenotbeing

basedsolelyontheprocessorinteractions.Today,thetech-savvyjobseekerismakingjudgmentsbasedonuserexperience,toolselection,interfaceandworkflow.Theyarealsomakingjudgmentsontheuserexperienceasareflectionofcompanyculture,innovationandworkstyle.

Becausemanyorganizationshavetakenonculturalchangeinitiativesinrecentyears,applicationleadersneedtoconsiderwhetherthefirstfewprocesseswithwhichprospectiveemployeeswillbecomingintocontactreflectwhattheorganizationisproposingtobe.

ScreeningandAssessment

TheincorporationofAIandmachinelearningintosourcingandscreeningprograms,aswellas

videointerviewingplatforms,gamifiedonboardingplatformsandneuroscience-basedassessments,offersnewwaystoscreenandassess.Technologiesbuiltonmodernexperiencesuseadvanced

technologytoaidorganizationsinhandlingvolume,overcomingbiasandstandardizingprocessesacrosstheenterprise.Themarketforsolutionshasadvancedfromknock-outquestionsandbasic

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skillstestingtopredictiveanalyticsandgamesthatgetatsuccessquotientsfortraitsthatareoftenhardtouncoverintraditionalinterviews.

Thesetoolsareoftenspecializedinstrumentsthatneedtobeintegratedoraccountedforinsome

way.Theyaddanotherlayertoyourprocessfromanexperiencelayer,aprocessstepandadata

layer.Withmanynewentrantsinthemarket,andexistingvendorsmodernizingtheirofferings,AIwillcontinuetooffersolutionsthatbringthesetoolsdeeperintotherecruitingfunnel.Thiswillmake

themmoreapplicabletobroadertalentcategoriesthanyoumaybeusingthemfortoday.

ResponsivenessandCoordination

Automationandproductivitytoolshavebeenbenefitingorganizationsforsometime.Theyarebeing

eagerlyadopted,andashiftmustnowbetakentoaccountforthepersonalizationand

customizationfeaturesbenefitingcandidates.Inthedigitalmarketplace,onlineretailersknowyourshoppinghabitsandcanrecommendproductstoyoubasedonmonitoringhowyouinteractwiththeirplatformandusingyourdatacomparativelywithothershoppersintheirecosystems.For

example,travelwebsitescanrecommendadestination,whilegrocerystoresmaypresentvisitorswithacouponastheybrowse.Inthesamemanner,talentplatformscansourceyouintoapotentialcandidatepool,presentemployercontent,recommendjobsorchangehowyouinteractwiththe

employer'scareersite.Eachinteractionispersonalized,andisbasedondatacollectedfrompreviousvisits.

Forthecompany,inadditiontoimprovingtheexperienceforcandidates,allofthiscanbedone

withoutbeingdrivenbyarecruiter.Thisfreesuprecruitersfromresearchingprospectsand

monitoringsystemsallday,andenablesthemtospendtimeengagingwiththerightcandidatesattherighttime.Thiswillcreateahigherlevelofengagementandabetterexperienceforthe

candidatesyourorganizationislookingtoattract.

OtherresponsivenessandcoordinationtoolsthatareshowingthemselvesinthetalentspaceareAIvirtualassistantsthathelpschedulemeetings,coordinatetravel,draftcandidateemails,schedulerecruitingeventsandinterviews,andevenhailataxioranUber.Today'sexpandingtalentstack

doesmorethanjusttrackapplicants.

Recommendations:

.TheCandidateExperienceEquationisabalanceofcandidateengagement,assessmentand

responsiveness.Theyworkinconcertwitheachotherforthebenefitoftheorganizationandthecandidatetocreateanengaging,harmonious,efficientandfairexperience.There'savarietyofsolutionsinthemarketplaceforallthreeelements;however,strikingabalanceonbehalfofbothpartiesinaunifiedflowisthegoal.

.Audittheprocessyourselfandcreateadiagramofwheretheprocesshashandoffs,painpointsormomentsthatworkwelltoreplicatedownstream.Thecandidateexperiencemovementgrewoutofresearchofannualreports,by"mysteryshopping"jobapplicationstothe

"100Best

CompaniestoWorkFor"

anddocumentingwhattheexperiencewaslikeend-to-end.How

manyclicks?Howconfusingtonavigate?CanIgetaresponse?Withtoday'stechnology,wehavebettersolutions.

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FreeYourTeamtoFocusontheRightTalentintheRightPlaceattheRightTime

Thecreationofnewtechnologies,suchascandidaterelationshipmanagementtools,virtual

assistantsandsocialmarketingplatforms,wasaimedatovercomingperceiveddeadendsandalackofresponsivenessfromtheapplicanttrackingsystemdatabase.

Althoughvirtualassistants,AIandautomationhaveanimmediateappealforteamstoreduceor

reallocatestafftootherareas,thepurposeofthesenewtechnologiesisnottoreplacerecruitersorcreatenewtechnicalbarriers.Rather,itismeanttoincorporatenewfunctionalityintowhattheteamdoestodaytocomplementprocesses.

Newcapabilitiesandaddedfunctionalityshouldhelpyourteamidentifytalentmorerapidlyandpullfromabroaderpooloftalent,aswellasfreeupyourteamfromtransactionalandadministrative

tasks.Theseincludesiftingthroughthewrongprofilestoenablethetalentacquisitionteamtofocusontherighttalent.Thisincreasedlevelofhumanengagement,combinedwithimproved

technologicalinnovation,shouldbringadditionalreturnsofcandidateexperience.Thesenew

technologieshavebeendesignedtoovercomeperceivedprocessdeadends,sofromplatform-to-platformandprocess-to-process,asyoubuild,makesureyoudon'tcreatenewones.

Applicationleadersneedtoconsiderhowincorporatingnewtechnologyinthetalentacquisition

spacewillbeusedtoaddorsubtractfromthedataprocessflowandworkprocessflowofthe

organization.Considertheintegrationofthetechnology,thepeopleandtheprocessesaroundthemtoexpandthefocusbeyondagivenimplementationordiscussiontotheprocessandexperienceasawhole.

Fromanorganizationalperspective,thedatapassingthroughtheplatformsneedstoremainas

clean,consistentandtransferableaspossible.Withdownstreaminvestmentsinanalyticsandthepromiseofbigdata,thehiringprocessiswheremostoftheorganizationaldataoriginates.The

infrastructureshouldgatheritcollectivelyinathoughtfulmanner;otherwise,timewillbespentscrubbingdirtydata,orrecapturingitfromthenewhiresondayone,orasneeded,whichwillcreateanegativeexperience.

Recommendations:

.HRtechnologyshouldbeappliedtoreallocateyourexistingteamtohigher-levelstrategicwork.Virtualassistantscanhelpanswerfrequentlyaskedquestions(FAQs)orcoordinateinterview

schedules.AI-enabledsourcingtoolscanhelpfillatalentpool.Yourrecruitingteamshouldbefreedupfromtransactionalworkandtimespentsearching,tobecomestrategiccareer

advisors.Thiswillbuildstrongerrelationshipswithcandidatesattherighttime,because

advancedtoolsaretellingthemexactlywhensomeoneisreadytomakethemove.Itwillalsohelpthemmakecareermatchesthatrecruitersmightnotrecognizeontheirown.

.Fromacandidateexperienceperspective,trytodrivedatacollectioninamannerinwhich

peoplecanenterinformationonceandhaveitpasseddownstreamfromintegrationto

integration.Besidesdrivingdataconsistency,andcreatingamore-positiveexperience,ithidesthelayersofsystemsyouareusingandmaintainsdataconsistencyfortheultimateoutputattheendoftheworkflow.Asasignificantamountofemployeedataiscapturedinthehiring

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process,thesystemsbeyondthetalentacquisitionplatformsrelyoncleandatacomingthroughfordownstreamefficiency.

EnsureCandidateContinuityThroughouttheTalentAcquisitionProcess

Candidatesviewthehiringprocessholistically,andapplicationleadersshouldaswell.Fromsystemtosystemandhandofftohandoff,thecandidateshouldnotfeelasiftheytoohavebeenhandedoff.Interfacesandnavigationshouldnotbejarringlydifferent;questionsanddatarequirementsshouldnotrepeat,ifpossible;andthesupportingmaterialsandtoneshouldfeelasiftheycamefromonepersonoratleastthesamecompany.Self-auditingisonewaytoprepareamodernizationplanor

processmap.Travelthecandidatejourney,and,asnewprocessesaredesignedortoolsareadded,ensurethatcontentandexperiencesareconsistent,andelementsflowwithnodeadends.Easy,

consistentusercuesandprocesstransparencywillbeimportanttothecandidates.

Inaddition,adatacollection/surveytoolshouldbebuiltintoyourprocesstogetfeedbackinreal

time,becauseyoumayneedtomakeadjustments.Forexample,youmayneedtovalidate

decisionsyoumakewiththevoiceofthecustomer,ortodirectthenextphasesofyourprojectsasthesetoolsrapidlyevolve.Muchlikereal-timeemployeeengagementtools,therearesurveytoolsinthemarketplacespecificallyforcollectingandanalyzingdatathroughtherecruitingprocessinrealtime.

Recommendations:

Applicationleaderslookingtoaddresscandidateexperienceintalentacquisitionshould:

.Takeaninventoryoftheirtalentinfrastructuretoassesshowtheirorganizationcompareswit