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3 ways technology can impair recruiting efforts

Posted on January 8th, 2015 Read time: 2 minutes

Cutting-edge technology has become a staple of modern-day business. It helps improve productivity, collaboration and convenience. It also gives employees the chance to work remotely from various locations as long as there's an established Wi-Fi connection nearby. 

In terms of HR services, technology has helped connect recruiters to talent more quickly and in a more seamless manner. Finding prospects for a potential position is certainly easier than it ever has been before. Yet, despite all of its apparent advantages, there are drawbacks to technological advances as well, particularly in talent acquisition:

Listed below are three ways technology could be stifling a business's recruiting efforts: 

  1. Autonomous responses: Certainly, the newest technology gives recruiters more chances to connect with potential hires – and quality prospects, at that. Yet, with a slowly recovering job market, the number of applicants per job may exceed what a single person can handle in a given day. Autonomous responses are acceptable in moderation, but a recent CareerBuilder study found 62 percent of job applicants expect more personalized communications. Another 39 percent of respondents feel automatic email respondents aren't enough after submitting an application; a more personalized response is simply best practice.
  2. Too many questions: Applicants are likely seeking more than one job if they're currently applying, and filling out numerous questionnaires can be take a mental toll. In the 21st century, too many applications are asking a plethora of straightforward questions and asking applicants to repeat their past accomplishments in online applications, even though their resume is attached – a fact Forbes contributor Liz Ryan feels is absurd. While this helps on the recruiting side, businesses may lose potentially qualified personnel if they find the application asking simple questions or if they have to repeat themselves numerous times. 
  3. Letting the good ones go: Some businesses may have the luxury of interviewing a handful of qualified employees. Unfortunately for those companies, they cannot hire every strong candidate they interview. One of the cardinal sins of recruiting is letting the good ones get away. Since technology has accelerated recruiting to a new level of sophistication and speed, there's a chance a qualified interviewee is forgotten about down the road. The beauty of hanging onto these individuals' information is that the legwork – the screening process – has already been done. All a business needs to do is bring this person in for another interview, but they already can expect what to get out of him or her.

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