The traditional resume-centric hiring process is not only tedious and time-consuming, but also ineffective and inefficient. Moreover, they are prone to human errors and biases, such as favouring candidates with certain names, backgrounds, or credentials. In recent years, many organizations have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms to automate and optimize their hiring process. AI can also create new problems, such as replicating and amplifying human biases, overlooking hidden talents, and alienating candidates with impersonal and opaque interactions.
So, what is the solution? How can organizations find and hire the best talent in the modern age? The answer lies in a human-centric approach to hiring.
What is Human Cetric Approach to Hiring?
A human-centric approach is one that puts people at the center of the hiring process, rather than resumes or AI. It focuses on understanding and connecting with candidates as individuals, rather than as numbers or data points. It values potential and cultural fit, rather than qualifications and credentials. It leverages technology responsibly, rather than relying on it blindly.
Rethinking the Hiring Framework
The hiring framework is the set of principles and practices that guide your hiring process. It defines what you are looking for in a candidate, how you assess and evaluate them, and how you use technology to support your decisions. Here are some ways to rethink your hiring framework and make it more human-centric:
Shifting the Focus
While established metrics like education and experience remain relevant, they are no longer the sole determinants of a candidate’s suitability. Recognizing the limitations of static qualifications, this framework emphasizes a candidate’s demonstrable ability to learn, adapt, and contribute to the specific role and organizational environment. Soft skills such as problem-solving, communication, and teamwork take center stage, revealing a candidate’s potential for growth and excellence. Furthermore, cultural fit, the alignment of a candidate’s values and beliefs with the organization’s core principles and vision, fosters a cohesive and collaborative team dynamic. Embracing diverse perspectives and experiences, a hallmark of this human-centric approach, enriches the organization with a broader range of ideas, fostering innovation and enhancing decision-making. By implementing this framework through targeted assessments, interview methodologies, and inclusive sourcing practices, organizations can unlock a talent pool brimming with potential, poised to propel their success in the ever-evolving landscape.
Moving Beyond Resumes
Resumes are not the most reliable or effective way to showcase a candidate’s potential and cultural fit. They can be tedious and boring to read, especially when you have hundreds of them to review. How can you move beyond resumes and use other methods to assess and evaluate candidates? By utilizing skills assessments, portfolio reviews, and practical challenges, rather than relying on resumes alone. These methods can help you gain a deeper and more accurate understanding of a candidate’s abilities, performance, and potential, by observing how they apply their skills, knowledge, and creativity in action. They can also help you assess a candidate’s cultural fit, by seeing how they approach and handle the challenges and opportunities that are relevant to your organization and industry.
Embracing Technology Responsibly
Technology, especially AI and algorithms, can offer many benefits and advantages for the hiring process, such as reducing manual work, increasing efficiency, and enhancing accuracy. However, technology can also pose many challenges and risks for the hiring process, such as creating bias, overlooking potential, and alienating candidates. Use technology as a tool to implement bias detection and mitigation strategies in your AI and algorithms, rather than ignoring or denying them. Human-AI collaboration can help you achieve a more comprehensive and balanced evaluation of your candidates, by combining the speed, accuracy, and scalability of AI with the judgment, intuition, and empathy of humans.
Implementing Human-Centric Hiring Strategies
Human-centric hiring strategies are the specific actions and techniques that you use to execute your human-centric hiring framework. They define how you interact and communicate with your candidates, how you conduct and manage your interviews, and how you build and maintain your relationships. Here are some ways to implement human-centric hiring strategies and make them more effective and efficient:
Structured Interviewing
Structured interviewing is a method of interviewing that follows a consistent and standardized format and procedure, such as using the same questions, criteria, and scoring system for all candidates. It can help you improve the quality and fairness of your interviews, by reducing the variability, subjectivity, and bias that can arise from different interviewers, questions, and situations.
Candidate-Centric Communication
Candidate-centric communication focuses on the needs, preferences, and expectations of the candidates, rather than the needs, preferences, and expectations of the employer. Candidate-centric communication can help you improve the experience and engagement of your candidates, by making them feel valued, respected, and informed throughout the hiring process.
Building Relationships
Building relationships is a method of creating and maintaining long-term and meaningful connections with your candidates, rather than short-term and superficial exchanges or contacts. Building relationships can help you attract and retain top talent, by making them feel appreciated, connected, and loyal to your organization and brand.
HUMAN CENTRIC VS TRADITIONAL HIRING
Benefits of Human-Centric Hiring
Human-centric hiring can offer many benefits and advantages for your organization, your candidates, and your customers. Here are some of the main benefits and advantages of human-centric hiring and how they can help you achieve your talent acquisition goals:
Improved Candidate Experience
A positive candidate experience can foster a positive employer brand and reputation, which can help you attract and retain high-quality talent, as well as increase your referral and retention rates. A positive candidate experience increases your candidate engagement and satisfaction, which can help you reduce your hiring costs, time, and turnover, as well as improve your offer acceptance and conversion rates.
Enhanced Diversity and Inclusion
Another main benefit of human-centric hiring is that it can enhance your diversity and inclusion, which is the representation and integration of different groups and individuals in your organization and culture.
Stronger Business Performance
Another main benefit of human-centric hiring is that it can strengthen your business performance, which is the achievement and success of your organization’s goals and objectives.
The future of effective talent acquisition lies in a human-centric approach to hiring. By prioritizing human connection, potential, and diverse perspectives, organizations can build stronger teams and achieve lasting success. A human-centric approach to hiring can help organizations improve their candidate experience, enhance their diversity and inclusion, and strengthen their business performance.
iPRIMED is a recruitment and training partner that can help you embrace human-centric hiring practices and achieve your talent acquisition goals. If you are interested in learning more about how iPRIMED can help you embrace human-centric hiring practices and achieve your talent acquisition goals, please contact us today. We would love to hear from you and discuss how we can work together to create a better and brighter future for your organization and your candidates.
