How digitalisation has transformed the recruitment process

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“The advancement of technology has far-reaching implications across all industries, sectors and job roles,” says ManpowerGroup South Africa’s managing director, Lyndy van den Barselaar. “The way we live and work is changing, and organisations are now needing to prepare for the future of work.” She explains that the recruitment process is no exception.

“Technological advancement and digitalisation continue to change the recruitment process – not only for workforce solutions providers and/or recruiters, but also for candidates,” she explains.

Candidate expectations are constantly evolving as their experience changes. Organisations and/or their recruitment process partners seldom put out advertisements in the newspaper or on notice boards – there is now a much bigger focus on dedicating certain recruitment strategies to factors such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and the development and maintenance of apps, career sites and job portals.

Further to this, the way that organisations and recruiters search for talent has also been transformed, and is now based on data collection and analytics from online profiles, social media platforms, and other screening structures. According to a report by In on Africa, published in 2017, over 60% of South African employers who screen candidates using social media platforms do so in order to determine if the job-seeker presents themselves in a professional manner. About half of them want to know if the candidate will fit in well with the company culture, and 45% want to learn more about their qualifications.

“Essentially, by the time a candidate has been selected for an interview, their prospective employer or the organisation’s workforce solutions provider have already collected quite a bit of information on them,” explains van den Barselaar.

Another important transformation brought on through digitalisation is the importance of skills development – not only for candidates but also for recruiters and HR professionals themselves. “It is important that the person or team of people responsible for an organisation’s talent acquisition strategy are up-to-date with the latest technologies in this regard. The lifespan of skills is shorter than ever due to technological advancement, and as the recruitment process continues to transform, so should those who are responsible for implementing it,” says van den Barselaar.

This, she explains, is where the right partner can be beneficial to businesses. “Most Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solutions are built upon experience and expertise. From job design and pricing to recruitment and acquisition strategies, RPO applies practical experience in making companies more competitive,” she explains.

In conclusion, van den Barselaar stresses the importance of updating strategies for success in the modern business environment. “Organisations need to be aware of the way the recruitment process is changing, and the implications this can have on their business, their talent acquisition possibilities and their reputation amongst job seekers. Their strategies should be updated to take all of this into account, and ensure they are geared towards welcoming the future of work, now,” she concludes.