During a workshop at the 2024 HR Congress, talent acquisition consultant Caroline Boyce weighed in on a key question: “Automation vs. Personalization in Recruitment: What’s the Future of the Candidate Experience?” Unsurprisingly, she favors the latter (personalization) over the former (automation) to provide a truly exceptional candidate experience. Here’s why.
Caroline Boyce’s first insight is the “wait-and-see” approach she observes among organizations regarding improving their candidate experience. Many seem caught between economic slowdowns and a lingering “war for talent.”
“You can sense that organizations want to act, but they don’t know which direction to take. It’s like there’s a giant cloud of dust in the air, and they’re waiting for it to settle before picking the right solutions for their organization. They’re looking at what their neighbors are doing, what software they’re using…”
Since the rise of generative AI, there has been pressure—across all industries—to automate processes to work faster and better. But does this principle extend to recruitment? The answer, according to Boyce, is far from certain.
At its core, the candidate experience is about how candidates feel, she reminds us. She cites Maya Angelou:
“People will forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
In this sense, an “automated” experience does not necessarily guarantee a “memorable” one that fosters a connection between job seekers and hiring companies.
“It’s not necessarily the sum of all these small [automated] processes that will result in a good experience. While an online application process might be easy or even positive, if there’s no direct contact with the company, it doesn’t evoke emotion.”
A Glimpse of Organizational Culture
Asynchronous video interviews, for example, rob recruiters of a valuable opportunity to engage with candidates face-to-face and build relationships. Boyce emphasizes a well-established truth:
“The more positive and regular communication is with a recruiter, the more it positively influences a candidate’s perception of the organization. The better the recruiter-candidate relationship, the more the candidate will view the organization positively. They’ll think, ‘If this is how they treat me as a candidate, imagine how they treat their employees.’ Candidates often form their impression of an organization’s culture based on their interaction with the recruiter.”
Employee engagement, she reiterates, begins well before someone is hired. Candidates, above all, want to feel seen, understood, and valued. This is why recruiters who pay attention to a candidate’s deeper motivations (what she calls “political recruiters”) are often more successful.
“A recruiter needs to understand what the candidate is seeking: a new title, broader challenges? What’s important to them: their family’s security, job stability, etc.? ‘Political’ recruiters tend to fill positions more quickly because they build trust with candidates.”
Boyce also advises recruiters not to let generational biases cloud their judgment, particularly about Gen X and Millennials, who crave direct, human interaction with organizations.
“This generation was among the most isolated during the pandemic; younger people want more face-to-face interactions, and that’s something to consider when designing the candidate experience.”
Automating Where It Matters
That said, Boyce is not entirely against automation. She acknowledges that a long and tedious application process can deter top talent (applications that take longer than 15 minutes, she notes, experience a significant drop-off).
Moreover, technology can help organizations meet candidates’ demand for more information about a company, enabling them to make informed decisions.
“Investing in a virtual agent that answers candidates’ questions could be a good idea,” she concludes.
As long as it doesn’t come at the expense of direct contact with candidates, which is essential to building the relationship that leads to a resounding “yes” to your job offer.
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