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In last week’s post, I introduced the concept of a megashift. Unlike the megatrends made famous by the futurist John Naisbitt, a megashift addresses changes in the state of things. Said another way, a megashift isn’t a change in direction – a trend – but rather the existence of a new destination – a changed reality.
Why is it important to understand the current megashifts (or lack thereof) in talent acquisition? Because a misperception of reality can cause mistakes. Think of it as the business version of fact checking. In today’s world of omnipresent and often unexamined claims, it’s easy to believe that something has happened when in fact it has not. Such a misunderstanding can lead to ill-advised decisions that undermine the performance of a function.
For example, last week, I wrote about the widespread commentary (with accompanying datapoints) testifying to the near universal use of AI in recruiting. All of that chatter could lead recruiters to worry about “keeping up with the Jones.” If the headlines cause them to believe they’re behind their competitors in the use of AI in the talent market, they are more likely to rush into the acquisition of the technology before they’ve adequately prepared for it.
On the other hand, if they know the megashift hasn’t yet actually occurred, they are more likely to deploy the technology with appropriate planning and implementation. The transition to AI’s full-scale application in recruiting is definitely underway, so they shouldn’t delay, but there’s no need to rush. In effect, understanding their reality – the true state of AI – enables them to practice good management.
So, let’s look at another aspect of talent acquisition – the candidate experience. My concern here is that if recruiters are led to believe we have achieved a megashift in the way candidates are treated, they’ll take their foot off the gas pedal in pushing for improvements.
A new and better reality for candidates engaging with employers would justify recruiters turning their attention to some of the (many) other challenges they have on their plates, which would almost certainly guarantee a deterioration in the way candidates are treated. To riff on an old business axiom, what gets prioritized gets better.
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According to a post on SocialTalent, 91 percent of employers think they’re providing a good candidate experience as a part of their go-to-market strategy for talent. Add to that, all of the discussion about the positive impact of AI in general and conversational AI, in particular, and one could reasonably concclude that the candidate experience is in very good shape.
And yet, ERE’s 2024 Candidate Experience Benchmark Research found that “This year, the overall positive candidate experience, what we now call candidate contentment, continued to decline sharply. Candidate resentment, the very negative experience, increased everywhere ….” Similarly, JobScore found that only 26 percent of North American job seekers say they had a great experience and a heartbreaking 13 percent had such a terrible experience that “they’re less likely to apply again, refer others, have any brand affinity, and make purchases from the company.”
So, have we achieved a megashift in the candidate experience. Absolutely not. At this point, we aren’t even near a new reality. The state of the candidate experience today is almost identical to what it has been in the past. Miserable. And as the quote from JobScore indicates, that kind of treatment leaves job seekers bitter and disillusioned. If you want to know why so many quality candidates are sitting on the sidelines right now, take a look at the candidate experience. It’s not the sole cause, but it’s certainly a significant one.
Food for Thought,
Peter
Peter Weddle has authored or edited over two dozen books and been a columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He is the founder and CEO of TAtech: The Association for Talent Acquisition Solutions.
