We have all experienced virtual connections during the COVID-19 pandemic with entire organisations working remotely for the first time, connecting with family through devices, participating in baby showers, sending virtual birthday messages and so on. Basically, everything we’re used to has gone virtual.
I was lucky enough to be part of my teammates virtual baby shower recently where we played games and chatted about the upcoming new addition. One game, “Guess That Baby” helped me come to a realisation about generational experience. Someone said, “Wow look at our baby photos, all originals I bet we are the last generation to all have physical photos of us as babies.” First, this made me feel old, then it made me really think.
Are we the last generation to experience things like having only physical photos of us as babies? Or to know the exact sound of an original modem starting up, knowing you can’t use the internet if your family is on the phone. The dynamic of our working society and the expectations of those within is about to take a drastic turn, the generations that are accustomed to being physically in offices and holding in-person meetings are beginning to leave the workplace, making way for digital experience-driven generations.
The key to all this change is the virtual experience! Without getting the experience right we would never change. Take the Betamax, Blockbuster and Google+ for example, these were perfectly sufficient and working products of their time but offered a limited experience in comparison to their newer generation competitors. Ultimately the experience of these products failed to deliver and could not compete with their experience-focused challengers.
The talent industry is ripe to apply this way of thinking to the hiring process. As newer generations become the majority of the workforce and Gen Z begins to enter the world of work, experience must be the focus at each step of hiring; sourcing, interview, assessment and offer. People are busy and often need to interview at times that suit their schedules and we must remember talent is not on the market long, so speed is essential. If we take this into mind when looking at our current talent-hiring processes it really shows that a change in our approach is needed soon to truly embrace the next generation’s expectations into the hiring experience.
Take career sites for example, enhancing the experience with a more bespoke approach through technology like TalentBrew. Enhance your application process and go digital with an AI bot like Evie to help automatically arrange interviews with both manager and candidates.
Maybe add in a personalized experience with SHL assessments, a remote assessment tool that determines the best talent for a specific need whilst allowing candidates to demonstrate why they are right for your roles. Tools like these give future generations of candidates the experience they want and your hiring managers the quality they need.
Experience must remain at the forefront when designing and reviewing any talent strategy. Our suite of interview scheduling, video recording and assessment tools will change how candidates interview and increase the ease of selecting the best candidate for the role from the hiring managers perspective. New generations of talent will have different interviewing styles and preferences from the past. We recognise this transformation and have the tools to equip our customers for the future of hiring. Pontoon helps to change the hiring environment and give the next generation the experience they deserve.
