Looking back on the shift we’ve seen in recruitment over the past decade, it’s amazing how much of it is due to technological advancements. 

Within the past 10 years, HR Technology and the amount of technology that makes up an HR organization's tech stack has evolved dramatically. When asked, what’s the definition for HR tech stack, we believe that it is any combination of integrated digital tools and software used to streamline, optimize, or otherwise support a company’s HR functionalities. And today, tech stack has opened a whole new world to engaging and improving hiring, becoming a completely different game because of technology enablement. 

Our workforce has changed forever due to remote working and the latest generation entering today’s labor pools, who are and have become more technologically advanced. In addition, many remote working environments have helped to improve technology skills for many. As such, there is an expectation from candidates and employees to be informed and updated at every step of their experience — and demand the same level of interactivity, transparency, and customer service they receive as a consumer, given the preponderance of shoppers using online shopping sites like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Esty, etc. 

For companies that want to attract, engage, and — most importantly — keep top talent in their organizations will need to continue embracing new technologies to remain competitive for talent. But at technology’s current rate of change, it can be hard to know what is right for your company. 

Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Invest in HR Technology Stack

But knowing where to prioritize investments, how to integrate tools into your existing infrastructure, and how to apply them in the most meaningful way can prove difficult if you don’t first take an objective look at your current talent acquisition processes, the needs, and desires of your unique candidate pool, and your business goals. 

At Aspirant RPO, we advise our customers to ask themselves the following questions before making a technology investment decision to position themselves better to truly unlock technology’s potential for enhancing their processes: 

1. How does HR tech stack fit within my strategy?

There are many technologies on the market, so choose wisely. One way to ensure the highest return is to consider any acquisition holistically. Thinking beyond time and cost savings, ask how a recruiting marketing platform or chatbot can lead to greater engagement and higher candidate conversions. When building a business case, account for all the benefits and costs that might result. AI and ML are one of the most popular HR technology trends that help in workforce analytics and employee support all the way through offering recruiting process support to be more effective, objective, faster, and, in some cases, more personalized. 

If your goal is to enhance candidate conversions, make sure your technology strategy also accounts for the candidate experience. Tools that enhance communication, simplify the application process, provide status tracking, serve content, and engage job seekers in other ways should be part of your investment roadmap. Not only will these technologies help to create a more memorable hiring journey for talent, but they will surely improve your overall employer brand too. 

2. How do these new technologies impact the candidate experience?

It’s tempting to automate as many steps in your recruiting function as possible, but technology isn’t always the best option; remember, there still needs to be the human element, and no technology can replace that piece. Select the steps that are measurable and create a good candidate experience that may include:

• Pre-screening to move candidates to the hiring manager screen
• Candidate-led interview scheduling  
• Video Screening and Interviewing 
• Chats to answer questions 
• Event signup 

Determining where the human touch is essential is important, especially when dealing with candidate-facing automation. 

For example, there are AI tools that now screen resumes within your ATS to help match prior candidates to new positions, allowing recruiters to reconnect with people who have shown past interest in your company but may not have been right for a particular role at that time. This saves time, effort, and money and works behind the scenes, leaving the recruiter to connect directly with any talent they find that fits. 

Chatbots are another popular AI technology; they have a broad range of functionality and can be used in a number of ways, often outperforming humans in terms of the speed and accuracy of their response in a narrow domain. But chatbots are designed to augment, not replace, human interaction. So to deliver the white-glove treatment top talent demands today, you’ll have to pay special attention to where along the candidate journey, if they’re employed, and how to balance a high-touch approach throughout the rest of their experience. If you are using candidate experience surveys and planning on implementing a new HR recruiting technology, update your surveys to ask how candidates like interacting with those technologies.   

3. Who can I trust to help choose the right HR technology?

Human Resource leaders are being asked to be experts in processes, operations, and maximizing business performance, to name a few. Adding technology to the growing list is just one more demand. Look for support when it makes sense. You can gain the insights you need from industry analysts, professional organizations, technology vendors, and your talent strategy or outsourcing partners. 

A recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) like Aspirant RPO will often have the expertise and the implementation experience you need to help facilitate and maximize your investment. Most importantly, they’ll help you keep your investment aligned with your strategy and help you avoid investing in overlapping, or that can delay your processes, damage your brand, and end up costing you in the long run.  Most importantly, it may just be a matter of maximizing the investment you currently have with the HR technologies in place. 

Finding top talent requires staying up-to-date on the latest technologies. You may not be able to afford to adopt every “trend” or new technology that comes along, but you really shouldn’t want to, either. Keep your recruiting strategy — and the relationship you want to build with your candidate — sharply in focus and you’ll be more apt to make a smart investment every time. 

Do you know what it takes to drive better engagement with your candidates and employees? Talk with the experts at Aspirant RPO and learn how we can help you build and implement the right strategy for your company. Fill out the form below.