Chicago , IL - January 16, 2006 - Since the beginning of time people have found many different ways to communicate. For eons, the spoken word has been a powerful medium. With the invention of the Guttenberg press in the 15th century, the printed word became a staple in everyday communication. Since the explosion of the information super highway in the mid-1980s, the computer chip has enabled us to use a telephone, PDA or computer to handle most of our everyday interactions virtually without human interface.

There is, however, one interpersonal interaction that has quickly come full circle during this time of technological evolution within the employee recruiting process -- the human touch accompanied by the spoken word.

When it comes to finding or filling a job, both candidates and employers want to have live communication, at some point, to ensure there's a good fit. Reintroducing the human touch into the recruiting process is the latest candidate-processing trend, especially in the hourly employment arena. In the recent past, there was a major push to use interactive telephone technology (IVR) to process large quantities of candidates for hourly recruiting. Web-based recruitment innovations provided the next push in offering further automation in the recruiting process.

Many thought that automation would replace humans in the HR department. Others felt technology would bring substantial cost savings to the recruiting process. But automated systems (Web-based or interactive voice) simply do not deliver the same results as those that integrate the human touch with technological advancements. Instead, what we've discovered is that technology is most cost effective when used as an aid and not a substitute in the screening and scheduling process.

Candidates. While candidates in the hourly market will use technology to start the process, we find that employee recruitment is much more effective when a live interaction is integrated into the process. Candidates want to talk to someone, ask questions about the position and understand the employment opportunity. They also want confirmation that their inquiry has been received, as well as notification of its status.

Many automated processes present challenges for the candidate. Kiosks, IVR, Internet job boards and Web-screening technologies, seemingly easy-to-use, often do not give candidates the ability to take an active role in the hiring process. The result is that many candidates lose interest in the process, feeling as though their information falls into a black hole. They don't know if their application has been received or if further action is needed. As a result, candidates either lose interest or call the prospective employer hoping for personal attention, action and closure on their application. Either situation substantially reduces the efficiencies associated with pure technology-driven solutions.

Employers. Large corporate employers prefer results provided from live candidate screening, as it enables them to evaluate a candidate based on "soft skills" and motivational fit. This type of evaluation cannot be achieved using a technology-based solution exclusively. These "soft skills" include communication ability, customer service orientation and motivational fit. Screening for these kinds of skills leads to a proven reduction of early stage turnover by more than 20 percent. Avoiding turnover is critical for clients who want to reduce their cost per hire and overall operational costs.

Human interaction also alleviates problems associated with translating a software program into a hire. Companies are finding that technology alone can't properly staff their companies. The client is on their own to make the software work effectively, ensure that the staff is using it appropriately, updating it as necessary & and ultimately hiring the right people for the required job. Ironically, increased functionality with automated products typically proves to be more challenging for the end user.

Then there is the employee relations side of the recruitment process. In most cases, candidates are also customers or potential customers. Having person-to-person contact and professional management of the recruitment process can help ensure a positive first impression by both parties. Many times, an employment inquiry is the first opportunity one has to interact with a future employer in a friendly, professional way. An employer demonstrating a professional, organized and courteous attitude toward the recruitment process goes a long way toward securing the best candidates for open positions.

Hiring Managers. Hiring managers experience tremendous benefits from utilizing recruiting tools that integrate technology with personal interaction. While technology can complete some of the pre-screening process, it is the human touch that provides the realistic job preview, screens for soft skills and provides the personal touch in scheduling the candidate for the interview appointment. The high- tech/high- touch recruitment solution is most likely to deliver quality candidates quickly, and can be highly cost-effective. Hiring managers are finding that "more is not necessarily better" and that spending time with fewer candidates who better understand the employment opportunity and the skill set necessary to meet the hiring requirements is far more effective than "weeding through the masses."

Hiring managers prefer to spend their time talking to people and not managing their way through complex software systems to find top talent. Their time is best spent interviewing quality candidates not tracking them down and managing the logistics of scheduling their interviews. Hiring managers and recruiters know the value of talking to candidates; they just prefer to talk to candidates who have a high probability of being qualified for the job.

Concluding Thoughts: Technology and automation can help us work faster and smarter when properly utilized. We all need to understand how to best apply and adapt technology to yield the best results for candidates and employers. While the recruitment arena has gone through a dramatic technological evolution that often relies too heavily on automation, the fact remains that people still need to talk with people.

The challenge lies in understanding that technology is simply an enabler in the process. In order to achieve recruitment optimization, it is necessary to bring personal interaction back into the recruitment process despite the perceived cost benefit of the technology-driven solutions. Meeting this challenge requires an integrated candidate-processing tool that combines the best of technology with the age-old paradigm of the "human touch."

Denise Foy is President of PeopleScout, an outsourced candidate screening and processing solutions company; a high-tech, high-touch solution to recruitment needs.

About PeopleScout
PeopleScout is a division of SeatonCorp, a best-in-class staffing and recruiting company recently named by Crain's Chicago Business as one of Chicago's largest privately held companies. PeopleScout is a leading provider of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) services aimed at helping companies with their exempt and non-exempt hiring needs. The firm's suite of services includes RPO, employment branding, on-boarding, and employee retention. Annually, PeopleScout facilitates over 184,000 hires via partial-cycle RPO engagements and end-to-end RPO engagements. Industries served include airline, financial services, telecommunications, retail, utilities, insurance, pharmaceutical, and transportation.

PeopleScout's clients include some of the more recognizable names in the Fortune 500 list of companies. PeopleScout has succeeded in being selected for four consecutive years to HRO Today Magazine's Baker's Dozen - the closely watched list of industry - leading RPO providers - as well as being named #1 in large deal capabilities. The firm also has also been recognized as the #1 RPO Provider by The Black Book of Outsourcing on its "2008 Top Ten HRO: Recruitment Process Outsourcing/RPO" list. For more information, please visit us at www.peoplescout.com or call 800-966-4803.

For More Information
Gerry Sullivan
Vice President, Solutions Development
(312) 915-5036
gsullivan@peoplescout.com