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Using AI to engage multigenerational talent

We’ve all heard the saying, “age is just a number”, but for today’s workforce it carries new weight. For the first time, five generations are working side by side: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. With each generation bringing diverse experiences and varied preferences to the table, talent acquisition teams need to personalisepersonalize experiences to enhance engagement.

Let’s dive into how you can use AI-powered technology to engage multigenerational talent at scale effectively.

 

Unlocking the power of a multigenerational workforce

A multigenerational workforce brings a wealth of experience, perspectives, and skills. When organisationsorganizations create opportunities for employees of different generations to collaborate, they unlock innovation, drive engagement, and strengthen workplace culture. Encouraging knowledge sharing helps businesses retain critical expertise while fostering an environment where employees learn from one another.

SSE, a PageUp Clinch recruitment marketing client in Scotland, has embraced this by offering mentoring and reverse mentoring programs. These initiatives pair early-career employees with seasoned professionals, creating a two-way exchange of insights. This fosters collaboration, strengthens team dynamics, and enhances overall organisationalorganizational performance.

 

Understanding generational preferences

With such a diverse workforce, organisationsorganizations must ask: Are we effectively attracting, engaging, and retaining talent across all age groups?

Different generations have distinct communication styles, motivations, and approaches to work. Gen Z, for example, values career growth and purpose-driven work, while Baby Boomers may prioritiseprioritize stability and benefits. Millennials often seek flexibility, and Gen X looks for leadership opportunities. Understanding these differences helps organisationsorganizations craft better candidate experiences.

Multigenerational Hiring Preferences Inforgraphic

Managing these nuances manually is no longer practical. Success requires technology that aligns with the values and expectations of each group, delivering automation and personalisationpersonalization at scale.

 

Using AI to engage talent across generations

Recruiters and talent teams are increasingly turning to AI to manage the complexities of engaging a multigenerational workforce. AI-driven tools streamline hiring processes, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance personalisationpersonalization at scale. These solutions help teams connect with candidates more effectively while ensuring a seamless, engaging experience for jobseekers.

Clinch’s AI Chatbot Assistant provides an always-on engagement channel that boosts efficiency by handling repetitive tasks. Candidates can join talent networks, search for roles, and get instant answers to common questions. The chatbot also integrates with content management systems to share employee-generated content, offering insights from the people candidates trust most – your employees.

For digital-native candidates, especially Gen Z, real-time engagement is an expectation. AI-powered tools personalisepersonalize the candidate experience, offering tailored job recommendations and content that keeps candidates engaged.

 

Meeting candidates where they are

Beyond sharing content on your career site, consider how you connect with different generations on social media. Facebook appeals to mid-to-late-career professionals, while TikTok and Instagram attract younger talent. AI-powered content assistants can help tailor messaging to resonate across platforms.

Effective multigenerational hiring starts with understanding your audience and meeting them on their terms. AI and automation enable this at scale, helping you build a diverse, empowered workforce.

 

Balancing AI and human-first recruiting

Alongside AI’s efficiency, the human element remains essential in recruitment. Decision-making should always stay in human hands. While AI can screen candidates and identify strong matches, hiring managers and recruiters must evaluate authenticity and fit. Personal interactions provide candidates with insight into company culture and career growth opportunities.

Research from Gallup shows that beyond salary, candidates accept job offers based on factors like company culture, career development, and personal connections. Interviews with hiring managers and key stakeholders are the most impactful part of the hiring process. 

Candidates who experience meaningful personal interactions are 3.2 times more likely to feel connected to company culture and three times as likely to be highly satisfied with their work. OrganisationsOrganizations that meet or exceed candidate expectations throughout the hiring process maintain a stronger talent pipeline and improve retention.

OrganisationsOrganizations that use AI strategically free up time for meaningful candidate interactions. This balance ensures AI enhances, rather than replaces, the recruiter’s role in building strong connections and guiding candidates through critical hiring decisions.

 

PageUp’s AI-powered talent acquisition platform enables human-first recruiting while optimisingoptimizing hiring processes. Book a demo to see it in action.

Pageup Maximising Recruitment Events

Grow your talent community with recruitment events

Recruitment events have become a powerhouse for talent acquisition. Whether you’re hosting an event, attending a career fair, or holding sessions online, events give you direct access to talent in a way job postings can’t. Walk away with new relationships and gain top-notch additions to your talent pool. 

With today’s hiring dominated by digital applications and rising applicant volumes, events cut through the noise and offer a rare opportunity for authentic connection. They bring back the human touch – something increasingly valued in a digital world.

Let’s break down why recruitment events should be part of your hiring strategy and how you can make the most of them. 

 

Why events belong in your recruitment strategy 

1. Connect with passive, hard to reach talent

Attracting passive talent (candidates who aren’t actively looking for a job but could be open to the right opportunity) is key to successful recruitment in a competitive talent market. Recruitment events let you connect with these individuals in a more personal way. Instead of posting a job and waiting for applicants, you can engage with talent directly, build rapport, and position your organisationorganization as an employer of choice.

Events are especially powerful for building trust and awareness with niche communities, specialist occupations, early career talent, or underrepresented groups who may not engage through job boards alone.

 

2. Easily capture candidate information

Talent pipelines are the most efficient way to hire and are 18 times more effective than job boards. Events provide a low-friction environment to collect valuable candidate information, in person or online. You can gather resumes, contact details, and information like candidate preferences at scale. Capturing meaningful insights in real time, creating not just a contact list but a qualified talent community. With the right tools, this will enable greaterpersonalisationpersonalization and candidate engagement down the track.

 

3. Showcase your employer brand

Recruitment events are not just about filling roles; they are an opportunity to showcase your employer brand. They give candidates a real feel for your company’s culture, values, and what it’s like to work with you. Demonstrate your commitment to diversity, work-life balance, and career development to help set you apart in a competitive job market.

When candidates meet your people face to face (or even via a webinar) they’re more likely to remember you. It’s a chance to create an emotional connection that job ads can’t replicate.

 

4. Deliver high ROI in a competitive market

While recruitment events require investment, they often deliver stronger long-term ROI than paid job ads. You leave with a rich pipeline of warm candidates, plus the added value of brand exposure and relationship-building. When supported by automation and follow-up workflows, events can continue delivering value well beyond the day they happen.

 

What to consider when planning your recruitment event

Event format that matches your hiring goals

Not all events are created equal – and that’s a good thing. Different formats align with different recruitment goals and who you’re trying to reach. Understanding the purpose behind each event type helps you build a more targeted and effective strategy:

  • Campus recruiting events: Ideal for attracting early career talent and interns.

  • Virtual webinars: Expand your reach to remote, national, or global candidates without geographic barriers.

  • Niche meetups and conferences: Great for hiring specialist roles in tech, finance, healthcare, and other competitive fields.

  • Diversity-focused events: Build connections with underrepresented groups by partnering with community networks.

  • Internal talent showcases: Open up opportunities for internal mobility and employee referrals.

  • Live chat hiring events: Perfect for high-volume roles. These real-time, text-based events allow recruiters to connect instantly with multiple candidates, answer common questions, pre-screen interest, and direct talent to apply.

Selecting your event format that aligns with your hiring goals will ensure you  can reach and engage the right talent that meets your needs.

 

Set your team up for success: Prep for event impact

The best recruitment events start well before anyone walks through the door. Internal readiness is key to delivering a seamless, high-impact experience.

  • Brief your team: Make sure recruiters and hiring managers are aligned on messaging, event goals, and what success looks like.

  • Equip your people: Provide key talking points, highlight priority roles, and give them real-time access to your CRM or lead capture tools.

  • Align follow-up plans: Who’s responsible for follow-up? What’s the timeline? When this is planned ahead of time, post-event engagement is faster and more personalisedpersonalized.

Strong internal alignment ensures that every candidate conversation is consistent, valuable, and memorable.

 

Designing an event experience candidates remember

First impressions count. Whether your event is in person or virtual, candidate experience should be front and center.

  • Make it easy to engage: Use pre-event email reminders, mobile check-in, and QR codes to streamline access.

  • Create two-way conversations: Let candidates meet hiring managers, ask questions, or see behind-the-scenes culture videos.

  • Close the loop: Follow up after the event with personalisedpersonalized messages and relevant next steps – whether it’s joining your talent community or applying for a role.

When candidates feel seen, heard, and valued, your brand stands out.

 

Measure what matters: Tracking event ROI and impact

To prove the value of your recruitment events (and improve them over time) you need to track what works.

Key metrics to measure:

  • Number of attendees
  • Qualified leads captured
  • Conversion to application or hire
  • Engagement with landing pages and follow-up emails
  • Cost per lead or cost per hire

PageUp Clinch makes this easy by tying all activity back to your CRM. With real-time tracking and reporting, you can see what’s driving results and optimiseoptimize your strategy for the next event.

 

Power up your recruitment events with PageUp Clinch

Makes running standout recruitment events simple and scalable with Page Clinch recruitment marketing platform. From capturing candidate info to post-event follow-up, it’s built to drive results:

  • Capture on the go: Use Clinch’s iOS or Web Kiosk to collect resumes and details instantly, right into your CRM.

  • Smart segmentation: Automatically tag candidates by skills, role, or criteria to fuel targeted talent pipelines.

  • Event landing pages: Launch branded, no-code pages to promote events, capture interest, and convert visitors.

  • QR code integration: Let attendees scan and connect on the spot – boosting real-time engagement and traffic.

  • Custom CTAs and forms: Create tailored forms that capture the data you actually need.

  • Post-event nurture: Trigger automated, personalisedpersonalized follow-ups to keep candidates warm and moving forward.

 

Customer highlight: PagerDuty’s success at RenderATL

 

PagerDuty’s hiring team knocked it out of the park at RenderATL – powered by PageUp Clinch event capabilities. Their approach was seamless – designed to build relationships with top talent from the moment they walked through the door.

At the heart of their strategy was a dedicated landing page, featuring custom, targeted content that resonated with the event’s audience and showcased PagerDuty’s employer brand. But they didn’t stop there: to bridge the gap between in-person interactions and their online presence, they placed QR codes on their booth – and even on giveaway cookies! Making it fun and effortless for attendees to engage with PagerDuty, explore their tailored landing page with open roles, dive deeper into their culture and a CTA to join their talent community.

The team kept the conversation going with automated email blasts during the event, encouraging booth visitors to stay connected. Candidates were then placed into automated workflows, ensuring ongoing connection after the event.

This strategic combination of Clinch’s event features and automation tools helped PagerDuty engage both active and passive candidates. In short? Recruitment events (done right) can truly transform the hiring process.

 

Recruitment events are more than just opportunities to fill open positions – they’re a chance to grow your talent community, engage with passive candidates, and showcase your employer brand. In a time when digital outreach alone isn’t enough, events help you stand out and create meaningful moments of connection.

 

Transform your recruitment events into seamless, impactful experiences. Learn how PageUp Clinch can help you take yours to the next level. Request a demo today.

How To Master Criticial Skills Img

6 steps to mastering critical skills

More and more, talent acquisition and talent management teams are joining forces. They’re building connected processes where recruiting, onboarding and development all work together. The goal is simple: focus on the skills that matter most for business success and employee growth.

Identifying the right skills isn’t always simple. Roles are evolving rapidly, new technologies keep emerging, and the skills your people need today could look very different from what they’ll need tomorrow.

That’s why building a clear, skills-first approach has never been more important. Let’s dive into how to master critical skills within your organisationorganization.

 

Why identifying critical skills matters

Critical skills are the capabilities your business relies on most. They’re not just hard, technical skills. Think soft skills that are often harder to learn – like adaptability, leadership and creative thinking. These skills fuel performance, innovation and growth.

In today’s market, skills are the backbone of talent acquisition and management strategies. They are being used to navigate top HR priorities including:

  • Upskilling and reskilling in employee development 
  • Skills-based hiring in talent acquisition
  • Internal mobility to unlock talent from within

When you know what your critical skills are, you can make better decisions about how to hire, develop and retain your people. This lets you move forward and be more confident that your workforce is ready for what’s next.

 

1. Align skills with business goals

Start by getting clear on what your business is trying to achieve. Are you entering new markets? Launching new products? Improving customer experience?

Every big goal needs skills to make it happen. Once you know the goals, work with business leaders to map the skills needed to get there. Make this a regular conversation – as business priorities shift, your skills needs will too.

 

2. Understand your skills gap

Next, take stock of the skills you already have, and the skills you’re missing.

Use a skills gap analysis to see where you stand today. Look at employee assessments, performance reviews and feedback data. Tap into managers’ knowledge of their team’s strengths and where there are gaps. This will reveal where to focus your hiring and development efforts.

According to Mercer, 33% of organisationsorganizations are now actively investing in employee skills development and better talent assessment. Understanding where you stand today is the foundation of smarter, future-focused decisions.

 

3. Connect talent acquisition and talent management

Recruitment and employee development are working side-by-side more than ever. Hiring managers and talent teams should work together to find people with the skills and potential to grow. Look beyond what’s on a CV – focus on skills, mindset and capacity to learn.

This is the heart of skills-based hiring, which is being increasingly adopted as more organisationsorganizations rethink traditional recruitment practices. Korn Ferry calls this shift “retaining by training” – bringing in people with potential, and then giving them the tools to thrive.

Once people are part of the team, keep building on those skills. Create clear pathways for growth and a culture of ongoing learning. Offer stretch assignments, mentoring and learning opportunities that build on the skills you hired them for. This will help candidates and employees see a future with your business, whilst helping your business stay ahead.

 

4. Build a skills framework

A skills framework is your guidebook. It outlines the key skills needed across different roles, teams and levels. This is often where teams can get stuck. Our advice – keep it simple. Keep it flexible. And keep it evolving.

A good framework helps recruiters find the right people. It helps managers have better development conversations, and helps employees understand what’s expected of them and what’s possible next.

 

5. Make internal mobility part of your culture

When you know what skills exist in your business, you can create real opportunities for people to move and grow internally. Internal mobility helps you fill skill gaps faster and is 12 times more effective at finding the right person than hiring through job boards. It shows employees that they don’t have to leave to level up, and it makes the most of the talent you already have. 

49% of organisationsorganizations are improving their workforce planning to better inform whether they should buy, build or borrow talent. Internal mobility plays a big role in that strategy.

Make it easy for people to explore internal moves with a dedicated careers page for employees. Share success stories. Encourage managers to have honest career conversations, and create pathways that support skills development across different roles and teams.

 

6. Embed skills across the employee experience

This is where it all comes to life. The best skills strategies show up in everyday moments.

  • Recruiting: Write job ads that focus on the skills that matter most and incorporate skills based assessment to assess candidates.
  • Onboarding: Set new hires up with the tools and learning modules they need from day one.
  • Development: Offer training, mentoring and opportunities that build the skills your business needs.
  • Performance: Give regular feedback on skills growth, not just task delivery.
  • Career paths: Show people how building new skills opens doors to new opportunities.

Upskilling and reskilling your existing workforce will enable you to stay ahead in a fast-moving market. It helps you enhance employee engagement, retain top talent and respond quickly to change. Because no matter how roles evolve or technology shifts, you’ll have a workforce that’s ready to learn, grow and adapt.

 

Final thoughts

Identifying and defining critical skills is one of the smartest things any business can do. It forges a vital link between talent strategy with business strategy. And it lays the foundation for the kind of workplace where people and performance thrive.

This isn’t just about filling today’s roles. It’s about future-proofing your workforce for whatever comes next. Get the skills right, and the rest will follow.

Pageup Girl Applying For A Job

How to attract stronger candidates by fine-tuning your application process

Gone are the days of dreaming of more applicants. As recruitment teams are flooded with resumes, today’s challenge is to get to the best candidates quickly before they slip away. So, how do you cut through the noise and get top talent to not only apply, but stay engaged? The key lies in fine-tuning your application process. When every moment counts, a smooth, candidate-centric experience can be the difference between securing top talent and losing them to the competition.

 

What’s behind the rise in applications and drop in quality?

Before fixing the funnel, it’s important to understand what is impacting applicant quality.

Technology has made it easier than ever for jobseekers to apply with minimal effort. One-click applications and AI-generated resumes mean candidates can send out dozens of applications in a matter of minutes, often without a second thought into whether they are the right fit.

Economic shifts are also influencing application behavior. Many professionals are exploring new roles to future-proof their careers, sometimes applying outside their usual industry or experience level. This may present an opportunity for companies to look at candidates with transferable skills who may not have previously considered a role in their field.

The way job postings are structured plays a major role. Clear and engaging job descriptions help attract candidates who are the best fit, while generic or vague postings may result in a broader applicant pool that requires more filtering. Companies that highlight their unique culture and value proposition are more likely to draw in high-quality candidates who are genuinely interested in what’s on offer.

By understanding these shifts and optimising the hiring process, organisationsorganizations can turn this influx of applications into an advantage—engaging the right talent while ensuring a smoother, more efficient recruitment journey.

1. Write targeted job ads that attract the right candidates

Your job post is often the first impression a candidate has of your company, so it needs to be clear, compelling, and targeted. Poorly written job descriptions are the top candidate frustration in their job search. A well-crafted job advertisement does more than list responsibilities; it ensures the right people apply while discouraging unfit applicants.

For more effective job descriptions:

  • Use clear and specific language to describe responsibilities and required skills.
  • Avoid broad or generic job titles that may attract the wrong audience.
  • Focus on must-have skills needed to succeed in the role and outline any mandatory qualifications.
  • Highlight the soft skills that would help someone thrive in the role.
  • Showcase your company culture and values to attract candidates who align with your organisationorganization.

A well-structured job ad helps filter out unsuitable applicants before they even hit “apply,” saving time and effort down the line.

2. Turn to your CRM to invite talent to apply

Before publishing your job advertisement across multiple job boards, turn to your recruitment CRM. Sourcing candidates through existing relationships is 18X more effective than job boards. Inviting qualified talent can keep your talent pool smaller, save time and resources. 

To get the most out of existing relationships:

  • Send a personalisedpersonalized email to invite talent to apply and align with their skills.
  • Identify silver medallist candidates who are strong contenders for the role.
  • Invite them to join talent pools or networking events to maintain engagement.
  • Ask for referrals from those who aren’t currently open to opportunities.

By nurturing relationships, recruiters can build a pipeline of high-quality candidates who are ready to step into future roles.

3. Use smart screening to filter out unqualified applicants

Not every applicant will be the right fit, but that doesn’t mean recruiters should waste valuable hours sifting through irrelevant resumes. With the right  screening methods, you can quickly pinpoint aligned candidates while filtering out those who don’t meet the basic requirements. 

Effective screening tactics include:

  • Knockout questions that require candidates to confirm essential requirements such as experience using a specific tool or background of people management.
  • Quick skill tests that assess a candidate’s ability to perform a job-specific task.
  • Scenario-based questions that ask candidates how they would handle real-world challenges related to the role.
  • Monitor incomplete application rates to identify areas where candidates drop off and ensure .

By integrating these quick assessments early in the process, hiring teams can focus on engaging high-potential candidates rather than sorting through unsuitable applications.

4. Automate repetitive tasks while keeping the process personal

Automation can help streamline the hiring process, but it should never come at the expense of human connection. AI smart search capabilities can recommend candidates based on job fit. However, a personal touch remains essential in keeping top candidates engaged.

To strike the right balance:

  • Use AI smart searches to quickly filter and rank applications based on job fit.
  • Resume parsing tools like PageUp’s AI screening assistant uses AI summarisationsummarization to present key insights to enable recruiters to focus on top-tier candidates.
  • Automate status updates to keep candidates informed throughout the hiring process.
  • PersonalisePersonalize communication by referencing specific skills or experiences.
  • Leverage AI chatbots to support with their job search and answering FAQs.
  • Ensure a recruiter is available to answer candidate questions and build relationships.

When used effectively, automation reduces administrative burden and ensures high-quality candidates feel valued and engaged.

5. Track key hiring metrics to keep improving

A great hiring process is never static. To ensure continuous improvement, it’s essential to track key metrics and identify areas where adjustments are needed.

Some of the most valuable hiring metrics include:

  • Conversion rates: Measuring the percentage of candidates who move from one stage to the next. For example, the percentage of jobseekers who viewed your job ad converted to an application.
  • Drop-off rate: This assesses the number of jobseekers who abandoned the process. By looking at the drop-off rate at different stages of the application process, you can identify where recruiters can make improvements.
  • Mobile : Desktop application ratio: Shows the ratio of applications submitted on each device. Compare with incomplete application rates to track the effectiveness of your application process across devices.
  • Time-to-hire: This metric shows the efficiency of identifying a suitable candidate by tracking how quickly the successful candidate moves from application to offer acceptance.

Regularly reviewing these recruitment metrics allows organisationsorganizations to refine their hiring strategies and improve overall candidate conversion rates.

Bonus tip: Simplify the application process to reduce drop-off rates

If you’re experiencing higher drop-offs or not receiving the volume of applications you’re seeking, look at how you can streamline the process. A long or complicated application process can cause top candidates to lose interest before they even complete their submission. If applying for a role feels like a chore, the best applicants may move on to a company that makes the process easier.

To keep the application process candidate-friendly:

  • Ensure the entire process takes no longer than ten minutes to complete.
  • Remove unnecessary steps, like requiring candidates to re-enert details already provided. Allow resume parsing to auto-fill application fields instead of requiring manual data entry.
  • Enable social logins to save candidates from creating yet another account.
  • OptimiseOptimize the process for mobile devices – our latest data shows 34% of candidates apply on mobile.
  • Use incomplete application rates to identify areas where candidates drop off and consider how you can improve it.

When applying is quick and seamless, the right candidates are more likely to complete their applications and stay engaged.

A smarter process brings better hires

The hiring landscape has changed, and top talent has more choices than ever. If companies want to attract and retain the best candidates, they need to create an application process that is efficient, engaging, and candidate-friendly.

When the process is optimisedoptimized from start to finish, hiring teams spend less time sorting through unqualified resumes and more time securing the right people for the job.

 

Learn more about enhancing your candidate experience in our latest candidate experience report here.

How To Get Started With Skills Based Hiring Pageup

How to get started with skills-based hiring

Skills-based hiring is on the rise, with a notable 11% increase in adoption last year. As organisationsorganizations face skills shortages, and the need to build diverse and agile workforces, hiring teams are exploring non-traditional recruitment methods in their quest for talent.

As the skills-based hiring approach remains unchartered territory for many organisationsorganizations, let’s break down what skills-based hiring is, its benefits, and how you can get started. 

 

What is skills-based hiring?

Skills-based hiring focuses on evaluating candidates based on their skills, capabilities, and potential rather than traditional criteria like education, qualifications, or work experience. This approach uses a skills ontology, a method for defining and measuring relationships between skills, jobs, and people. It creates a dynamic language that connects skills across various roles, industries, and subject areas.

 

The benefits of skills-based hiring

Increase talent pools

By looking beyond formal qualifications and job history, skills-based hiring uncovers a broader range of skilled professionals who might otherwise be overlooked. This method can expand your talent pipeline by more than nine times, increasing your chances of finding the perfect fit for your team.

 

Improve DEI

Focusing on skills rather than traditional qualifications levels the playing field for underrepresented groups who have followed alternative educational or career paths. An astounding 90% of employers using skills-based hiring have observed an increase in workplace diversity.

 

Create organisationalorganizational agility

Shifting from rigid job requirements to a skills-based framework allows for greater flexibility. Companies can quickly adapt to changing economic or market conditions by reallocating employees based on the skills needed. Skills-based organisationsorganizations are 57% more likely to anticipate and respond to change effectively.

 

Drive performance and innovation

Hiring based on skills accelerates the time to productivity. Skills are five times more predictive of job performance than education and twice as predictive as work experience. By assembling teams with diverse skill sets, you can foster an environment fit for innovation.

 

Enhance development and retention

As business needs evolve, so do the required skills. Understanding your team’s skills allows for targeted upskilling and reskilling. Providing ongoing development opportunities increases engagement and retention, with 56% of people leaders noting improved talent retention from skills-based hiring.

 

How to establish a skills-based approach

Pageup Skill Based Hiring Steps Image

 

1. Set your goals

Start by defining why you want to adopt a skills-based approach. Whether it’s to diversify your talent pool or build a more agile workforce, having clear objectives will guide your process. For example “to access a more diverse talent pool” or “to build an agile workforce that can quickly adapt to future business needs”.

 

2. Build the foundation

One of the main challenges is defining a common language for skills. A skills taxonomy categorisescategorizes skills into groups and clusters, making it easier to identify and manage them across your organisationorganization.

 

3. Determine future needs

Align your talent strategy with your business goals. Identify the capabilities needed to meet future demands and the skills required to build those capabilities. This alignment helps you organiseorganize work around these skills, identify gaps, and refine your talent acquisition strategy.

 

4. Manage the transition

Changing established mindsets and practices is the biggest hurdle. Engage and educate your stakeholders on the benefits and methods of skills-based hiring. Equip recruiters and hiring managers with the tools and training they need to assess and evaluate skills effectively. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so identify the different types of tools to meet your requirements and find what works best for your organisationorganization‘s unique needs.

 

5. Start small and scale

Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Start with a key talent segment or a specific business unit. Implement the approach, learn from the experience, and gradually expand.

 

Steps to running a skill-based hiring process

1. Engage stakeholders

As a recruiter, when commencing a hiring process the hiring manager is your greatest ally. Collaborate closely to define the essential skills of the position, leaving out those that can be easily taught on the job. Dive deep into the role’s daily tasks, challenges, and expectations by discussing them with managers, team members, or even department leads. This will provide valuable insight to prioritiseprioritize the most critical skills for the new hire.

 

2. Identify transferable skills

Switching the focus from specific qualifications or roles to skills can greatly expand your talent pool. A common, dynamic understanding of the connections between skills allows you to spot transferable skills from candidates, even if they haven’t worked in your industry before. Here’s how to do it:

  • Review the job description: Thoroughly examine the job description and responsibilities to pinpoint the necessary skills.
  • Analyse similar job listings: Research and cross-reference similar job postings to get a broader view of the common skills required. Consider adjacent roles to understand transferable skill sets.
  • PrioritisePrioritize essential skills: Focus on the must-have skills and avoid an overly long list that might scare off potential candidates.
  • Include soft skills: Think beyond technical and hard skills. Consider essential soft skills, which are increasingly important, especially in hybrid and remote roles.
  • Keep the future in mind: Think about how the role might evolve and what skills will be important in the future, such as AI-related skills.

Once you’ve gathered this information, you’ll have a comprehensive list of skills required for the position.

Pageup Transferable Skills

 

3. Sourcing for skills

Now, it’s time to start your search and attract talent with the skills you’re looking for. Make sure to:

  • Review the position description: Clearly outline the required skills, including technical and soft skills, and specify the level of proficiency needed. Clearly communicate the business impact of the role.
  • Craft your job advertisementadvertizement: Focus on skills and capabilities, removing unnecessary qualifications that could deter good candidates. Use inclusive language to attract a diverse range of applicants.
  • Consider both internal and external talent pools: Ask yourself if you can fill the position by upskilling current employees or if you need to hire externally. Use talent pooling to create a ready list of candidates whose skills are already known, making the hiring process quicker and more efficient.

 

4. Screening for skills

Recruitment technology plays a key role in supporting skills-based hiring. When screening resumes and candidate matching within your applicant tracking system (ATS), focus on skills rather than specific job titles or credentials. Be aware that candidates from other industries might use different terminology to describe their skills. A candidate’s resume might not perfectly match your search terms but could still be a great fit based on their skills. You’ll only know if you take the time to read the resume.

Watch out for unconscious bias—don’t make decisions based on education, degrees, or past employers. Instead, focus on the skills and potential a candidate brings to the table. It is also important to bear in mind that in the age of generative AI, 45% of job seekers are using AI tools to enhance their resumes.

Some companies use skill assessments early in the process, especially in high-volume recruitment situations. These assessments, such as video interviews, chat functionality, AI skills matching, and job simulations, provide a consistent process for all candidates, reducing bias.

 

5. Selecting for skills

Finally, assess candidates’ capabilities through interviews, assessments, and tests. Competency-based interviews, which use behavioural and situational questions, are a great way to evaluate specific skills. For example, ask, “Describe a project where you had to use different leadership styles to reach your goal” or “Tell me about a time you needed to influence people with different priorities from yours.” These questions help you understand how candidates apply their skills in real situations.

Use various assessments, such as psychometric testing, job knowledge tests, and practical assignments, to evaluate candidates’ skills. These assessments help ensure that you’re selecting candidates who are not only capable for the role but also fit well within your organisationorganization.

The future of skills is rapidly evolving. By embedding a skills-based hiring approach within your organisationorganization, you can tap into a broader talent pool, foster a more inclusive workplace, and become more agile. Use these steps to get started, build on and adjust to meet your organisationorganization’s needs. And remember, ensuring you have stakeholders buy in and the technology to execute is crucial in effectively running a skills-based hiring process.

Learn more about how the PageUp Talent Acquisition Suite can support you on your skills-based hiring journey and request a demo today.

Ai In Recruitment Navigating The New Hiring Era Pageup

AI in recruitment: Navigating the new hiring era

Long gone are the days of publishing a job ad in the newspaper. Today, we can’t imagine hiring without digital job boards, automated communications, or virtual interviewing. Technology continues transforming how we hire, with the latest and greatest talk of the town being Artificial Intelligence (AI). With AI adoption rapidly rising and the candidate experience at the top of mind, talent acquisition teams are navigating how to strike the right balance between using AI without losing the human touch.

Let’s dissect the most talked about topic in recruitment this year, uncovering how AI is adopted, what to be aware of, and its impact on the future role of talent acquisition.

 

How AI is used in recruitment

The most common areas in which HR functions use AI are recruitment, interviewing and hiring. In other words, Talent Acquisition. The types of AI utilisedutilized can be categorisedcategorized into two key areas: Foundational AI and Generative AI (Gen AI). Foundational AI works to streamline hiring processes by providing intelligent recommendations to speed up hiring decisions, while Gen AI leverages the power of machine learning to produce new text, images, or video in response to prompts. Both Foundational and Gen AI are immensely valuable for busy hiring teams, with nearly 9 in 10 using AI to save time or increase their efficiency, allowing HR to prioritiseprioritize tasks that need human intelligence.

Below are some key areas where recruitment teams are currently using AI throughout hiring processes:

  • Candidate sourcing: AI intelligence can help with candidate rediscovery by surfacing silver medalists, skills matching and using data to predict and build talent pipelines to speed up sourcing.
  • Candidate experience: Foundational AI can suggest job recommendations or blog posts to candidates on your careerscareer site, delivering a more personalisedpersonalized experience. Gen AI can quickly compose candidate communications for use in email or text quickly.
  • Chatbots: To enhance candidate engagement, chatbots are used to provide real-time responses 24/7, application assistance, and preliminary assessments.
  • Generating Content: Gen AI can be used as a starting point to help form copy for job advertisements or descriptions for a target audience and help remove bias from the language used.
  • Interviews: AI tools can support interview scheduling, screening and management. Gen AI can craft interview questions or develop interview guides to streamline processes.
  • SummarisingSummarizing or analysing resumes: AI can be used to summarisesummarize CVs or compare suitability to job descriptions to fast-track the screening process.

We are scratching the surface of how AI could evolve to support recruitment processes further. Staying on top of what AI recruitment technology and tools are at your disposal will keep your talent acquisition strategy ahead of the curve.

 

Key considerations when using AI in recruitment

Without a doubt AI has many benefits that support busy and time-poor recruitment teams. But amidst the excitement of AI, there are things you need to keep in mind to help achieve the ultimate balance between efficiency and outcomes.

 

Maintaining decision making

One of the top considerations is maintaining the human touch and intelligence. Defining what you are and are not using AI for can guide this. Let AI do some of the heavy lifting whilst leaving humans to make the ultimate decisions. When looking at your sourcing strategy, ensure AI is used without impacting candidate privacy, bias and compliance issues. AI can surface potential candidates, but a person should decide who goes through the process. Identifying and training teams on where and how AI is used within your recruitment process with enable you to maintain the ultimate decision making.

 

Employer brand authenticity

When we look at employer branding, authenticity is one of the critical aspects candidates value the most when considering whether they want to work for an organisationorganization. Always ensure communications accurately reflect your brand voice. AI can help as a starting point to build content and generate ideas, but ensure you put your spin on the final result. Use AI to speed up manual processes that don’t require a high level of personalisationpersonalization, giving you time back to focus on elements of the candidate experience within the recruitment processes that value human interaction.

 

Ethical considerations

Instances of bias or unethical outcomes from algorithmic decision-making cast a shadow over the AI-powered recruitment landscape. Despite AI’s ability to reduce bias, if the models are trained on biased or incomplete data sets, they can unintentionally perpetuate inequality. Do your due diligence on what tools are to be embedded in your organisationorganization. Opting for solutions developed with a data-driven approach ensures confidence in the trustworthiness and reliability of any AI recruitment tools integrated into your operations.


Impact on employees

The uncertainty of job displacement has played on many employees’ minds, with concerns of potential losses in the workforce due to automation and AI. Many organisationsorganizations are opting for a blend of AI support and human intervention to address these concerns, aiming to amplify human capabilities rather than replace them. A recent report from the Tech Council of Australia (TCA) forecasted that AI could create 200,000 new jobs by 2030, driving workplace efficiencies and economic growth. Applying a human-centred approach to integrating AI in the workforce will ease concerns and equip employees on how to leverage the technology within their roles.

 

The role of AI in the future of talent acquisition

AI is empowering recruiters to do less ‘filling the funnel’ and more connecting with candidates to find a great match. As AI adoption increases, we will see advanced personalisationpersonalization across the candidate experience. Talent acquisition teams can create automated campaigns to communicate with candidates using historical and predictive data; these campaigns can be personalisedpersonalized and targeted based on the candidate’s past actions, preferences or recruitment stage, to help drive engagement at scale.

AI equips recruiters with invaluable insights and analytics, guiding informed choices based on comprehensive data analysis. Over time, this can elevate the role of talent acquisition within the organisationorganization to focus on more strategic initiatives. When looking at skills recruiters need in the future, a LinkedIn survey showed the top soft skills in the next five years include communication (77%), relationship building (72%), adaptability (63%), problem solving (62%) and critical thinking (61%). Developing more strategic abilities and being adaptable and receptive to learning new skills will make it easier to embrace AI-powered recruitment tools.

Due to the acceleration of AI technology, it is predicted that by 2030 the skills required for a role will change by 65%. A shift to skills-focused operating models is becoming increasingly popular in order to achieve greater agility within organisationsorganizations. The integration of AI technology and skills-based approaches will transform the TA landscape, enhancing abilities to forecast talent shortages, match talent with skills more effectively, and uncover new talent pool opportunities. If adopted, TA can better prepare organisationorganization for the future by becoming more adaptable to talent shifts, reducing bias in hiring processes and enhancing employee engagement across the board.

The future of recruitment is undoubtedly intertwined with the responsible integration of AI and the evolving regulatory landscape. Greater transparency will emerge as a cornerstone to ease concerns regarding AI ethics. AI promises a more efficient, personalisedpersonalized, and engaging recruitment environment. Striking the right balance between technological advancements, ethical considerations, and human-centric approaches will ensure long-term recruitment success. How will your team harness AI in the year ahead?

Learn more about how PageUp’s powerful AI capabilities can help you enhance recruiter productivity and deliver impactful candidate experiences.

Tech Trends To Drive Your Recruitment Strategy Article

Tech trends that will transform your recruitment strategy

Technology is a cornerstone of our daily lives. Does it really make life easier, save us time, and help us achieve our potential? In short, yes. But, as you’ll likely agree, it depends on how you use it. 

In the past few decades, the explosion of time-saving tools, integrations, and capabilities have transformed the way organisationsorganizations develop their recruitment strategies. For recruiters, technology enables you to do more with less, regain more time for high-value tasks, make data-informed decisions, and focus on the candidate experience. 

Let’s explore current tech trends and their applications within different layers of an effective recruitment strategy, from recruitment marketing, to applicant tracking and beyond. Each serves as a useful framework to understand leading recruitment tools, integrations, and capabilities in action. Plus, unlock more value from your current tech stack with recommended action steps. Not only can these tech trends improve your efficiency, they’ll also support your organisationorganization to create a lasting impression and positive candidate experience. 

 

Awareness and attraction 

The right recruitment marketing software can enhance your employer brand and ability to engage talent tenfold. How? By boosting key capabilities such as self-service careers site solutions, targeted campaigns, and publishing integrations with job sites and social platforms. It can facilitate engagement with both broad and precise talent segments, including active and passive candidates.

Use recruitment marketing tech to establish an effective, mobile-friendly careers site, and showcase your company culture and values, with clear calls to action (such as applying for roles, job alerts, or your talent community). This can be paired with automation capabilities to do the heavy lifting afterwards, such as abandoned application communications to increase conversion rates. You may also like to consider SMS recruitment tools to connect with candidates at scale and streamline the hiring process. 

If AI and automation are top of mind, perhaps it’s worth distinguishing between them. Automation follows predetermined instructions, while AI can learn from data, and make predictions and decisions based on this information. From a recruitment marketing perspective, you may like to consider automated alerts and personalisedpersonalized messaging. Or, in terms of AI-enhanced capabilities, use it to analyse job market trends or create targeted job ads. 

Job ad generators can support you in crafting compelling listings, with capabilities such as customisablecustomizable templates, keyword suggestions, and formatting options, to ensure your ads are concise and optimisedoptimized to attract suitable candidates. Textmetrics, for example, uses smart AI writing software to create engaging, inclusive, error-free content and job listings.

 

Applications and conversions 

If you’ve laid the groundwork with recruitment marketing software to improve your awareness and attraction capabilities, ensure your application process is smooth, simple, and –perhaps it bears repeating– mobile-friendly. After all, 51% of jobseekers search for new job opportunities and 33% submit applications via mobile

Consider elevating application and conversion touchpoints with personalisedpersonalized automations, such as application receipts, or welcome messages for people who opt in to your talent community or job alerts. And be sure to measure results through your ATS to determine critical recruitment metrics, such as sourcing channel effectiveness. 

 

Applicant tracking and candidate communication 

If your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is the central nervous system of your recruitment strategy, it’s helpful to ensure you’re using it to its fullest potential. Consider leveraging tools to improve candidate nurturing and communication, reach diversity and inclusion targets, and create seamless experiences for your recruitment team and hiring managers. 

Particularly for high-volume recruitment, automation for personalisedpersonalized communication can create an impressive, lasting experience for candidates. In terms of AI-enhanced capabilities, you may like to use AI tools to screen applications, process, and identify top candidates.

Use in-built Applicant Tracking reporting functionality to measure achievements in different aspects of your recruitment process, such as time to hire and candidate acceptance rates. And make data-informed decisions accordingly. 

 

Interviewing, evaluations, and offers 

Of course, TA teams need strong tools and processes for interviewing and evaluating candidates to make the best use of time and resources. But importantly, it must prioritiseprioritize the candidate experience. 

As we’ve shared, AI tools make hiring faster and fairer. Essentially, these tools have the power to process high volumes of information at speed, reduce unconscious bias, and create a positive candidate experience with personalisationpersonalization and efficiency. 

Powerful video interviewing software, such as myInterview, Spark Hire, VidCruiter, and AI smart interviewing tool Sapia.au, are supporting recruiters to deliver positive candidate experience – complete with customisationcustomization, branding, and personalisationpersonalization capabilities. Interview generator tools, too, automate interview question creation, providing tailored questions based on role requirements and candidate profiles. All are great ways for recruiters to save time, ensure consistency, and streamline the candidate assessment process.  

For faster, more effective recruitment screening, there are an abundance of tools to streamline psychometric and behavioural assessments, eligibility and reference checks. pymetrics, for instance, uses data-driven behavioural insights and AI to create a more efficient, effective, and fair hiring process across the talent lifecycle. 

Continue analysing recruitment metrics to guide decision-making and demonstrate ROI. 

 

Beyond

Technology has immense potential to transform recruitment strategy and the way we interact with candidates. Beyond the tech tools outlined, there are many which can be applied to other stages in the talent lifecycle, from talent pooling to internal engagement. (For the employee experience alone, there are countless tools for employee feedback, internal mobility, onboarding, training, and more.) 

If you’re focused on digital transformation, the technology benefits of intelligent automations, data and reporting, and seamless communication are well understood. Yet, if they’re not thoughtfully implemented, rather than developing authentic engagement with candidates, the opposite can happen. To compete for top talent, recruiters must combine innovative tech with strategic thinking and a data-driven approach. On this final note remember, avoid the trap of data silos. Instead, use data technology to share insights with your recruitment team and executive leadership, and ensure everyone is on the same page about the areas you’re working towards developing or maintaining. 

 

Ready to optimiseoptimize your talent technology with a purpose-built recruitment platform, powered by powerful integrations? Get in touch to transform the way you hire with PageUp.