Recently at a conference, a presenter said something that really resonated with me... "When recruiters think candidate experience, they think technology. But candidates, they think humanity." I love that. I'm a big believer that differentiation is at the heart of strategy. Think about a brand, service, product, or company that you're loyal to. It might be your favourite restaurant, your favourite magazine, or your favourite app. What is it that drives that loyalty? The chances are that it's something that appeals to your values, your geography, or your tastes. The chances are that nobody else is delivering in quite the same way, otherwise you wouldn't be loyal. The reason you are loyal is because that company, product, service, or brand is unique. They're not afraid to be different, in fact they embrace and leverage their uniqueness. The opposite of a differentiated market is a commodity market. Who the hell wants to be selling goods / services / jobs in a commodity market?
If you accept the premise that differentiation is at the heart of strategy and take that to its' logical conclusion, a surprisingly helpful insight comes to you... if all of your HR practices are common practices, you don't have a strategy.
Do you know what's popular in recruitment right now? Automation, "spray & pray" advertising, and giving a long list of requirements without a realistic job preview. What's not popular with recruitment is following up with every candidate. Giving feedback. Giving the candidates enough information to self-select out of a job that won't be a good fit for them. Telling the unvarnished truth. Those that do these things are the ones who will differentiate and win in the talent market as recruitment becomes increasingly disintermediated. Is it worth a try?
