They say that the more things change, the more things stay the same, and this can certainly be said about how we seek out other human beings – whether for personal or professional reasons.
On one hand, digital processes are utterly central to how almost all of us now live our lives. Most of us think nothing of communicating with acquaintances, friends, loved ones and colleagues alike through messaging apps or social media. Yet… human communication is also one of the most universal and enduring things of all.
Online recruitment and online dating are both great examples of ways in which the timeless meets the contemporary. What’s more, they also have a lot in common… like the below factors.
The matching of needs and demands
Downloading a dating app like Tinder to search for a potential sweetheart feels like second nature to many of us these days. Most of us, though, aren’t looking to date just anyone – we probably have certain expectations as far as appearance, age, shared interests, educational background and other characteristics are considered.
A matchmaking process must therefore take place, and it’s a similar story in the online recruitment space. As a hiring manager, you will be on the lookout for someone who matches certain criteria in terms of soft skills, technical skills, prior experience and cultural fit, among other aspects.
Taking the first step
Whether one is dating or recruiting, there is a need at some point to reach out and connect. In an online dating app, it may be as simple as sending a message to the person who interests you, or adding them as a ‘favourite’ within the app, so that you can refer back to their profile later.
Similarly, with online recruitment, a candidate may apply for a vacancy they see, and that they feel matches their ambitions, capability and values. An employer, meanwhile, might invite the most intriguing candidates to interview, reach out to passive candidates elsewhere or add an applicant to the talent pool within its chosen recruitment software, to look back on another day.
The scarcity of the people you really want to meet
It’s a feeling that many of us have often had when attempting to date on the web: browsing all of those faces on the app every day, but never seeing anyone who quite captures your attention for long enough to move you to contact them. Or perhaps the fellow app users that you find especially attractive never reply to your messages?
More than a few hiring managers are accustomed to a similar frustration. They know what it’s like to struggle to find the candidate that possesses the skills and experience they really need. Ultimately, the most attractive people in the dating or recruitment worlds will always tend to have the greatest number of people showing an interest in them – and therefore the broadest range of options.
There are so many more ways than these in which online dating can be compared to online recruitment. There are the first, second and third dates that are reminiscent of several phases of job interviews, for example. Then, there’s the simple human connection, and the instinct that tells you a certain date or candidate for your vacancy is the right or wrong one for your needs.
Whether you are seeking the complete flat-fee online recruitment solution or instead a sophisticated and cost-effective applicant tracking system (ATS), Webrecruit can assist you in taking your hiring efforts further in 2019. Simply call 01392 829400 for more information.
