The Human Element: Our personal touch in a digital world
By: Dana Lamanna
Have you noticed that digital tools like AI, Zoom video calls, and other digital tools have replaced essential communications and job functions in many organizations? While some of these digital tools help us do our jobs, often, it’s at the expense of the personal touch.
During the pandemic, many businesses relied more on digital tools for communication. Now that it’s behind us, we’re emphasizing the personal and in-person touches our clients love.
In recruiting, the personal touch is essential in building the relationships recruiters need to get to know candidates and clients. That’s why my colleagues and I are dedicated to getting “back to basics” and elevating the level of personal touches we provide our clients.
Benefits of the personal touch in our digital world
Nothing beats meeting clients or candidates in person. Compared to chatting over a phone or video call, you can get to know people better when meeting across a table or in a coffee shop. You can tell a lot about someone by observing their full body language, which isn’t always easy when chatting over a video call.
In-person meetings and interviews help us better gauge your candidates so we can pass you the most qualified people (in skills and personality), minimizing any surprises later.
Personal touches also help candidates and clients better trust our ability to understand their needs and connect the right candidates to the right jobs. This trust is important to getting you the best results possible.
5 ways we add personal touches to recruiting
Here are five ways my colleagues and I at MacDonald Search Group add personal touches to your recruiting process:
We build relationships: Building long-term relationships feels more natural in person than digitally. It’s possible to go through the hiring process without ever meeting the candidates in person, but you could be in for a surprise if their personality and professionalism in real life don’t match how they portray themselves in their resume.
We answer the phone: It seems basic, but it makes a huge difference. You don’t have to select a person or department from a list when you call any of our offices. Our reception staff will always answer the phone. My consultants and I will also do our best to respond to client calls, texts and emails right away when you contact us individually.
We use digital tools to enhance our services: There is still great value in using digital tools to support our process but we avoid using digital tools when we can do something in person. Sometimes, using these digital tools is unavoidable, such as when working with clients in other regions. That’s one reason why we have offices in many major cities across Canada.
We provide transparent updates: Part of building trust and ensuring we’re meeting your needs is through transparency. We will keep you in the loop throughout the candidate search process and afterwards to ensure we’re making the best matches possible for you.
We have an in-office culture: We have the facilities to easily meet candidates, host clients, and collaborate as a team. We are truly greater than the sum of our parts.
What personal touches do you value most?
My colleagues and I pride ourselves on providing the best service possible for our clients and candidates. This means going above and beyond to provide personal touches that help drive better results for you.
Let’s talk to see if our approach to hiring can work for your recruitment and hiring needs.