The Balancing Act in Recruiting

I like to invest time in the recruitment process - because I believe in potential. Because I am convinced that there is a person behind every application who is worth getting to know personally. And yet this invested time often backfires. Not because this time is wasted. But because so many other to do's are left undone. The tasks pile up, the calendar is full, the appointments are urgent - and yet I sit there and have conversations. Always hoping: maybe this conversation is the one that counts.

The Dilemma of Real Conversations

The other day on the bus I met a colleague who was looking for reinforcement ideas for her team. «I spend so much time in conversations,» she said, «but at some point I ask myself: how many of them really bring us further?» Later, I was scrolling through LinkedIn and got stuck on a post. An HR executive had a simple link in her bio: «Book a 15-minute call with me». An available time slot every day for those interested. No forms to fill out, no traditional application - just an offer for an interview. My first thought: great. My second: or is that too much time invested again - already with limited capacities?

Both experiences show the same dilemma: we believe in potential and want to get to know the person behind the CV. But it is precisely this requirement that often makes recruitment exhausting - and sometimes frustrating. Not because of the candidates, but because of our processes. Too many steps, unclear responsibilities, a lack of support from systems or tools. Is it really the interviews that take up time - or is it all the other stuff that makes them complicated?

Three Levers for More Effective Recruiting

The crucial question is not whether we invest too much time in our recruitment process - but what we invest it in. All too often, we spend too much time on things that don't get us anywhere. Instead of the processes working for us, we work for the processes. This is exactly the key point: it's not about having fewer interviews, it's about removing bureaucratic hurdles. To create space for real, human encounters again. In my work in recruitment and as an HR strategy consultant, I have identified three very practical levers that can be used to make recruitment noticeably more human while at the same time more efficient.

1. Unravelling processes: candidate journey mapping

Change begins with understanding. Before we optimise a recruitment process in our projects, we take the perspective of the candidates together. Step by step, we track what the journey from first contact to employment feels like - also known as candidate journey mapping. How do applicants experience this journey? Where are the stumbling blocks? And where do we lose potential talent? In workshops with HR, managers - and sometimes applicants themselves - we show where things become unnecessarily complicated: too many touchpoints, unclear communication, long waiting times.

Typical stumbling blocks:

• «We'll get back to you» - but nobody knows when.
• Internal confusion: who actually decides?
• Communication chaos: applicants hear nothing for weeks - or everything twice

Commitment alone is not enough if there is no overview. Candidate journey mapping makes the complexity visible and creates the basis for simplification. This is exactly where the circle closes with formats such as the 15-minute call: instead of losing applicants in long forms or complicated processes, short, direct dialogue opens the door to real encounters. Low-barrier formats such as coffee chats, speed recruitment or digital walk-ins make companies approachable - and use time exactly where it makes the biggest difference. These accessible formats signalise: we take you seriously, even before you have applied. An anonymous process becomes a personal invitation. And this is exactly what characterises the modern candidate experience. Applicants want accessible points of contact that convey genuine interest.

Candidate experience is created where processes are deliberately streamlined - and real conversations take centre stage again.

2. Bringing the brand to life: real people instead of glossy images

Traditional employer branding no longer works. Glossy images and interchangeable values on career pages are hardly convincing anymore. What counts are credible voices and a culture that is tangible. Employees who authentically tell us what it's really like - what they value, but also what is challenging. This shows a lived culture, not controlled communication. Regardless of the channel - whether via social media, at trade fairs or in interviews: those who speak openly and without pretence come across as credible.

A modern employer value proposition thrives on employees being able to help shape it, rather than just projecting an artificially created image to the outside world. Real insights, not staged roles. This creates credibility - and commitment. Because those who experience that the inside and outside match are more likely to stay. And recommend more honestly.

3. Using AI - for more humanity

Artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment? Many people think of anonymous algorithms and opaque selection processes. Terms such as bias and regulation immediately spring to mind. However, the true value of AI lies elsewhere, namely where it acts as an assistant rather than a decision-maker. Used correctly, it takes on repetitive tasks: matching, screening, scheduling or standard communication - tasks that often prevent us from doing exactly what we actually want to do - talk to people, understand them, make good decisions. The result? More room for focus. For dialogue. And for genuine appreciation. This is where the real change begins: we are not "less human" because we use AI. On the contrary, we are actually "more human" - thanks to better systems.

An example: Saturday evening. An applicant scrolls through job vacancies. One job appeals to her immediately - but she will probably have to wait until Monday to ask her questions. Or does she? A chat opens directly on the careers page and she is met in person. A friendly greeting, no bot talk. Her questions are answered in just a few minutes. She can even suggest a time to meet. No queues. No hurdles. Just an uncomplicated first contact that shows: people matter to us. These clever uses of AI create closeness instead of distance.

Recruitment mastermind Matt Alder sums it up in a nutshell: "The problem isn't that AI will take our jobs - it's that we're doing jobs that shouldn't exist in the first place."

Conclusion: Recruitment is a Relationship - not an Administrative Act

Recruitment is not about having as many interviews as possible - it's about having the right ones. If we honestly scrutinise processes, let real voices speak and use technology in a targeted manner, we create a candidate experience that works. Not perfect. But genuine. And that is exactly what matters.

Because recruitment is not a stopgap. It is a strategic lever. Every part of it influences how a company develops in human, cultural and strategic terms. This makes it all the more important not to leave this process to chance - but to consciously shape it. Consciously shaping recruitment means shaping the future.

Source

LinkedIn article by Matt Alder: www.bit.ly/LinkedIn-Post_Alder