It’s something we’ve all done; we’ve seen an excellent job advertised, begun the application and said ‘I’ll finish it later’, only to never get back to it. According to Sarah Morrison, a behavioural economist and expert in HR and Transformation Services at Lomarton and an advocate of nudge strategies and behaviour economics, this is one of the reasons why good jobs don’t always attract the best applicants.
Sarah comments, “The problem with ‘doing later’ is that it’s not time-critical for you, but it is usually so for the company who is hiring.” In today’s society, we are easily distracted. Media, apps, notifications and what’s happening around us bombard us with demands. It’s easier to stop something like applying for a job than to finish. It’s just human nature. It’s not unusual for exceptional candidates to be unsure if they possess the necessary skills and experience listed in the job description. They may even suffer from imposter syndrome.
Sarah continues, “There’s a simple fix.” Put the human back in the center of recruitment. Understanding how people think, feel, and act will help you to motivate them. Give them a push in the right directions. Send them a message, send them an email, text them or use Google Ads to retarget them. My experience is that candidates who feel nudged or contacted by a recruiter will want to work with them. They feel a sense urgency. They are very focused on completing the application as well as learning about the company. It is a small change in their behavior that makes a huge difference to your recruiting.”
The nudge and behavioral economics are not new. Sarah and her team at Lomarton believe that these psychologies are extremely effective in a modern recruitment program. The use of behavioural economics and various nudges can help increase the candidate pipeline, delivering a tangible ROI.
Giving people a reason will always result in their making an effort to complete the application. Do not be afraid to nudging people a few more times. Track your actions. This is the only way you can build evidence about the timing and cadence that works best for your recruitment requirements,” says Sarah.
Contact Sarah at Lomarton to give your recruitment strategy an extra push in the right directions.
The original version of this article A Push in the Right Direction appeared first on HR News.
