We’re all experiencing a field of dramatic growth within internet recruiting, using the net to source both active and passive candidates. The ways of attracting talent is no longer a traditional job board and your talent acquisition strategies will incorporate virtual solutions to compete withing the market.
Virtual Reality Applications in Talent Acquisition
VR is used in many different formats in talent acquisition. Career fairs are a popular example. Candidates use VR headsets to experience a first-hand look at what a day-in-the-life might look like before they pursue a position. The Australia Defence Force has changed their traditional open day to a virtual experience and made a number of changes throughout the assessment journey.
Using Virtual Reality to Attract Candidates
Candidates have a blind spot when they apply to companies they do not know professionally. Part of the true picture of how an organisation operates remains unknown, even after reading employer branding materials, social media posts and company-review websites.
VR helps candidates feel more confident about accepting a role because they know more about how an employer operates. With VR, there is a deeper level of personalisation and engagement that gives candidates a real-world look into their potential employer’s world. Similar to video, but in a more immersive way, VR creates an emotional connection.
Candidates who do not feel attached to a company’s mission, vision or brand also have the opportunity of self-selecting out of the process. If a candidate makes that decision, then possible costs associated with an in-person interview can be avoided.
One item to keep in mind when attracting candidates is that younger audiences are more closely drawn to VR than older audiences. Younger candidates are potentially more familiar with modern technologies than their older peers. If a company is looking to attract an older workforce, VR may not be the right path. Or, it should be supplemented with other tools, so more senior candidates are not discouraged from applying.
Getting Started with Virtual Reality
If you’re thinking about adding virtual reality efforts to your recruiting program, we recommend taking the following steps before getting started.
- Confirm your existing talent acquisition program is complete. Are your processes and candidate flow aligned? Do you have the right ecosystem in place for your entire talent acquisition process? Adding VR will help you measure if it differentiates your organisation to new candidates. An optimised program will be flexible, allowing you to add VR where it is needed.
- Understand your target audience. The content you design needs to target a particular audience. You should already have persona-specific content related to your candidate journey. This targeting needs to come to life with VR too.
- Use VR in conjunction with other tools in the technology ecosystem. VR is a great way to promote your employer brand and attract candidates. Once interested, candidates still need to be assessed before moving on in the process. Consider doing this through on-line assessments, video interviewing or a combination of related strategies.
- Monitor the talent acquisition technology ecosystem market. VR is mature in the consumer world, but still in its infancy in the B2B world. As VR matures in talent acquisition, monitor similar and complementary technologies that may also be used in the future, such as augmented reality or mobile applications.
Virtual reality should be geared to the right audience as part of an overall recruitment program. Organisations should consider VR and track the growth of associated technologies to stay ahead of the competition.
