Hyper-
personalisation in recruitment

Ignore personalisation and lose top talent

There is a lot to suggest you don’t want to ignore this trend. A Gartner study shows that brands risk losing up to 38% of their customer base if their personalisation strategies are poor. That statistic alone should be a wake-up call for industries outside retail, especially those who want to succeed in talent acquisition, recruitment and HR. Personalisation in recruitment should not just be something in the back of your mind but a central part of your strategy to retain and attract talent.

The candidate experience = the customer journey

Job seekers are looking for experiences that mirror a normal customer journey: dynamic, informative and personal. We have said it before and we’ll say it again: today’s job seekers demand transparency and deeper insight into company culture and ways of working before they even consider applying. The traditional format for job ads and career sites has been more or less unchanged for decades (sure, the internet has updated a few things, but the job ad is actually almost the same!). This ancient format no longer meets candidates’ expectations.

The Starbucks model: simple and personal

A simple, effective way to make a consumer experience personal is to use the person’s name, a strategy Starbucks is famous for. When a barista calls out a customer’s order, they use the customer’s name and create a sense of recognition and personal connection, despite the huge number of customers they serve every day. The same principle can be applied directly in the recruitment process to significantly improve candidate engagement.

Using a candidate’s name in feedback emails or other communication is a simple change that doesn’t require redoing existing processes. Even so, it can have a big impact on the candidate’s engagement and perception of your company and increase conversion by just over 32%. Using someone’s name shows that you see the person as an individual, and that builds a positive perception of your brand and employer brand.

Efficiency and availability: the Klarna model

Klarna’s customer service is powered by advanced AI and is nevertheless a role model for anyone who wants to work with advanced, personal interactions. In its first months of operation, the AI assistant handled two-thirds of customer service, proving how technology can be used effectively to handle large volumes of support requests while keeping a personal touch. This kind of technology and model is especially relevant for recruitment, where the volume of applications and enquiries can be huge.

Key features of Klarna’s model that can be applied to recruitment:

Available 24/7

The feature most relevant for recruitment is that an AI can be available around the clock, offering instant answers. Applied to recruitment, it means candidates can get constant support, have questions answered and be guided through the application process at any time of day. This reduces waiting times, improves the candidate experience and frees up the recruiter’s time.

Language

Klarna’s assistant supports several languages and opens up to a diverse customer base. This ability is crucial in recruitment, especially for global companies, as it lets candidates from different language backgrounds interact smoothly with your company.

Speed and efficiency

Klarna’s assistant resolves questions in under two minutes, a significant drop from previous averages. In recruitment, this efficiency means fast answers to candidates’ applications and follow-up questions, which creates a positive perception of the company and increases candidate satisfaction.

Scalability

The AI model scales to handle a growing number of interactions without a corresponding increase in human resources. This is valuable in recruitment during high-volume periods or for large-scale recruitment campaigns, and ensures every candidate gets fast, personal communication.

The small details matter a lot

In summary, combining technology with a personal touch is a winning formula for shaping how companies connect with future employees. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated to be effective; sometimes it is as simple as writing someone’s name on a paper cup! Personal communication in recruitment is not just about being nice. It is smart business that increases engagement and builds strong brands and employer brands, while helping you stand out in the tough competition for top talent.