In 2020 Zoom Recruitment began a long process of self-discovery. Even before the world-shaping effects of the pandemic, we saw an industry without direction, lost in a sea of data and strangled by efficiency and profit driven workflows. We sought to change that.
What started off as an opportunity for self-reflection became a shift in the way we think, and we were convinced that our way was the future of the recruitment industry. Our truth was simple – it is people that make the world go round, and when people are made to matter, the world moves just that little bit easier.
A refocused commitment to our people has taken us many places over the past two years, most recently to this very magazine. Here it is possible to explore the challenges the industry faces today; but we don’t want to stop here!
Change begets change
Change has been the main theme of this inaugural edition of Zoom-In, as we move to the tail end of the most significant event in modern history. This shift will mean more for the industry than new protocols and empowered employees. It spearheads a new way in how we need to interact as an industry. More than ever, strong relationships, mutual respect and trust are winning over volume, efficiency and cost cutting.
Last year when we unveiled our ‘Walk a Mile’ campaign, we demonstrated that we had already begun challenging current perspectives by helping our recruiters take the seat of a candidate and live the recruitment process from their point of view.
Our first study focused on the experience of sitting on the other side of the interview table. There, an external consultant conducted interviews with key staff members under the guise that their full-time positions were being reconsidered at Zoom Recruitment.
It was a brutal reckoning, but the emotional roller coaster captured on film was key to our staff empathising with this newly empowered cohort of candidates – and the rest of the industry took notice.
This year we went one step further and checked in with a candidate after the interview process. Our research uncovered that 3 out of 4 candidates never hear back after a job interview. This made us question why such an egregious lack of mutual respect was acceptable.
In exploring these themes and walking a mile in their shoes, one truth became obvious – as we move forward from this pandemic, there is no number of logistical redundancies that can future-proof us for future COVID-level events. The only thing that can motivate, elevate, and safeguard our industries are meaningful bonds, strong relationships and mutual respect and understanding. We can no longer afford to keep three out of four people in the dark.
We believe people should matter more than that, and we’re working to make sure the world knows it.
