The following is an excerpt from our Talent Acquisition Transformation Guide, a comprehensive playbook to help you audit and improve your recruitment strategy.
Winning more talent means refining your talent acquisition strategy template and getting your team in ship shape. In many organizations, the Talent Acquisition business operates in an isolated camp – no one sees or hears from you unless there’s news about a talent audit or updates on a particular candidate or role vacancy.
Efficiency in recruitment requires absolute alignment. Your people leaders and your executive team must be in alignment with your talent acquisition plan template and new strategy, because they are equally responsible for executing it. Gone are the days when, for example, marketing managers could pass a job description for a copywriter to a Talent Acquisition specialist and wash their hands of the prospecting dirty work. Now, more than ever, the hiring manager and the specialist must form a partnership, sharing the duties of advertising, promoting, vetting, interviewing, and assessing. After all, candidates for said copywriter role will expect it, as shown in many talent acquisition strategy examples.
To get cooperation and buy-in from your people leaders, you need to form a visible, purposeful A-team in line with a solid talent acquisition strategy document.
Step 1: Create your recruitment A-team
Your crack recruitment task force should comprise:
- Your chiefest people leader (be it a CPO, CHRO, or Head of Talent Acquisition)
- Talent Acquisition specialists and representatives (obviously)
- Representatives from each department in the organization
- Importantly, a representative from the marketing team
Once your team is formed, you need to complete a talent acquisition audit to see where your recruitment pipeline is at. Using a comprehensive talent acquisition audit checklist, identify the roadblocks stopping you from securing the talent you need. It’s essential to audit talent and processes regularly to ensure the best outcomes.
Step 2: Fill out this Talent Requirements Matrix
This step sounds obvious on the face of it, but it actually requires some speculation and problem-solving. Consider this simple matrix, filled in with examples – it’s a good starting point on getting alignment with the A-team on your hiring needs.
| Role | Critical skills | Priority | Existing org. strength | Applicants/candidate declined | Advertised salary | Market salary | Notes/suggestions |
| Head of marketing |
| Very high | Low (no marketing leadership) | 40/38 | $150k p/a | $190k p/a |
|
| Software engineer |
| Low | High (replacing a team of 20) | 10/10 | $120k p/a | $130k p/a |
|
| Office manager |
| High | Low (no office manager for ~3 months) | 0/0 | $100k p/a | $100k p/a |
|
Once you’ve filled out your Talent Requirements Matrix, the next step is effective triage. Almost everyone in the A-team will already be aware of your highest hiring priorities, but by filling out this matrix, you can focus talent acquisition efforts on coming up with weird and wonderful ideas for attracting the right candidates. Times like these require outside-the-box thinking!
The New Approach to Talent Acquisition: Incorporating a Talent Acquisition Strategy Template
In many companies, the Talent Acquisition division remains an isolated entity, often compared to an isolated camp in the talent acquisition strategy document. They emerge primarily to deliver news of hires, misses, or results from a talent acquisition audit. But for organizations to truly thrive and have an effective talent acquisition plan template, recruitment shouldn’t be a secluded process. It demands the collective effort of the entire organization, much like a collaborative talent acquisition strategy example suggests.
The contemporary approach to talent, reinforced by a robust talent acquisition audit checklist, acknowledges that not only Talent Acquisition specialists are accountable for recruiting. For instance, when hiring a copywriter, it’s not just the Talent Acquisition specialist who carries the weight. The hiring manager, too, has a significant role – from advertising and promoting to vetting, interviewing, and even conducting a thorough talent audit.
This modern method ensures that every step, from the initial audit talent phase to the final decision, is a shared responsibility, ensuring a holistic and efficient recruitment process.
Collaboration: The Key to a Modern Talent Acquisition Strategy
Today’s organizations recognize the importance of a cohesive talent acquisition strategy template that encourages collaboration across departments. This shift, documented in many a talent acquisition strategy document, is no longer just a trend but a necessity. The emphasis is on building teams that are cross-functional, where everyone plays a part in the talent hunt.
One such initiative is the talent acquisition audit. Periodic audits offer a clear perspective on what’s working and what’s not in the recruitment process. It’s a proactive approach, ensuring that the company doesn’t fall behind in the competitive talent market. Through a detailed talent acquisition audit checklist, organizations can pinpoint areas of improvement, be it in outreach, interview processes, or onboarding.
Moreover, the role of a hiring manager has expanded. Beyond just defining the job requirements, they now actively participate in the talent audit process, ensuring that the candidates not only fit the job description but also align with the company’s culture and values. This comprehensive approach to auditing talent guarantees a more holistic view of potential employees, reducing the chances of a mismatch.
Furthermore, the notion that talent acquisition is solely the responsibility of HR is outdated. Every department, from marketing to finance, has a stake in bringing in the right people. As showcased in various talent acquisition strategy examples, when each department takes ownership of the recruitment process, the results are transformative. It fosters a sense of community, where everyone is invested in the company’s growth and success.
In conclusion, the modern approach to talent acquisition is all about synergy. It’s about breaking down silos and understanding that the quest for top talent is a collective endeavor. As the landscape of work continues to evolve, organizations that embrace this collaborative spirit will undoubtedly lead the way.
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Joe & the Juice Partners with Sapia.ai, Scaling an Exceptional Candidate Experience and Cutting Time to Hire
Read the full press release about the partnership here.
Joe & the Juice, the trailblazing global juice bar and coffee concept, is renowned for its vibrant culture and commitment to cultivating talent. With humble roots from one store in Copenhagen, now with a presence in 17 markets, Joe & The Juice has built a culture that fosters growth and celebrates individuality.
But, as their footprint expands, so does the challenge of finding and hiring the right talent to embody their unique culture. With over 300,000 applications annually, the traditional hiring process using CVs was falling short – leaving candidates waiting and creating inefficiencies for the recruitment team. To address this, Joe & The Juice turned to Sapia.ai, a pioneer in ethical AI hiring solutions.
A Fresh Approach to Hiring
Through this partnership, Joe & The Juice has transformed its hiring process into an inclusive, efficient, and brand-aligned experience. Instead of faceless CVs, candidates now engage in an innovative chat-based interview that reflects the brand’s energy and ethos. Available in multiple languages, the AI-driven interview screens for alignment with the “Juicer DNA” and the brand’s core values, ensuring that every candidate feels seen and valued.
Candidates receive an engaging and fair interview experience as well as personality insights and coaching tips as part of their journey. In fact, 93% of candidates have found these insights useful, helping to deliver a world-class experience to candidates who are also potential guests of the brand.
“Every candidate interaction reflects our brand,” Sebastian Jeppesen, Global Head of Recruitment, shared. “Sapia.ai makes our recruitment process fair, enriching, and culture-driven.”
Results That Matter
For Joe & The Juice, the collaboration has yielded impressive results:
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33% Reduction in Screening Time: Pre-vetted shortlists from Sapia.ai’s platform ensure that recruiters can focus on top candidates, getting them behind the bar faster.
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Improved Candidate Satisfaction: With a 9/10 satisfaction score from over 55,000 interviews, candidates appreciate the fairness and transparency of the process.
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Bias-Free Hiring: By eliminating CVs and integrating blind AI that prioritizes fairness, Joe & The Juice ensures their hiring reflects the diverse communities they serve.
Frederik Rosenstand, Group Director of People & Development at Joe & The Juice, highlighted the transformative impact: “Our juicers are our future leaders, so using ethical AI to find the people who belong at Joe is critical to our long-term success. And now we do that with a fair, unbiased experience that aligns directly with our brand.”
Trailblazing for the hospitality industry
In an industry so wholly centred on people, Joe & the Juice is paving the way for similar brands to adopt technology that enables inclusive, human-first experiences that can reflect a brand’s core values.
If you’re curious about how Sapia.ai can transform your hiring process, check out our full case study on Joe & The Juice here.
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Sapia.ai Wrapped 2024
It’s been a year of Big Moves at Sapia.ai. From welcoming groundbreaking brands to achieving incredible milestones in our product innovation and scale, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in hiring.
And we’re just getting started 🚀
Take a look at the highlights of 2024
All-in-one hiring platform
This year, with the addition of Live Interview, we’re proud to say our platform now covers screening, assessing and scheduling.
It’s an all-in-one volume hiring platform that enables our customers to deliver a world-leading experience from application through to offer.
Supercharging hiring efficiency
Every 15 seconds, a candidate is interviewed with Sapia.ai.
This year, we’ve saved hiring managers and recruiters hours of precious time that can now be used for higher-value tasks.
Giving candidates the best experience
Our platform allows candidates to be their best selves, so our customers can find the people that truly belong with them. They’re proud to use a technology that’s changing hiring, for good.
Leading the way in AI for hiring
We’ve continued to push the boundaries in leveraging ethical AI for hiring, with new products on the way for Coaching, Internal Mobility & Interview Builders.
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Situational Judgement Tests vs. AI Chat Interviews: A Modern Perspective on Candidate Assessment
Choosing the right tool for assessing candidates can be challenging. For years, situational judgement tests (SJTs) have been a common choice for evaluating behaviour and decision-making skills. However, they come with limitations that can make the hiring process less effective and less inclusive.
AI-enabled chat-based interviews, such as Sapia.ai, provide organisations with a modern alternative. They focus on understanding candidates as individuals and creating a hiring experience that is both fair and insightful while enabling efficient screening and selection.
This shift raises important questions: Are SJTs still a tool that should be considered for volume hiring? And what do AI assessments offer in comparison?
1. The Static Nature of SJTs
Traditional SJTs use predefined multiple-choice questions to assess behavioural tendencies and situational knowledge. While useful for screening, these static frameworks lack the flexibility to adapt based on real-world performance data or evolving role requirements.
Once created, SJTs don’t adapt to new data or evolving organisational needs. They rely on fixed scenarios and responses that may not fully reflect the dynamic realities of modern workplaces, and as a result, their relevance may diminish over time.
AI-enabled chat interviews, on the other hand, are inherently adaptive. Using machine learning, these tools can continuously refine their models based on feedback from real-world outcomes such as hiring or turnover data. This ability to evolve ensures the assessments align with organisations’ needs.
2. Richer Data Through Open-Ended Responses
One of the main critiques of SJTs is their reliance on multiple-choice responses. While structured and straightforward, these options may not capture the full scope of a candidate’s thinking, communication skills, or problem-solving ability. The approach is often limiting, reducing complex human behaviour to a few predefined choices.
AI-enabled chat interviews work more holistically and dynamically. These tools provide a more complete picture of a person by allowing candidates to answer questions in their own words. Natural language processing (NLP) analyses their responses, offering insights into personality traits, communication skills, and behavioural tendencies. This open-ended format lets candidates express themselves authentically, giving employers a deeper understanding of their potential.
3. The Candidate Experience: Stressful or Supportive?
SJTs often include time constraints and rigid formats, which can create pressure for candidates. This is especially true when candidates feel forced to choose options that don’t fully reflect how they would actually behave. The process can feel impersonal, even transactional.
In contrast, chat-based interviews are designed to be conversational and low-pressure for candidates. By removing time limits and adopting a familiar chat interface, these tools help candidates feel more at ease. They also frequently include personalised feedback, turning the assessment into a valuable experience for the candidate, not just the employer.
4. Addressing Bias and Fairness
Traditional SJTs are prone to transparency issues, as candidates can often identify and select the “best practice” answers without revealing their true tendencies. Additionally, static test designs can unintentionally embed bias; due to the nature of the timed test, SJTs have been found to disadvantage some groups.
AI chat interviews, when developed ethically within a framework like Sapia.ai’s FAIR Hiring Framework, eliminate explicit bias by relying solely on the content of a candidate’s responses. Their machine learning models are continuously validated for fairness, ensuring that hiring decisions are free from subjective judgments or irrelevant demographic factors.
5. An Assessment That Improves Over Time
Workplaces are constantly changing, and hiring tools need to keep up. SJTs’ fixed nature can make them less effective as roles evolve or organizational priorities shift. They provide a snapshot but not a dynamic view of what’s needed.
AI-enabled chat interviews are built to adapt. With feedback loops and continuous learning, they incorporate real-world hiring outcomes—like retention and performance data—into their models. This ensures that assessments stay relevant and effective over time.
Rethinking Candidate Assessment
As hiring demands grow more complex, so does the need for tools that can capture the whole person, not just their response to hypothetical scenarios. While SJTs have played an important role in hiring practices, they are increasingly being replaced by tools like AI-enabled chat interviews.
These modern approaches provide richer data, adapt to changing needs, and create a richer and more engaging experience for candidates. Perhaps most importantly, they emphasise fairness and inclusivity, aligning with the growing demand for unbiased hiring practices.
For organisations evaluating their assessment tools, the question isn’t just which method is “better.” Understanding the specific needs of your roles, teams, and candidates will help you choose tools that help you make decisions that are both informed and equitable.