A candidate for a job in the future will have a very different experience than job candidates do today. There will be several reasons for this. Some of this may be cultural and social as ways of interacting with people develop due to the melding of cultures. Some of this may be legal. The EEOC is already making moves to limit the use of background checks, though this may be offset by the next reason. I think the candidate experience will be most affected by ubiquitous computing.
No place to hide
Technology writer, Peter Nowak, in his article We live inside the machine now: The arrival of ubiquitous computing, likens ubiquitous computing to “The Force” most of us are familiar with from Star Wars. Although we don’t quite live in that world yet we are moving there. With the number of computers, including all our mobile devices, almost matching the number of people in the world it is not hard to imagine a world where no one is hidden from computing. With this thought in mind here is how I imagine the candidate experience might look in by the year 2030 ( a mere 17 years from now).
You won’t find them they will find you
Candidates will not look for jobs rather jobs will look for them. Everyone will have a file that is built on the person’s reputation capital, their presence on social media and shared HRIS files. When a company has an opening a global search will be conducted by the system and candidates who match the parameters of the job will be contacted.
Interviewed by your phone
Interviews will be conducted through your handheld computer. No one will be calling you rather a “Siri” type of program will do the appropriate prescreening interview and evaluating if you go to the next level of interview. This could go to a number of levels and include measurements of not only your verbal answers but your nonverbal reactions to questions. Nowak reports that currently a device called the Mood Meter has been used at MIT to gauge whether students are smiling in order to assess their moods. Such a device could be used in the interview to look at micro-expressions as people answer the questions asked them. These micro-expressions could be used to lead to a different line of questions. Ultimately this process will lead to your final consideration as a candidate. Naturally all your background checks will have already been completed before the interview process even starts.
Everyone a teleworker?
Given the nature of ubiquitous computing it will not be necessary for everyone to be located in a central office. Most may work from home or wherever. However, the issues that have plagued Yahoo and others, with the ubiquitous computing managers will always know whether you are working and being productive during the time you are supposed to be. In fact there will be a reduced need for managers to play such a role. They will be there to act as mentors and to solve the “human” issues and to make “human” decisions.
Any equipment the new employee needs to have will be delivered by the driverless truck equipped with robotic deliverers that drop the equipment where needed. The sexy UPS calendars will be much less appealing in the future.
Onboarding
The onboarding process will be mostly conducted by virtual reality as will any meetings or “face-to-face” discussion. By 2050 group meetings may be conducted in devices similar to the “holodeck” seen on Star Trek.
Of course this is just one of many possible futures. The importance of understanding this that a scenario such as this will open us up to the possibilities so that when they occur we will be much more likely to adopt them as needed.
The Candidate Experience of the Future
