At its core, the Internet isn’t particularly human. That help-wanted sign in the window of your local convenient store is even less so. Putting help-wanted signs on the Internet is a recipe for ice-cold capitalism, but Monster is rolling out changes it thinks will make the job search process a littler warmer-and-fuzzier.
“All of these updates are rooted in Monster’s commitment to humanizing the job search process,” the company said in a release. “By serving as an ally for people in the job market and offering better tools to achieve better results, companies and employers will benefit, as well. Helping people in their job search is Monster’s priority and it will continue to look for ways to improve the process moving forward.”
Humanizing. People. Helping.
Words we don’t typically associate with online recruiting, and certainly not words I would associate with Monster’s recent history. However, in an industry currently obsessed with artificial intelligence, chatbots, and Google algorithms, maybe it’s the right strategy at the right time.
Starting with an executive overhaul that began right around the time Randstad acquired the job board in 2016, the company is now focused on getting their user experience house in order with a variety of site changes.
“Let’s be honest — our industry has failed both the job seeker and the employer by not making the matching process easier,” said Jonathan Beamer, Monster’s chief marketing officer. “What everyone forgot is that on the other end of this equation are people — unique individuals who bring unique skills, personality, and dedication to their work.”
How exactly is it accomplishing this? Monster is promising ongoing updates, but the following enhancements are its first step forward in making job search more “human.”
“We’re intent on taking this company back to its initial purpose of helping people advance their lives, and are working on new ways for people and companies to showcase the best versions of themselves,” said Beamer. “The changes we’ve made so far are just the beginning.”
We’ll see. Millennials would rather message a friend than call them, so I’d say the verdict is still out on wanting a humanized experience, especially if we’re talking about looking for work. That said, in an industry getting steamrolled by Google, the message of people, helping, and humanizing probably isn’t the worst thing in the world.
All the humanizing in the world can’t make-up for a lack of content, but maybe I’ll save that for another post.
