Hire smartly for your business by leveraging technology… and humans

You (and me) are about to be replaced by R2-D2.

Well, that’s what the headlines would have us believe. Not a day goes by without some media coverage on the impending disaster that awaits us humans as robots replace us all.

While we’re not naive about the huge disruption machine learning and artificial intelligence are having in many industries, the truth may be a little less alarming than the stories would have us believe.

Humans are finding new and genius ways to use technology to do their (our) own jobs better, and drive efficiencies and improved performance.

And it’s the recruitment industry that is leading the way in this human/technology collaboration.

It doesn’t begin and end with LinkedIn

The clearest example of disruptive technology in recruitment is LinkedIn.

Now a mainstream social platform, LinkedIn was the largest shake-up to the recruitment industry in 60 years when it was launched in May 2003.

Of course, many more online platforms exist now. Glassdoor and Facebook Jobs being just two further examples.

It’s no secret that these technological solutions have been wholly adopted by companies seeking new talent. In March 2016, a survey run by Harvard Business Review highlighted that 57% of HR and business executives use technology and data analytics when hiring. The same survey showed that a further 32% were planning on incorporating technology platforms into their recruitment plans. As this study took place two years ago, it’s a decent bet that both of these figures are higher now.

How recruitment technology can help find the perfect candidate

There are three specific areas where technology adds huge value to the recruitment process:

● Sourcing a high quality candidate
● Accurately filtering CVs at scale
● Choosing candidates who emulate top performers

Sourcing high quality candidates

Thanks to social professional networks, recruiters have access to significant numbers of candidates for roles.

Not only are candidates in the immediate location or industry available for contact, but potential candidates further afield can now be reached too.

Though recruiters have always been adept networkers, it’s easy to see how LinkedIn and other recruitment SaaS products have opened up new channels to high performing candidates. Technology has also made interacting with them in a professional and personalised way easier.

Accurately filtering CVs at scale

Sifting through CVs is a time-consuming process and costs money. A further problem arises when you realise that human bias, no matter how subconsciously, can come into play during this process.

Algorithms, and we have more to say on this topic further in our post, can really help in this area.

The University of Minnesota studied 17 organisations who used algorithms to screen applicants and compared them against organisations who relied purely on humans to review potential candidates. The result spoke volumes. The group that used algorithms out-performed the group that didn’t by 25% in terms of better outcomes and diversity.

A professional services company provides an excellent real-world example of how an algorithm helped HR teams make better recruiting decisions.

This global company receives more than 250,000 CVs per year.

An algorithm was introduced to screen for education and work experience. CVs would be sorted into three piles:

● Most likely hired
● Least likely hired
● In-between applicants

The in-between group immediately warranted the attention of a recruitment professional. Applicants in the most likely to be hired and least likely to be hired groups were sent to different automated stages (an invitation to the next stage or a polite note declining their application).

This algorithm delivered a 500% ROI, but more importantly passed 15% more women onto the next stage than previous screening processes (without algorithms) did.

Choosing candidates who emulate top performers

Personality counts for a lot when hiring, but sometimes a charismatic personality can talk themselves into a role they’re not ideal for. This leads to a poor outcome for the candidate and company.

“Big data can help me predict who will be a successful employee,” explains Anne Robie, Head of Human Resources at StubHub.

Face-to-face interviewing coupled with online tools that test for skills and aptitudes, such as leadership, resilience, creativity and cultural fit, are helping companies place the right people in their organisations.

Xerox, the global digital printing company, added an online test to their recruiting process from Evolv, a hiring analytics startup.

The test successfully helped Xerox reduce the attrition rate of their new hires and improved productivity from call centre agents by 4%.

Adding the human touch to keep it real

As you can tell, we’re firmly in the pro-technology camp.

But we also still believe that the best recruitment, the type that drives exponential growth for companies, comes when professional recruiters are actively involved in the hiring process.

Let’s get back to the algorithm topic.

We’ve seen how algorithms can do a better job than humans in screening for ideal employees, but algorithms operate within organisations. And organisations are made up of people.

It’s the human recruiter that’ll understand the changing nature of an organisation and the wider market environment. It’s the human recruiter who’ll modify the algorithm to ensure the right candidates are being attracted.

Recruiters also spend a considerable amount of time monitoring the effectiveness of the pre-hire process, such as understanding which channels deliver the best candidates. This in itself is a cost-saving for a company that wants to hire.

Recruiters hire for success in a tough marketplace

There’s far more to finding the ideal candidate for a role than getting your algorithm up-to-date or entering a search on a professional social network.

Ireland is a great example of this.

The country is teeming with highly qualified online professionals, but it’s also an environment where the likes of Google, Facebook and other digital behemoths inhale this talent.

Other companies, SMEs and startups are not able to compete on salary terms with these large employers but they still require top candidates.

Thanks to our extensive network, which we have built through human-to-human interactions and relationship building, we’re always able to source the ideal person for a role.

We’re able to do this due to a deeper understanding of how to be successful in the current marketplace.

Perhaps a company should recruit someone with a Masters degree rather than insist on a PhD. Or we may suggest that a candidate who is ideal in most areas is provided training to learn one other necessary skill while in the role.

Most ideal candidates aren’t looking for a new role

LinkedIn estimates that at any one time 25% of professionals on their network are actively looking for a new position.

The remaining 75% are either on the cusp (interested in a new role but not actively looking) or not looking at all.

Yet the numbers suggest that best candidates are most certainly in this space.

Passive candidate recruiting is increasingly becoming the smartest way for organisations to hire the best people.

Technology alone won’t reach these candidates since they’re not responding to job specs on social platforms.

On the other hand, a recruiter that’s plugged into networks of professionals will.

Human/technology collaboration in recruitment… it’s the start of something beautiful.

Author: Lorraine Fretwell

Lorraine has partnered with some of the biggest names in the UK & Ireland, delivering key talent for the most challenging roles. She has built and developed large teams in several agencies and has a proven track record at finding the unfindable when presented with the quirkiest of job briefs.

email: lorraine@talenthub.ie

Tel: +35316344883