You seldom find a sphere where technology hasn’t left its footprints. Recruitment industry is no longer exception to this.
Conventional recruitment processes involved declaring vacancies, application scrutiny, short listing the suitable candidates for the interview and final appointment of the capable candidates. The technological advancements have undoubtedly improved the efficiency of recruitment process. For example, few years ago newspaper was the only source for information about job vacancies. Now, telephone, internet and social media has reduced the gap between recruiters and job seekers. Today recruiters accept the applications online, potential candidates are interviewed virtually through video calls or phone. However, human element in the process still exists.
Generally recruiters, talent acquisition heads and staffing companies in cities like Pune, Mumbai have to manually go through all the applications, but they make the best use of technology in the process of hiring a best candidate. Many industry experts feel that, Automation which goes hand in hand with technology will influence the recruitment industry in a substantial manner. Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics will entirely change the way candidates are recruited. Perhaps, the process has been initiated.
Unilever, conglomerate in FMCG industry, set a remarkable example by using Artificial Intelligence for recruitment at entry-level. The company also claimed that it led to dramatic increase in diversity and cost efficiency. For this venture, company had partnered with two HR service providers who digitized the process of recruitment. In this unconventional campus interview, students were asked to submit their LinkedIn profiles instead of resume. Shortlisted candidates played 12 neuroscience-based games. If their results match the required profiles of certain position, they were elevated to the next level of recruitment process. Candidates appeared for interviews over smart phone or tablet and recorded their responses to the preset interview questions. The technology analyzed key words, body language and intonation of the candidate and prepared notes for the hiring manager. Candidates who cleared these two steps were invited to Unilever office to meet Hiring manager for the final decision to be made by company’s side.
Artificial Intelligence is more likely to attract the recruiters in future as it saves the large amount time required for the process of manually reviewing applications.
Another dominant trend which will continue to rule the industry is recruitment through Social Media. In one of the surveys, it has been observed that 90% of the employers are using social media for the recruitment. Employers directly post the job requirements over these platforms and seek out for the finest talent. In fact, Social Networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn are proved to be best sources to get a desired job. Social media profiles have narrowed the importance of paper based CVs and resumes. Some industry professionals suggest, resume will become extinct soon and technology will allow recruiters to recognize the do the candidates possess the traits and skills required for the job.
However, Social Media recruiting is more than simply posting the job advertisement on the site. Recruiters are being advised to proactively use these platforms to seek for potential candidates and encourage them to work for you. Recruiters would focus on Search Engine Optimization and Targeted advertisements for attracting the more appropriate candidates for the every position.
Employer branding will gain larger importance in future. In a research conducted by LinkedIn, it has been observed that 75% of job seekers research about a company’s reputation and employer brand before applying.
