A lot of companies are fairly bad at recruitment. Fact. Though, not always is it a reflection on a company’s internal hiring processes or the recruitment consultancies they use. More often it’s that human beings cannot accurately predict the abilities, character and future achievements of others. Can Big Data help? Of course it can, Big Data can do anything!
In this Digital Age, more and more of our personal information can be recorded, retrieved and analysed. With more data, you can make better decisions (as has been the case since the dawn of time). “About 84% of people who get fired do so because of lack of cultural fit, not because of lack of skills”[1]. If only there was a way to reduce this figure?
Knack, a Silicon Valley start-up, develops games that will analyse applicant behaviour. “While applicants play an online game designed to reveal their personality, emotional maturity and problem-solving skills, hundreds of pieces of information are being collected in the background and analysed by data scientists”[2].
Electronic Insight takes a different approach. For each of their clients they create a company culture profile. They then apply their algorithms to CV’s that analyse sentiment i.e. the way you structure sentences, emotional vocabulary, your writing style etc. The results are then matched to the correct company profile.
But is this data all we need? Will it replace all traditional recruitment methods?
As a recruitment consultant I know that this data will be useful, but it will not replacement face-to-face human interaction. An algorithm cannot substitute a recruitment consultant that has taken years to hone their match making abilities. Technology will certainly allow for a smoother and better hiring process, but making successful placements is all about building relationships.
The key take away? Invest more time with your recruitment consultants than more money on new software.
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29343425
[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29343425
Joe Burridge 