By HireGround

The recruiter’s job is only going to get harder as they face changes in recruiting practices, technology innovations and shifting demographics. So what are the key changes that are making the recruitment team’s job even more challenging and what are technology providers doing to assist with these challenges? Read Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.

New Tech Takes Testing Further
Related to the discussion above, recruiting software is taking candidate assessments one step further. There is a vast increase in the range and depth of information routinely captured about how we behave, and the new kinds of analysis that this data enables.

We are no longer limited to just basic testing; tools are being developed that can look at a combination of aptitude, skills, personal history, psychological stability, loyalty, and web habits, to name a few. With this wealth of information available, employers are capable of learning more about their candidates than ever before.

Data vs. Gut Instinct?
Data-driven decisions can be interpreted as completely heartless, and in many cases it feels as though the applicant is being stalked. However, focusing not just on data, but on the right data, means making better decisions. It is estimated that four out of 10 (39 per cent) line managers rely on gut instinct as most important when making decisions.¹

The goal when hiring is to evaluate people based on how they can help your company perform better, which means eliminating some emotional considerations that don’t reflect a candidate’s suitability.

Moneyball Uncovers Hidden Gems
The book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game written by Michael Lewis and published in 2003, illustrates how the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane used data to drive hiring decisions for their Oakland A’s team. The central premise of Moneyball is that the informal evaluations, in this case, by managers, coaches and scouts, are subjective and flawed. Because of the team’s smaller revenues, Oakland was forced to find players undervalued by the market, and their system for finding worth in undervalued players has proven itself thus far. This approach brought the Oakland A’s to the playoffs in 2002 and 2003, saving the team from a sure demise.

So what are some tools to find those hidden gems? One example are programs that assess the way potential hires use language on social networks, from LinkedIn to Twitter. From this the company can determine what certain phrases and words used in association with one another can distinguish traits pertaining to the role requirements, showing some candidates to be stronger than others.

The Future of Information is (Already) Digital
By one estimate, more than 98 per cent of the world’s information is now stored digitally, and the volume of that data has quadrupled since 2007.² Ordinary people at work and at home generate much of this data, by sending e-mails, browsing the Internet, using social media, working on crowd-sourced projects, and more—and in doing so they have unwittingly helped launch a new way of evaluating their potential as a potential employee.

Companies are developing software that evaluates online activity in addition to other assessments. Some are going as far as tracking potential new hires using GPS—how far they travel from their current employer to their residence. The application of predictive analytics to people’s careers—an emerging field sometimes called “people analytics”—is enormously challenging, not to mention ethically fraught and a little creepy. It looks at every aspect of the individual’s life that can be captured via any means possible.

Big Data Bolsters People Analytics
Most companies are just beginning to explore the possibilities opened by analyzing big data. But make no mistake: during the next five to 10 years, new models will be created, and new experiments run on a very large scale. Recruitment systems will be integrating these tools or building their own to better assist HR in utilizing the information from big data or “people analytics” programs. With so much data at our fingertips, it will be exciting to see the ways companies will rely on analytical hiring without being overcome by an overload of information.

Since 1999, HireGround has established itself as a leading provider of Applicant Tracking Software (ATS). HireGround is recognized for its strong customer support, ease of use software, and ability to streamline software processes to meet client requirements.

1 HR Magazine – February 2010 (www.hrmagazine.co.uk)
2 The Atlantic – December 2013 (www.theatlantic.com)