Data-driven recruiting is the present and the future. As in any other industry, the advancement of technology has transformed the way things are done. World class recruiting teams across the world are using data analytics to optimize costs, time and effort. Talent acquisition teams are approaching recruiting as both a science and art and new tools are being used to attract the best talent.
So where does all this data come from? With digitalization, every employer or recruiter, no matter how big or small, has access to data. Job portals and professional networking platforms offer a wealth of data to help in sourcing and tapping talent. In keeping with the times, recruiters need to upgrade and reinvent the way recruitment is done. Professionals who work with data will recruit the most successfully in the coming years.
This is how data can help you achieve organisational success by helping you in your hiring decisions:
Building a brand– The first step to attracting the best talent is to have an impressive brand image. And the spadework for that starts right from within the organization. To understand how your existing employees feel about your brand, you can conduct a sentiment analysis through interviews and surveys. The data you receive is invaluable as it will help you take some very decisive steps about how you wish to present your brand. Instead of limiting these surveys to once a year or for exit interviews, anonymous pulse surveys can be conducted often to know how your employees are faring (or rather your brand).
Your focus should also include ex employees. Statistics show that companies are mining data from social media and employer review sites to identify their areas of development. Feedback from erstwhile employees can prove to be valuable intel on how people perceive your company culture.
Choosing the most effective recruitment channels– The beauty of data lies in the fact that it gives you accurate information of what actually works and what doesn’t. Most businesses typically use a combination of traditional and modern methods to hire employees like print ads, recruiting agencies, social media and job sites. But how do you know which one works the best? The number of applications from different channels just indicates the quantity and not quality of hire. Look instead at how many offers were made to candidates from the different recruiting channels. You can also study data of your most successful employees to identify which channels yield the best results.
Data can help you reach out to exactly the kind of employees you are trying to attract. Hiring through social media also comes with a host of great benefits. Not only are you enjoying access to a vast talent pool, you also get the opportunity to showcase your organisation as a great place to work in.
Assessing talent and predicting the future– Effective data crunching takes the guesswork out of recruitment, throwing up predictions and results which are more accurate. A lot of recruiters admit to making appointments out of gut feeling. But data analytics can help not only in sourcing the right candidates but also predicting how suitable a person is for the role or how likely he/she is to remain happy in that role for a longer time. Big data and AI tools are being used increasingly by smart recruiters to find the best person for any given job based on their skills, interests and actions. 52% recruiters feel that the most challenging part of the entire process is identifying the right person from a large talent pool. Personality and fit are just as important as skill sets and this is where data analytics can enable recruiters to make informed decisions.
A bad hire can cost the company a lot of money and waste the time of the recruiter. But thanks to all the data at our disposal, recruitment need not be based completely on chance. Big data is shaping the future of recruitment by steering headhunters in the right direction, to make decisions which will have long-term benefits for the companies.
POD (formerly known as Calyxpod) can help you automate your recruitment process and manage data effectively. To know more about recruitment automation and how our platform can help you, visit us at https://www.pod.ai/
