How Is Technology Shaping the Recruitment Industry?
Saurabh Tyagi
Technology manifests itself in the recruitment industry in more ways than we actually think. The influence of changing technological landscape is incrementally modifying the existing HR practices and giving the industry new dimensions. HR Technology was the buzz word in 2016. In 2017, it will be the new realty.
We are very near to 2017 and this is that time of the year when consultants, researchers, so-called experts, and organizations, all are out with their respective sets of predictions for their respective industries for the coming year. To be honest, most of us are still trying to understand what all goes behind inducing the next big change, the transformation that we all love to talk about. Undoubtedly, it is the people and the technology that remains at the very core of this change, but in a people’s industry such as HR, the responsibility to inspire new actions, and business practices lies with technology. Whether it is mobile recruitment, virtual workplaces, or cloud computing, all these innovations are going to have a definite impact on the hiring sector.
From what we are observing and understood:
Mobile recruiting will grow
Mobile explosion isn’t news anymore. It is for everyone to see and understand that the future belongs to mobile. Embracing mobile will not be an option but a necessity in 2017. The past year saw a wide spread of mobile in recruitment and the trend is going to grow further in the future. As mobile computing goes from strength to strength, the application of mobile in recruiting will inevitably rise. More applications and functionalities related to hiring and talent management will be available on these devices. For many recruiters, mobile isn’t even a new platform anymore, it’s is the platform. Every major recruitment portal is focusing on building a robust mobile platform for attracting smartphone users.
The role of social networking in hiring to rise
Social tools have infiltrated every aspect of hiring. It is not only the professional networks that are impacting hiring decisions as many believe. In fact social networks like Facebook are also a major tool for recruitment, the reason being its sheer user base. With one sixth of the world’s population using Facebook, there is no way recruiters can ignore it. However, in order to leverage its full potential, you need to be a part of a significant community or Group, as it is called in Facebook.
Likewise, LinkedIn and Glassdoor have virtually eliminated the need to have a paper resume. With your entire academic and professional history out there on LinkedIn for every smart recruiter to see, one can say with a level of certainty that in future social profiles will entirely replace the need to have a resume. Such networks also have an incremental effect on the quality of hire.
Usage of Big Data Analytics Tool will find widespread acceptance
Countless occasions must have passed by now where you came across the term Big Data. Much like mobile recruitment, Big Data has been tipped as a key influence on recruitment sector. However, in the absence of effective analytics tool, the full impact of this path-breaking technology is yet to be realized. The future is going to change this. Vendors are piling up with their BigData Analytics tool, business intelligence solutions and data visualization tools to help recruiters make sense of the huge trove of available data. Big Data is basically a supportive technology that will help HR people make better decisions.
Video going to be the new text
If you are one of those who still believe the world is flat or have just woken up after a long slumber, you must have missed the video metamorphosis that has engulfed the recruitment industry. Video interviewing, video conferencing (remote working arrangements), video resumes, and even video assessment are well on their way to become mainstream.
Gamification in recruiting? We will see more of it
IT research firm Gartner’s predicted this back in 2014; over 70 per cent of Forbes Global 2000 companies will have at least one gamified application and 25 per cent of daily business operations will be utilizing some or the other aspect of gamification. In 2016, almost every major company is using some kind of gamification strategy to hire candidates. Google invites the best coders to compete, and ends up hiring the winners. It is also a fun way to apply and get a job for jobseekers. Online contests, quizzes, competitions and simulated games will not only test the candidate’s cognitive skills and abilities, but will also create a long term and fun relationship between the brand and employees. The unmatched engagement that gamification provides is its biggest advantage.
Bottomline: Although we already know that all our operations are have a certain level of dependency on technology, it is only some disruptive ideas and technologies that have the metamorphic effect on entire industry. And most of us will agree that the above discussed trends will have a conclusive role to play in shaping the future of recruitment industry.
Saurabh has written this article keeping in mind the needs of the job seekers community, to help them be a better professional. His write-ups extensively cover all the aspects of job searching and working life, right from subscribing to new jobs, to getting ready for interview, and working at an office. If you want to read more of his articles, follow him on, LinkedIn and Twitter
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Good article the truest