An old proverb goes “Time & Tide wait for none”. For today’s times it is “Time, Tide & Technology wait for none”. A cursory glance at the world around us shows how every single minute a technological advancement is taking place. Systems have moved from occupying rooms to pockets and might even disappear in thin air as ubiquitous computing gains momentum.

Recruitment Technology is also under going this transformation wave. While there was a time when technology in recruitment was an embellishment used by very few organisations, today it has become a necessity to meet up the cost & efficiency demands of the function. And the small world connected with Social Media has further transformed the landscape for recruitment technology. The question arises what next? Lot of things actually.

A recent mobile recruitment survey by Simply Hired showed 70% of active job seekers are currently using their mobile devices to search for jobs. As against that a mere 7% of employers have a mobile version of their career site, while even less 3% have a mobile “direct job apply”. These stats clearly point out the way to the immediate advancements in Recruitment Technology. It’s certainly time for recruitment systems/career websites to focus on “Mobile First” strategy, as do the Googles & Yahoos of the world. It’s certainly time for smart mobile apps, which have personalized interfaces for managers, candidates, recruiters and are as easy to use as the Google Maps. Talent has always been on the move, it’s time now for talent seekers to go mobile and meet the talent in their world.

Another area that would see rapid changes is Social Recruiting. No longer would the typical Applicant Tracking System for social recruiting and referrals, with a “post a job on a wall” button, work. With the technological world moving from “engineering to ease”, “effectiveness to engagement” & “efficiency to experience” Solutions that leverage social media information for personalized messaging, gamification and automation, in a targeted and non spammy way would make sense. Career sites will be transformed into active talent communities as employers learn to connect with top talent on the candidate’s terms. This will include: one-click applies, remote video interviewing capabilities, opportunities for two-way communication, social referrals, and more. Extensive and Smart usage of social media might even make “Resume” obsolete, because complete profile (including behavioral or personality related details) can be captured in a less “biased” environment. These systems when used with a combination of biometric data, behavioral patterns and proprietary algorithms will predict which candidates are likely a fit, and which are not (Career DNA Mapping). This with lots of other tools that support decision making, things like online skills testing and background checks will be the future screening system that would help companies manage applicant volumes and make a huge difference to the time, cost and quality of hire in the recruitment process. This with time can result in creation of Social Talent Stock Exchange where supply and demand of talent would meet and trade with each other meeting mutual needs. It would be a place where assessment takes place, with scores allocated at an industry level based on a standard and fair assessment process, followed by Interviews rounds and online Job offers.

Now while it’s important to keep up with the technological development, sustainable advantage cannot be achieved merely on technology. Especially when we are talking about a critical function like Recruitment, the candidate experience will hold the key for competitive benefits. For example a country like India has over 600 districts, it’s important to ensure that candidates all have the same experience. Here the approach should be to understand the “Consumer Behavior” or “Candidate Behavior” and use a combination of Humanity & Technology for best offering. An interesting example could be a Candidate Impression Center aiming to revolutionize a candidate’s experience in recruitment. It would have a typical applicant tracking system with self service functionality, personalized interfaces, and an integrated contact center to facilitate the different stakeholders during the recruitment cycle. So when the process is going on everyone will have real time information of current and future steps & activities. Such a system will not only reduce the time & cost spent in coordination amongst different players but also increase overall user satisfaction at least upto 95%. Though the Indian market is still opening up to this concept, the increase in efficiency that can be brought through in all the system would be amazing.

To summarize while future of recruitment technology resides on Mobility, Personalization and Predictive Intelligence, for sustainable business advantage a pinch of “Candidate Experience” will do wonders. So what are we waiting for, lets gear up & leverage the maximum benefits are leveraged out of this wave of development. Happy Recruiting!!!