Are the new digital recruitment methods about to “uberize” the classic recruitment market? Between matching algorithms, seduction methods directly inspired from dating sites, conversational trend, but also marketplace, recruitment is now directly being inspired by the e-commerce methods and the recent web evolutions.
The first big trend we analysed is the “matching” trend. It aims at facilitating the confluence of employers looking for specific profiles and candidates with defined professional goals.
– Naturally, specialized start-ups have emerged; some like MonkeyTie want to be peer joabboards. Each candidate has to take “the Big 5”, which is a personality questionnaire based on the following five traits: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Stability (Neuroticism). Candidates also need to go through a Culture Fit questionnaire. Professional skills are also integrated if the candidates fulfill the information about their experiences. It is only when all the information have been completed that the matching concept takes place, matching candidates and job offers. The candidate can then see which offers fit him best based on his personality traits and professional experiences. This matching process brings forward affinities between the candidate and the employer beyond the classical skills (academic background, experiences) in the recruitment.
-The young French start-up Kudoz integrates the candidate’s professional experience but also adds a ludic aspect to this matching concept. This application is based on the same model as the notorious dating app Tinder. Once your location, salary range, sectors, and years of experience are given, job offers scroll on your screen. Swipe left to apply, swipe right to see the next offer. The application process is minimalized. Indeed, as soon as your LinkedIn account is linked with the app, you are one click away from any job application on the platform. Kudoz then offers to add a “Kweet”, a cover message with a 140-characters maximum. The candidate can also have access to his potential future managers and colleagues’ photos, a press review, a map to localize the office, helping him to familiarize with the enterprise. In Germany, there is also a very similar application truffls.de addressing different markets such as DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and also the UK market.
In this interaction and seduction game between candidates and recruiters, social networks have become very important, notably through numerous enterprises’ Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter’s pages dedicated to recruitment. Thanks to this less conventional atmosphere, the recruitment’s approach is more direct. Enterprises can enhance their employment brand through direct interactions between candidates and the enterprise’s associates. Matching algorithms also exist, remarkably on LinkedIn. In 2014, the social network acquired a start-up named Bright, specialized in pertinent job offers suggestions. And more recently, Linkedin has just launched a mobile application for students (Linkedin students) offering positions likely to match with their studies. It’s very similar to Kudoz and Truffls’ applications concepts focused on students and with a lot of suggestions of positions hold by former students in similar schools and company pages. This application is a great way to encourage students to first engage with LinkedIn and to then lead them to open their free LinkedIn account before a premium one in a next step.
Classic jobboards are now also following the trend, Monster, thanks to its innovative options is able to show you which job offer is fitting you just like Amazon would suggest which book to buy. Monster or start-ups like Goldenbees go even further by putting job ads at specific schedules of the day on some websites, in order to target certain profiles. All these innovations are possible thanks to your web cookies!
Looking for a job has greatly evolved with a growing number of candidates and notably young adults looking for their new jobs as they would be comparing hotels on TripAdvisor or restaurants on LaFourchette. This new recruitment’s conversational trend has created websites such as Glassdoor, the equivalent of TripAdvisor in the world of recruitment. On this website powered by the users, employees can leave anonymous comments in order to help out any potential applicants. The website also references social advantages, careers evolutions but also salaries average by post, bonuses and the office’s ambiance. Enterprises have the possibility to post job offers and to buy premium spaces to reinforce their attractiveness.
Recruitment through recommendations has forever existed but the model has been renewed through digitalization and co-optation websites such as KeyCoopt. This collaborative network, by invitation only, bets on recommendations in-between members. Just like a classic recruitment website, KeyCoopt hosts jobs offers, with only candidates co-opted by its network members. KeyCoopt went beyond this slight adaptation with KeyCoopt System. This is a similar principle, but applied internally in the enterprise. This second solution seems to us more pertinent than the first one; the recommendation being made by someone who knows well his enterprise’s needs.
The last trend observed is the marketplace one. Marketplaces aim to be the bridge between employers, recruitment professionals, and candidates. This model has faced more difficulties resulting in a timid emergence. But with the market place, all recruitment agencies are put in competition and only remunerated through success fees. Until right now, this model hasn’t increased as much as it was planned by its promotors.
In conclusion, traditional recruitment will survive, just like the e-commerce didn’t kill the classic outlets. Brands like Fnac accomplished a great recovery thanks to a homemade e-commerce website, a mobile app, a market place and most importantly multi-channel sales which accounted for 46% of the total sales revenue in 2015. The brand embraced well its market digitalization but still keeps a strong advantage through its in-store counselling.
Nowadays, employers follow multi-channel recruitment logic. Rather than competition between classic recruitment’s methods and 100% digitalized recruitment, complementarity and synergy of both methods will mostly help the recruitment in its transformation and better efficiency. It is crucial for employers to leverage all channels of recruitment and to look for the most efficient method depending on which profile they are looking for. It’s in their best interest to take in account short-term returns but also medium and long-term returns (turnover effect, employer brand).
Recruitment agencies who will best monitor those digital recruitments techniques for their identification and sourcing of candidates will always keep an added value in their counselling and will be essential partners notably in the negotiations phases between the candidate and its future employer.
Pierre MAURIN
Partner Alhambra International
Benoit DAOGLIO
Student in the Bachelor of Commerce at McGill University, Montreal.