AI/Machine Learning Will Dominate Recruiting – So Prepare For Major Changes In These Areas

Most recruiters are busy with their day-to-day work. So, some fail to realize that many recruiting processes and tools currently in use will soon improve significantly by the continual learning provided by Artificial Intelligence (AI). In addition, not only will AI and its advanced cousin Machine Learning (ML) make recruiting processes faster and cheaper, soon and in many cases are already adding significant new capabilities that were simply not possible with legacy systems. However, relax, this isn’t a job security issue, it’s an opportunity to improve performance with little effort on the recruiter’s part.

The Top 10 Recruiting Areas That Will Be Most Impacted By AI And Machine Learning

Recruiting areas related to finding and attracting prospects

• Finding individual prospects – during sourcing will become much more automated and accurate when augmented with machine learning capabilities. Automated sourcing programs will be able to find many more and better matches, based on the continually updated target profile that you develop as a result of feedback. There are already vendor packages that allow you to identify currently employed individuals (e., passives) that are likely to quit soon and prospects that are likely to be diverse.
• Enhancing prospect profiles – can make the existing candidate profiles found on sites (like LinkedIn) more complete by supplementing them with additional information that a machine learning program will find on the Internet. Machine learning driven programs can sort through a prospects search histories, cookies and social media sharing. The additional information on a prospects interest, capabilities and behaviors might indicate that a candidate can do things that they haven’t done in the past. Once they apply, chatbots can contact an applicant directly to clarify unclear elements in their resume or profile.
• Improving job descriptions and postings – Recent research data has revealed that job descriptions and job postings can be dramatically improved so that the content better attracts your target audience. So, rewriting them can reduce terms that create a bias. Software can now help you reduce those biases and add content that draws initial attention and that attracts more qualified applicants.

Recruiting areas after candidates apply

• Resume sorting – with machine learning software uses the resumes of successful hires at your firm to find patterns and then it can use these past success patterns as a basis for predicting which resumes and candidates are most likely also to be successful when hired. If programmed correctly, resume sorting software can also help to eliminate a great deal of unconscious bias in resume screening and candidate slate selection. Machine learning assisted search programs can also help you find hidden or lost talent within your ATS database.
• Matching people and jobs – Using matching programs supplemented by machine learning can help a firm determine if there are any, less obvious, jobs that an applicant would also qualify. Matching people with jobs will also be improved by looking not just at an applicant’s past job titles and degrees, but also at their skills and capabilities.
• Interview scheduling – is time-consuming and dramatically reduces your speed of hiring. Fortunately, there is existing software that allows a candidate to self-schedule their own interviews depending on their availability.
• Interviews – can be time-consuming, so it makes sense to automate the initial ones with a chatbot that provides personalized questions based on your job profile. Also, there already exists technology that allows the use of neuroscience tools like voice and facial recognition to assess aspects of video recorded interviews that no humans could detect. There are even voice modulation programs that can help you obscure the voice of telephone interviewees so that it’s harder to identify their gender and national origin.
• Supplemental candidate assessment – in addition to traditional interviews. Natural language processing can check language skills and online technical tests [add utm codes] and challenges can help to assess the skills of applicants. There are automated programs that can more consistently determine cultural fit. Eventually, virtual reality simulations will be able to supplement interviews by giving candidates actual problems from the job to solve.
• Learning from hiring failures – By definition, machine learning processes continually identify mistakes and errors. Recruiting will have an ongoing failure analysis process that continually and automatically finds hiring and bias errors and their root causes, allowing recruiting processes to improve at a much faster rate.
• Other technologies – in addition to AI/ML technologies. Block Chain may eventually make checking educational and employment credentials easier and more accurate. Skype and video technologies already make it much easier to interview remote candidates without requiring them to travel. Machine learning will make predictive analytics in the area of projecting the future trajectory of finalists (in the areas of performance, retention and promotions) much more accurate.

Want to see how machine learning can help you find better technical matches for your open roles?  Check out CodeFights Recruiter or attend an upcoming webinar.

Attribution:  This article is excerpted from: AI Will Dominate Recruiting – So Prepare For Major Changes In These Areas, originally written by John Sullivan.  Click here to read the original article.

Migrating from the ‘Quantity’ Mindset when Sourcing Software Engineers

Typically, for technical recruiters sourcing candidates is a numbers game. After all, the larger the top of the funnel, the more candidates will make it to the offer stage and eventually get hired. Using resume-based hiring this has been a tried and true strategy for years, and typical hiring sites (i.e. LinkedIn, Hired.com, Vettery) support this ‘quantity’ mindset.

The problem with the ‘quantity over quality’ mindset is that it takes a lot of time and effort to recruit and hire software engineers. Sequoia Capital estimates that it takes about 80 hours to hire one software engineer, and that for 100 reach outs only 10 people may respond, 7 may be interested and 1 may get an offer. That’s a lot of time and money dedicated to a very inefficient process.

Changing from ‘quantity to quality’ is already happening…
Change is always difficult and often it’s human nature to avoid it. After all, as the old saying goes – ‘it’s always the pioneers that end up with the arrows in their back’. However the change to quality over quantity has been happening for some time, and now technical recruiters that still have the ‘quantity’ mindset are starting to be viewed as laggards and non-competitive.

The good news is that if you’re a recruiter that hasn’t tried to work with sources that provide quality candidates, you can slowly adapt to the mindset — you don’t have to jump into it. Continue to use your existing avenues to source technical candidates, and then add sources that provide pre-qualified engineers into the mix. When you see significantly less candidates presented, don’t give into the ‘quantity’ mindset and think “this is all I get? I need more!”. Remember, you didn’t have to spend hours finding these candidates – they came to you — so think about how much time you’ve saved. Once you’ve added a pre-qualified source to your existing sources, you can easily compare overall quality, responsiveness and funnel metrics of candidates from your pre-qualified source to candidates from your existing sources to determine if ‘quality over quantity’ will work for you. Companies like Asana, Evernote, Thumbtack and Wizeline are using sources that provide pre-qualified engineers and experiencing great results – why aren’t you?

 

Tips for Improving your Brand to Attract Technical Talent

These days every company is a technology company – no matter what industry they are in.  Why? Because every company has an online presence or a mobile app so they are actively hiring software engineers. For example, banks are in the financial services sector but these days a bank can’t be competitive if it doesn’t offer online services or mobile banking.

It can be difficult to hire technical talent so the last thing you want working against you is to have an online presence that is anything less than stellar.  However, there are so many online reputation sites that it may be difficult to keep up. Here are a few key sites that engineers visit to learn more about a company and to sharpen their interview skills when they are open to new opportunities:

Glassdoor — this is probably the first site an engineer will visit after a technical recruiter has been in contact.  With regards to your company’s online reputation, this is probably the number one site that you should keep current and as positive as possible.  If you do have some negative feedback on this site (or any other online reputation site) it’s not the end of the world — just make sure the positive feedback outweighs the negative feedback.  If a site only has positive feedback visitors will immediately be suspicious that it’s not authentic.

Themuse.com — this site allows you to virtually visit companies from a cultural angle.  Make sure your company profile has great pictures and communicates clearly why someone might want to work for your company.

Codefights.com – Software engineers come to CodeFights to improve their skills and prepare for upcoming interviews.  There are numerous technical challenges related to company tests that help engineers sharpen their skills.  Based on their performance on the site and their interest in a new position, they will be submitted to CodeFights Partner Companies that have added skills-based recruiting to their repertoire of sourcing channels.

More and more organizations are looking for accurate ways to boost up the hiring process. CodeFights Recruiter offers a unified online testing, interviewing and sourcing application. Sign up for demo and see how you can hire qualified engineers faster with less effort. 

3 Tips to Make Technical Recruiting Easier

The process for hiring technical talent today is not simple. Top companies and start-ups are  both always looking for the best talent for their company. Companies typically have multiple applications to source and test candidates (LinkedIn, Hired, Entelo, Coderpad, and HackerRank, just to name a few). Another contender has entered the ring now – CodeFights Recruiter.

So how is this platform different than the other solutions on the market? First, convenience. CodeFights Recruiter is a skills-based online application that enables companies to source, test, and measure from a single application. Second, CodeFights Recruiter enables a recruiting process that’s based on a data-driven job marketplace. In this marketplace, the right talent can be matched with the right opportunity, at the right company. Candidate skills are measured and quantified, and the same methodology is used on the company side to analyze open roles.

• Extensive Knowledge

To judge technical skills, recruiters must have the ability to analyze a candidate’s depth of knowledge. One of the best ways for a recruiter to gain this skill is to use the CodeFights Recruiter testing and interviewing modules. Engineering hiring managers can create custom tests that can be sent out by recruiters early in the hiring process. The CodeFights interview tool allows pair programming and provides a live replay of a candidate’s code.  

• Search For Talent

CodeFights Recruiter can also be a valuable addition for sourcing engineers. The engineers in the  CodeFights community are pre-qualified based on their skill sets [link to sourcing page with utm] and are only presented to a company if they have indicated that they are looking for a full-time job. The CodeFights community includes all ranges of talent and experience, including generalists, full stack engineers, mobile developers, and more.

• Efficiency Is Key

CodeFights Recruiter enables technical recruiters to easily communicate with candidates using the interface. It can also be integrated with both the Greenhouse and Lever applicant tracking systems. This means companies have efficient options for communicating with candidates and an easy way to manage the entire candidate lifecycle.

The right recruiting tool can vastly improve the technical hiring process. There are many applications on the market, so the key is to choose the ones that are reliable, easy to use, and add value immediately. It’s time to explore this new dimension of recruitment – check out CodeFights Recruiter now!

How to Attract Talented Resources

To remain competitive in today’s market, every company needs a compelling online presence — not just for marketing and sales, but also for hiring. Today’s workforce is the most technically savvy generation, and candidates quickly make decisions about a company based on online news, reviews, and comments. Here are some tips that can help you attract and retain qualified, motivated employees:

Strong Digital Presence: When looking for a job, the first thing a candidate does is search online. If your website has a bad layout or old information, candidates are easily turned off, and might not give the job a second thought. Continually evaluate your website or mobile app with a critical eye, and try to look at it from the lens of someone who is viewing your website for the first time.

Flexible Schedule: Professionals, regardless of their seniority, typically aren’t comfortable with micromanagement. Today, flexibility in work hours leads to an innovative and creative work culture. Managers can still set deadlines and targets, but they should let the employee work through the project independently, just checking in at specific milestones. Millennials like to work in an unconventional manner, and as long as they are delivering quality work, management should let them.

Transparency: A company’s vision is very important for all employees. Make sure to have regular all hands meetings and share both positive and negative information. When there is negative news to share, ask for suggestions for improvement to get everyone in the company involved in the solution. This can create a culture of unity and loyalty.

Feedback and Advancement Opportunities: All good resources want to be a part of a fast feedback system with lots of growth opportunities. Make sure all employees know the different ways your company provides for professional growth and opportunity.

Strong Talent Acquisition Team: In many cases, the first impression of an organization is reflected by an HR department or internal recruiters. A streamlined hiring process not only impresses candidates, but also makes sure that no one’s time is wasted. Engineering resources are notoriously difficult to hire. However, with AI-based online recruitment swiftly taking over the market, platforms like CodeFights Recruiter can help a company source the most qualified technical talent possible. CodeFights Recruiter empowers engineering hiring managers and internal recruiters with all the necessary tools to test and measure software engineering candidates. Customized company-branded tests can automatically be sent out to applicants at the beginning of the hiring process. Candidates with high test scores can continue on to a technical screening, or progress directly to an interview. CodeFights Recruiter offers an online interactive interview module that can be used for remote or onsite interviews. This interview module can also be used for pair programming, and the candidate’s code is saved online so that all the stakeholders can evaluate it.

Please share! What tips do you have to attract talented resources?

Successful Technical Recruitment via Online Platforms

Hiring developers intelligently requires an intelligent recruitment strategy. You need a well-planned strategy in order to hire qualified candidates who fit your profile without wasting time and money. But recruiting engineers can be especially challenging. Companies want to hire the best people for these roles, which puts a lot of pressure on the recruiter! Wading through resumes can be frustrating and time-consuming, and it’s hard to gauge a candidate’s technical skills when you’re not an engineer yourself. Your company’s recruiting budget and job requirements also play a major role in how the hiring is done.

Luckily, online recruitment applications like CodeFights Recruiter can simplify the entire process, helping you find and hire the best candidates for your open technical roles quickly and easily. Here are a few tips you can follow to make recruiting engineers easier for you, ensure that you find the best candidates for your company, and ensure that you don’t waste valuable engineering time interviewing unqualified candidates:

Set Recruitment Goals and Timeline – Having a clear timeline is key to ensuring that your recruiting process is on track. Online recruitment platforms like CodeFights Recruiter can simplify your scheduling by helping you manage everything from candidate screening to technical skill checks, making it easier to set and adhere to a hiring timeline.

Create Effective Job Descriptions – A well-crafted job description doesn’t just help the company that posts it. It also helps prospective candidates understand the job’s prerequisites are, so fewer unqualified candidates will apply. Ensure the right candidates are seeing your jobs by using a service like CodeFights Recruiter, which uses machine learning to analyze your job descriptions and recommend candidates who have the right skills and experience.

Conduct a Skill Analysis – You want to be able to weed out unqualified candidates well before they reach the interview stage. Sending out coding assessments is a great way of doing this, but they’re time consuming to create and manage on your own. Applications like CodeFights Recruiter make it easy to create send out custom coding tests and receive automatic reports with candidate results.

Keep Detailed Documentation – Proper documentation is a very important part of the recruitment process because it helps teams to stay in sync, ultimately allowing them to base decisions on data instead of “gut feelings”. CodeFights Recruiter tracks your candidates throughout the entire process, helping you recruit the perfect talent.

If you want to maximize your recruiting efforts and have an efficient hiring process, CodeFights Recruiter provides you with all the necessary tools. It has significant advantages over the other technical recruiting tools on the market because you can source, test, assess, and measure engineering talent all from a single application. CodeFights Recruiter doesn’t just give you advanced tools to hire the best talent in the market. It also promotes unbiased recruitment that’s based on an individual’s skills and capability, rather than on which school they went to or where they’ve worked previously. Explore the new phase of online recruitment. Visit CodeFights Recruiter today!