Personalizing big data

Recruiting for positions has become difficult for many in the strategic human resource management profession. There are so many complexities having to do with the big data revolution that many haven't begun to adapt to a dramatically different recruiting landscape. As such, many mistakes can be made.

When hiring managers sort through resumes, do they throw away the ones of the people that aren't hired? According to HR Morning, this can be a mistake because such candidates might turn out to be very useful in the future. Keeping track of individuals who didn't get the job can sometimes mean hiring someone for another position later that the person might have been more suitable for. Because the jobs market is so competitive, many potential hires feel overwhelmed, and won't apply again after missing one job opportunity at a place of business. This points to another difficulty with recruiting, which is that, without some way of going out and finding candidates, many companies will be short of adequate hires. Talent is hard to find, whether a company keeps old resumes of good workers or goes out to find others by using big data to search through LinkedIn.

The problem of finding talent is so extreme that HR Morning even recommended creating applications with fewer questions rather than more. The initial theory behind a large roster of questions was that it would weed out disinterested applicants. However, many now fear that those clients might be top performers who already have a lot of options on the table.

Outsourcing your recruitment campaign

Outsourcing your recruitment may not be the only solution that some companies need to find a great hire. In theory, these recruiting firms use big data to collect thousands of applicants, which are then narrowed down until the six or seven perfect candidates are selected. This is all well and good, Talent Circles stated, but what companies really need to do for their job seekers is to mentor and build a relationship with them. This is where many companies move from the sourcing phase of recruiting to the more personal phase. A good recruiting firm will allow companies to contact hires itself and speak with them. It adds a human touch.

In the end, the best approach may be to hire specialists in big data and follow up the work with individualized phone calls. This promotes a selective process without leaving out potential hires.

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