Big Data is simply a collection of data from digital and traditional sources, inside and outside an organisation that is used as a source for ongoing discover and analysis. Big data is transforming at a rapid rate and it is not surprising that the collected is now being used for hiring purposes. According to various research specialists, an increasing number of organisations are combining big data with recruitment and creating what is called “Workforce Science”
The prints that employees leave behind – web browsing history, email history and social media activities are tracked and various organisations are trying to analyse this data and use it in order to get more efficient hires. Algorithms and analytics are currently being developed in order to create a strategy that can effectively assess past employee data in order to hire great new employees.
As mentioned above, organisations are currently collecting data on their employees through existing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and HRIS systems and tracking software. Employees are surveyed, tested and monitored. The information that is collected through these mediums are then analysed throughout the employees stay and certain traits and behaivours are recognized. The whole point of this analysis is to identify characteristics and patterns of great employees that are currently hired and employ candidates with similar qualities in order to have the right people for the right jobs.
A number of start-ups are adopting this method already. By tapping into the vast amount of information that is available from job candidates, they transfer these results into software that is made for hiring and recruitment.
However, there are certain negatives to this approach. The data that is being collected is done with transparency and without permission. In any organisation there are concerns about privacy and employee protection policies and due to this there is only a limited amount of information that an organisation can collect.
Moreover, another concern that has been recognized is that using information that has been collected from various public sources could lead to the existence of patterns that show inequality and exclusion. If this happens, the use of data crunching would have a different impact on minorities. If this happens, organisations may be prevented from causing any sort of workplace discrimination.
Conclusion
The bottom line; is big data effective in hiring? When making a recruitment decision, employers need to know if they candidate can handle the job and carry out the tasks efficiently. All the assessments and scoring are not as accurate as the analysis of actual employee observations and analysis. Given all this, employees should focus on the following;
- Take advantage of software and technology that relates to your organisation and use it to support other hiring and recruitment tools
- Make sure that data that is being collected is collected in a legal and fair manner.
- Protect and safeguard the privacy of the employees. It is best to develop a privacy policy that protects employee information
- It is best not to completely rely on hiring and recruitment tools to hire the best employee. No algorithm can totally replace human interaction and direct assessment of the employee.
