Hays: Machine Learning and Data Science Driving the Evolution of Recruitment

In a new report launched by Hays today, 'Recruitment Remodelled' examines the evolution of the recruitment industry where the traditional human-centric skills of matching candidates with organisations are now working hand-in-hand with data science, machine learning, predictive analytics and other digital tools and technologies. Alistair Cox, Hays plc CEO, says, "In my ten years as CEO of Hays, I have never seen the recruitment and staffing industry evolving as rapidly as it is today. Technology, the dynamics of the digital world, and the advent of data science and machine learning are fuelling these changes. "For business, the fundamental underlying issue of finding the best talent for their organisation hasn't changed, but what has evolved across our industry is how to manage this process in an age where technology has brought new ways of finding top-quality talent." The traditional approach to recruitment - defined by Hays as'Advertise & Apply' - has relied upon organisations promoting their vacancies across multiple channels to solicit applications from jobseekers. This long-established model is no longer enough in today's digital world as it is primarily directed at the active, rather than the passive, jobseeker community. In addition, the ease at which candidates can respond to online job advertisements has led to an unwieldy process with high volumes of responses being received, many of which prove to be unsuitable for the role. A new recruitment model has been developed and deployed by Hays - defined as'Find & Engage' - that combines the best practice recruitment techniques and established candidate relationships with the new opportunities presented by digital technology, data science and machine learning. This approach is designed to maximise the likelihood of organisations finding the best talent by enabling them to search beyond those active jobseekers, and reach deep into a much wider pool of passive candidates. Alistair added, "There has always been a real art to recruiting the best talent, built around the development of trusted relationships and an ability to assess the compatibility of a candidate for the vacancy.