BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE IN RECRUITMENT

IT recruitment is caught in a paradoxical situation. On the one hand companies are eager to induct new hires, while on the other the right candidate often proves elusive. On the other hand, hundreds (even thousands) of hopefuls who have sent in their particulars wait anxiously for an interview call. The twain seldom meet to their mutual satisfaction.
Data analysis can go a long way in making the hiring process faster and more efficient. This is where the application of business intelligence (BI) has a considerable impact on the hiring process.
BI relates to the tools and systems that play a key role in the strategic planning process of an organisation by gathering, storing and accessing data. Traditionally used by companies to solve problems related to distribution, sales, marketing and logistics, the next step is to use BI to supercharge the hiring process.
To make 250 offers, our team met 5,000 people and went through 20,000 biodatas.

Kris Lakshmikanth Managing DirectorHeadhunters India
BI tools can be used to track blacklisted candidates. It becomes easier to weed them out

Rajaram Agarwal Managing DirectorTalentAhead India
Bangalore-based Headhunters India has been using an in-house-developed proprietary BI tool for the last two years. Says Kris Lakshmikanth, its founder and managing director, “Search or recruitment companies like ours conduct recruitment day-in and day-out. In December, we generated over 250 offers with an average CTC of over Rs 3.5 lakh.” As a rule of thumb, Headhunters India would have to meet 5,000 people in order to make 250 offers. To meet 5,000 people, its team would have gone through 20,000 biodatas. “This is a massive task anytime, so BI tools are useful to us,” says Lakshmikanth. For executive search companies, whose earnings are solely dependent on the joining of the candidate, the BI tool is vital for converting offers into hires.

BI can help recruiters:
Identify cities, companies or media from where they can recruit talent.
Find the right recruitment company to partner with.
Pick the college campuses that must be targeted.

Experts agree that the hiring process can be made more efficient by analysing data regarding existing employees to create a hiring profile. An organisation also needs to know the right mix of skills needed to achieve its business goals. Nirupama V G, executive vice-president, TeamLease Services, points out that some employers use data mining techniques to understand the characteristics of their top performers. “By understanding the characteristics of this group and rating them on parameters such as education, years of experience, skills and personality traits, a hiring profile can be established to recruit individuals who possess similar characteristics,” she says, adding that while this technique has been used many times, one must realise that the profiling is based on historical data which may not always successfully indicate who will be a top performers in the future as changes in social, economic and environmental conditions can throw a spanner in the works.