I’m fascinated with the emergence of “big data” and its use in predicting job success with candidates. We experimented with this back at Electronic Arts during our many hiring booms, and have used it with salespeople at some of my other clients. The short answer is that these assessments do work…but you have to commit to the process of establishing the measures and capturing the data systematically to make it valid and reliable. If you’re going to be hiring in volume for key roles, I highly recommend it.
What’s shifting in the world is that the process of capturing this data is starting to get easier as the HR systems start to expand their capabilities, new vendors enter with solution suites that are designed to track this information, and candidates are creating rich data “footprints” that can be used to establish predictions of success for roles. In short, there are more tools and more sources and my prediction is that this will accelerate two trends: (a) people will be matched more quickly to opportunities which will allow (b) employers to further experiment with a more on-demand workforce and more people will take the leap (or be forced) to become self-employed. Note I did not say everybody; this matching system will benefit the educated, connected, and capable.
Dr. Charles Handler just penned an interesting article talking about new sources of data that, combined, can become yet another input to help organizations match talent to their needs. Your data trail on sites like LinkedIn and Facebook for example begin to show limited correlations with some aspects of job success. While the particular studies are interesting, what is more interesting to me is that the way employers are connecting with talent is shifting, and that predictive models and tools of candidate sourcing will emerge that are going to radically shift recruiting.
As a leader within organizations, my suggestion is to have real clarity on the organizational competencies that mater to your customers, and drill down into the various jobs that make those a reality. Work with specialists to help you tease out the true predictors of success in those roles and then train people to gain those skills and/or help them reframe their approach to the job so it aligns. Find ways to document which sources of candidates produce the best employees so you can optimize your recruiting spend. It sounds easy but when you’re in the thick of recruiting this kind of data collection can take time and may seem annoying to staff, so create easy to use tracking tools and work with your team to regularly “check in” and reflect about the ROI of sources for each role type. You’ll be surprised at what this triggers for people’s relationship with data collection.
My recommendation for anyone managing their careers given our newfound connectedness is to follow the three Cs:
- Cultivate: Be clear about your gifts and strengths, the types of roles and organizations that work best with your style, and be thoughtful that your online presence properly represent you.
- Connect: Develop authentic in-person and online relationships with people and find ways to stay abreast of each other’s lives. Be open to meeting new people, and help connect others as needed. If you’d like to develop your business or be connected to particular opportunities, be clear about the ideal role and organization, and ask if your network knows of people that would benefit from that connection. People love to help solve problems for others by connecting talent to needs; this reframing is truly liberating for anyone who hesitates with business development or job hunting.
- Contribute: Share your knowledge or perspective by volunteering, mentoring, or simply answering questions or offering tips. It feels great, and when you do it without expectations it creates goodwill that often returns as professional opportunities.
How’s your organization approaching the use of assessments and big data with its recruiting programs? I’d love to hear your perspective and of course to help you navigate the new times.
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Adaptive Talent is a talent consultancy designed to help organizations achieve amazing results and ongoing adaptability. Founded in 2008 and based in Vancouver, Canada we offer retained search, assessments, total rewards consulting, training, leadership coaching and development programs, and culture & organizational development consulting.