The Latest Advances in Technology in The Recruitment Process - Essay Example

The latest advances in technology in the recruitment process All the feedbacks I received for my earlier assignments in this module helped me immensely in writing this paper. Earlier, I was too much descriptive while writing my papers. Feedbacks in the past helped me to solve this problem. In this paper, I try to give more focus to the analysis of the topic based on the past feedbacks. Introduction According to Shoutlet (2011), “In the span of just a few years, communication has evolved from a one-way to two-way discussion on social media platforms”(Shoutlet, 2011). The influence of new technologies such as social networking, Web 2.0 and e-methods are growing day by day in human life. For example, the recent Arab revolutions are believed to be the contributions of social networks. According to modern principles of communication, more ideas are communicated nonverbally than verbally in a face to face communication process. New technologies are providing enough options for face to face communication in the virtual world so that people can interact in virtual world as effectively as in real world. (Network Theory And Analysis, n.d.) Social networks need not introduction even among ordinary people because of the huge popularity of these interactive communication channels among them. Generally speaking, social networks are “web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections within the system” (Boyd, 2007). On the other hand, Web 2.0 is only at its introductory stage now and therefore it is not necessary that all people are aware of it. Web 2.0 is actually the second generation of WWW. It was introduced in 2004 to provide more facilities to the internet users. In short, Web 2.0 is a web platform intended to provide “much more dynamic and interconnected surfing experience to online communities. Because most Web 2.0 features are offered as free services, sites like Wikipedia and Facebook have grown at amazingly fast rates” (Web 2.0, 2008). The influence of advanced technologies is growing on business as time goes on. The influence of computers and internet on business needs no explanations now. All the aspect of modern day business in controlled by internet related technologies. For example, recruitment is one area in which advanced technologies started to exert more influence. Social networks and other modern day web based technologies are used extensively for the recruitment process now. This paper analyses the impacts of new technologies upon recruitment process, benefits and drawbacks of using new technologies in recruitment process etc. Impacts of new technologies upon recruitment process Hunt (2009) has argued that “people are on social networks to connect and build relationships”(Hunt, 2009, p.2). On the other hand, Shih (2009) has mentioned that “online social engagements transform the relationships between the companies and customers from one sided to two sided” (Shih, 2009, p.6). Relationship building is the core of every business activity now and recruitment process is also not an exception. Social networks can be used effectively the recruiters to build meaningful relations with job seekers. “The IES survey of 50 organisations using e-recruitment reported that the primary drivers behind the decisions to pursue e-recruitment were to: improve corporate image and profile, reduce recruitment costs, reduce administrative burden, and employ better tools for the recruitment team” (Kerrin & Kettley, 2003). Extensive use of web based technologies in corporate matters will definitely improve the image of an organization. It should be noted that majority of the topmost companies in the world are keen in recruiting a diverse workforce from all over the world because of the extremely globalized nature of business at present. In order to identify talents from overseas countries, web based technologies can be sued effectively. Modern day organizations post their job ads in social networks such as Facebook, and Linkedln, which are accessed by millions of people all over the word. No other communication channels are capable of delivering instant jobs ads to such a wide variety of job aspirants all over the world as facebook and Linkedln do. Social networks help to build an online community in the virtual world to function like a real community in real world. It should be noted that virtual community can accommodate people from any parts of the world irrespective of their cast, age, race, gender or religion or education. Recruiters and job seekers can interact freely through social networks in order to get more awareness about each other. Initial screening of the recruitment process can be done easily with the help of interactions between the recruiter and the candidate through social networks. Online written tests, interviews with the help of video conferencing technologies etc help the recruiter to get more awareness about the credentials of the candidate. Wilson et al (2011) have pointed out that “Companies with clear objectives for using and measuring social technologies in a specific part of the organization should begin as predictive practitioners” (Wilson et al, 2011 p.25). It is difficult for a company to excel in the market if it uses modern technologies in one area and traditional technologies in all the other areas of its functioning. For example, if a company tries to implement web based technologies and social networks only for marketing purposes and avoid these facilities in all the other areas of its functioning, customers may not take that company as a reputed one. On the other hand, if a company is ready to implement modern technologies in all possible areas of its functioning, customers may consider that company a technology savvy organization. Advantages and disadvantages of using modern technologies in recruitment process Advantages Normal recruitment methods are expensive and time consuming compared to the e recruitment methods. Normal recruitment process may take many months whereas e - recruitment may take only weeks. The expense needed to organize written tests and interviews can be avoided while the recruiter opts for e-recruitment methods with the help of modern technologies. Since people reveal their qualifications and experiences in their social network profile, it is easy for the employers to search through databases of social networks and identify suitable talents for their organizations. While using normal recruitment methods, it is difficult to keep privacy and confidentiality of the details about the candidates attending in the written tests and interviews. On the other hand while using online services or advanced technologies, these things can be strictly observed. There are many people who like to change their organization without the knowledge of their present organization. Online recruitment methods may help such people immensely. For example LinkedIn is one of the major social networks which helps people to keep their privacy strictly while searching for jobs. According to Lindow (2011), “LinkedIn can be a good place to start, because what LinkedIn has done is given people the permission to put their resume online,” without fear of repercussions from current employers” (Lindow, 2011). LinkedIn helps employers to publish their job ads and the job seekers can go through these ads to select suitable jobs for them. Employers have the access to go through the details of job seekers on LinkedIn and they can contact them personally, if found suitable. “Making use of groups on LinkedIn is a good way to attract staff, and especially useful for finding employees with specialist skills that you might otherwise have trouble finding” (Jones, 2010, p.5). While using normal recruitment methods, it is necessary for the recruiters to conduct an initial screening process to identify potential candidates. However, in the case of e-recruitments, such initial screening operations can be avoided completely. “By making use of Twitter, Facebook et al, companies are more likely to get their vacancy in front of passive job hunters, thereby opening up the pool of potential recruits they can draw from”(Jones, 2010, p.3). It is not necessary that all the people use social networks for finding jobs. It is possible to attract even passive job hunters with the help of recruitment methods using modern technologies. For example, suppose a computer professional who watches a job ad from a reputed company accidently. He may think in terms of applying for that job if the offers are attractive. It should be noted that he had no intentions at all in changing his present organization and the attractive offers in the job ad forced him to think in terms of changing his organization. Here the recruiter is successful getting the services of a smart professional with the help of jobs ads in social networks. Another advantage of using digital technologies for recruitment is the ability of recruiters in sending customized offers to different job seekers. For example, suppose a recruiter has identified a smart professional after going through the social network profile of a job seeker. In this case, the recruiter can offer more salaries and other facilities to this job seeker with the help of customized job ads. While using conventional recruitment methods, it is difficult for the recruiter to offer salaries based on qualification and experience. Disadvantages One of the major drawbacks of using social networks for the recruitment process is the possibility fake profiles created by people on social networks. It is not necessary that people always provide their actual qualifications and experiences in their social network profile since their primary intension in using social networks is socializing rather than finding jobs. In order to attract others, people often provide exaggerated profiles in social networks which may mislead the recruiters. “At the simplest level, employers and potential job holders must learn about one another and word of mouth communication is one way which that happens”(Berg & Kalleberg, 2001, p.469). It should be noted that face to face communication helps a recruiter to learn more details about the job aspirant since nonverbal communication provides more details than verbal or written communication. Modern theories suggests that more than 60% of the information is communicated through nonverbal channels. “There are many different "channels" of nonverbal communication: facial expressions, the clues in our voices ("vocal paralanguage"), hand gestures, body movements ("kinesics"), touch ("haptics"), and personal space.” (Exploring nonverbal communication, n. d). Even though videoconferencing technologies can assist the recruiter in assessing the body languages of the candidate, such virtual meetings may not provide enough data as real meeting does. "You might find that a graduate is more likely to be using Facebook for example and an experienced hire might be more likely to be using LinkedIn, so it's ensuring that you look at the channels for the best way to reach the people that you need"(Jones, 2010, p.4). It should be noted that facebook is normally used for socializing purpose by teenagers whereas Twitter is used by matured ones for expressing their views. LinkedIn on the other hand is used by job aspirants. In short, the recruiters need to go through different social networks to find suitable candidates for their organization. Social networks are mostly used for socialization, relaxation and entertainment purposes so that the job offers from the recruiters may not be considered seriously by passive job seekers. “Social recruiting is about getting engaged and having conversations with people before they’re even thinking about you as an employer, says Bruce Morton, CMO of Allegis Group Services, a company that provides human resources consulting” (Lindow, 2011). Conclusions Advances in technologies are helping the recruitment process immensely by providing cheap and effective recruitment methods. It can help recruiters to identify talents from any parts of the world. The image of a company can be boosted substantially while it uses advanced technologies in its recruitment methods. At the same time, the possibility of cheating cannot be ruled out while using advanced technologies for recruitment purpose - Job aspirants can mislead the recruiters with false information. References 1. Boyd D.M & Ellison N.B. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. 2007 Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. [Online] Available at: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html 2. Berg I.E & Kalleberg A.L (2001). Sourcebook of labour markets: evolving structures and Processes. Springer, 2001 3. Exploring nonverbal communication, (n. d) Online] Available at: http://nonverbal.ucsc.edu/ [Accessed on 10 January 2012] 4. Hunt,T. (2009). The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business. Publisher: Crown Business (April 21, 2009) 5. Jones B (2010). How to use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in recruitment. 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