Written By Andrea Henderson
KEY TAKEAWAYS By integrating Internet of Things technologies, recruiters can automate and streamline tasks, enhancing the candidate experience and speeding up the recruitment and hiring processes. Typically, a recruiter’s day is filled with tedious, time-consuming tasks from sifting through stacks of resumes to setting up interviews – manual work that can result in delays, inefficiencies, and errors. However, by integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, recruiters can automate and streamline tasks, speeding up the recruitment and hiring processes.
Automation and integration between disparate human resources systems and technology is critical for saving time and reducing errors but also for hiring top talent, says Liz Li, chief product officer at Velocity Global, provider of a global employment platform. “At Velocity Global, we’ve invested [research and development] effort into a few IoT-based technologies, such as applicant tracking systems and human resources information systems,” she says. Overall, these systems help streamline hiring top talent, paying, and managing our customers’ distributed workforces rather than having to re-enter information and possibly risk making mistakes manually, according to Li. “This not only allows the data to flow into any downstream system that needs it, but it’s a faster process that starts new employees off on the right foot with a streamlined experience,” she says. “It’s a win-win for both the organization doing the hiring and the new hire.”
IoT Helps Recruiters Better Predict Talent Needs
The most compelling use case for IoT involves how it can help talent acquisition professionals get smarter about the talent market and develop proactive and strategic hiring plans, according to Andrea Henderson, partner, life sciences, healthcare, diversity, CEO and board practices at talent advisory firm DHR Global. Talent acquisition specialists can leverage IoT data in conjunction with advanced analytics and machine learning to predict future talent needs more accurately, as well as analyze historical data on employee turnover, market trends, and other relevant factors to forecast hiring requirements, she notes. “Integrating IoT into the recruitment process can provide recruiters with valuable data and insights that can help them use time and resources wisely and make better-informed decisions all around,” Henderson adds. In healthcare, for example, IoT data plays a vital role in providing real-time insights into patient care and workforce activities, she says. When combined with predictive analytics and machine learning, it enhances the healthcare system’s ability to forecast and address its future talent requirements, ultimately improving patient care and operational efficiency. “This helps in optimizing workforce planning, reducing understaffing or overstaffing issues, and improving patient care and outcomes,” Henderson says. “It also allows the healthcare system to respond promptly to changing conditions, such as seasonal illnesses or unexpected events.”
IoT Is Changing the Entire Recruitment Process
“IoT Is driving profound changes in how organizations will recruit in the future,” says Cliff Jurkiewicz, vice president, global strategy at Phenom, an HR technology company. “Candidates will no longer need to apply for a role – they will be proactively sourced. Resumes will become obsolete, and it will be the death of the applicant tracking system as we know it today.” Thanks to IoT, vast amounts of data is created about individuals’ purchases, behaviors, interests and passions every day, he says. This happens in the background as people go about their lives in a connected world. From a recruiting standpoint, verifiable profiles will be created based on this publicly available information, Jurkiewicz adds. The keyword is “verifiable,” and it will go far beyond traditional resumes or even LinkedIn profiles. “Candidate sourcing will become hyper-accurate, precise, and instant,” he says. “The applicant tracking system must evolve from accepting applications and analyzing data to engaging, nurturing, and automating the experience for sourced candidates. Organizations’ career sites will also evolve from posting static, generic information to delivering highly personalized content – on the candidate’s first visit.” Today, skills are at the forefront of any HR discussion and whether an individual is the right fit for a role, Jurkiewicz says. In the near future, this assessment will expand to include behavior and identifying whether a candidate will succeed within an organization based on culture, aptitude, adaptability, and attitude. “Adding artificial intelligence to IoT brings convenience and value to our lives that we could have only imagined 10 or 20 years ago,” he says. “For example, my AI-enabled washer and dryer examine the condition of my clothes. I no longer need to select the desired cycle. The next step is for the devices to communicate with retailers who can market to me when my clothes are worn and need to be replaced. It’s this same combination of AI and IoT that will transform recruiting.”
IoT Makes Sharing Information and Scheduling Easier
The biggest benefit of using IoT in recruitment is the ease of sharing information across hiring teams, says Robert Kaskel, chief people officer at Checkr, a provider of background check software. “When you input candidate data like notes, resumes, and other important considerations into a recruitment platform, every recruiter involved in a hire can access it immediately – and from anywhere,” he says. There are no more missed messages, duplicate efforts, and misinformation. A recruiter can use their smartphone to check a candidate’s profile with the company minutes before the final interview or as they weigh the hiring decision, Kaskel says. Hiring teams can work together even better, faster, and stronger than before to make even better hires. IoT also enables sophisticated background checks and sentiment analysis, says Nilesh Thakker, managing partner and global head of the talent practice at management consulting firm Zinnov. “This information can be used to personalize the hiring experience and ensure that the best possible candidates are selected,” he says. IoT also improves scheduling interviews, says David Janovic, founder and CEO of RJ Living, a design-led direct-to-consumer furniture business. “In the past, scheduling interviews used to be a nightmare for large teams or intensive hiring processes with dozens of candidates,” he says. “However, IoT has all but eliminated the time spent ping-ponging emails back and forth with candidates to book or reschedule interviews.” With IoT, candidates can instantly connect to a recruiter’s virtual calendar and pick an available timeslot from the ones made available by the recruiter, Janovic says. “Invitations and reminders are sent automatically to each party’s computer, smartphone, or other smart device connected to the Internet of Things, making it nearly impossible to forget or miss an interview,” he says. “You get fewer booking errors and free up much of your hiring team’s time to perform tasks beyond this sort of housekeeping.”
The Bottom Line
The Internet of Things really is disrupting the entire hiring process, says Thakker. “IoT is poised to make hiring more efficient, effective, and enjoyable for everyone involved,” he says. “By automating tasks, leveraging data analytics, and enhancing the candidate experience, IoT can help organizations find the best talent.”