BIG DATA
Applications in Recruitment
DATA ANALYTICS CAN STRENGTHEN THE HR DISCIPLINE
Human resources and data analytics, at first glance,
seem like diametrically opposed concepts. Big
data is raw, dispassionate and objective.
HR, meanwhile, is the shepherd of the
organization’s culture and the perpetual process
of attracting and retaining top talent. Its
core functions are rooted in empathy and
a keen understanding of complex interpersonal
dynamics. In the recruitment
world, specifically, some assume big
data will ultimately become a proxy
for the “human” in HR.
Fortunately, research detailing the
early adopters of human capital data
analytics tells us that the science is a
complement, rather than a replacement,
for the decades of carefully
maintained insights and best practices.
It is a tool that makes the HR discipline
stronger.
What’s clear, however, is that after years
of experts hailing the arrival of big data in
HR, there are many skeptics still questioning
its relevancy.
A summer 2014 CareerBuilder.ca and Harris Poll
survey of more than 400 Canadian hiring and HR managers
found that a vast majority of employers are not on the
big data bandwagon, at least when it comes to talent acquisition.
In fact, 83 per cent said they never or rarely use data analytics as
part of their recruitment strategy. Asked why, half of this group responded
that big data is simply not applicable to talent acquisition,
a response that lead “inaccessibility” of big data (20 per cent) and its
“overwhelming nature” (23 per cent) as the top reasons.
The hesitancy to adopt data analytics is in spite of the fact that
nearly half of Canadian companies have open jobs for which they
cannot find qualified candidates. Extracting meaning from large and
unwieldy datasets is a legitimate challenge for many HR departments
running up against staffing and budgetary constraints. The
recruitment
By Mark Bania
phipatbig / Shutterstock
RESEARCH DETAILING THE EARLY
ADOPTERS OF HUMAN CAPITAL DATA
ANALYTICS TELLS US THAT THE SCIENCE
IS A COMPLEMENT FOR THE DECADES
OF CAREFULLY MAINTAINED INSIGHTS
AND BEST PRACTICES. IT IS A TOOL THAT
MAKES THE HR DISCIPLINE STRONGER.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ 45