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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Employers look in many places for qualified job candidates.
- AI is part of job placement, but many companies have outdated tech.
- Only 17% of companies have the right tools to identify IT talent.
I regularly hear about people responding to hundreds of job ads and getting very few responses. Even more distressingly, I hear about attending a series of interviews and then being ghosted.
In these challenging job-search situations, it’s good to know where potential employers actively look to fill their openings, especially in the technology space. LinkedIn and other social media sites, it turns out, are where companies and job seekers are most inclined to connect.
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The platforms most commonly used by employers seeking employees include LinkedIn Recruiter, used by 47%, and general social media, also cited by 47%, according to a survey of 1,000 companies released by TestGorilla. Indeed’s Smart Sourcing service is the choice of 42% of organizations, while 38% seek referrals from company networks.
The most effective approach is person-to-person interactions, such as connecting and networking via company connections and relying on word-of-mouth referrals. I think the best route to this destination is joining professional associations and user groups.
However, emerging technology brings another option — matching algorithms, which are extremely impersonal but highly efficient. In many cases, artificial intelligence (AI) is employed by companies to screen resumes and analyze video interviews. Already, more than 20% of managers report they frequently let AI make decisions regarding employee promotions, placements, and terminations.
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At the same time, candidates are learning to game hiring algorithms. They “use invisible text to embed the job descriptions of the vacant position in one’s resume; manipulate voice or appearance; use AI tools to generate answers to the interview questions, especially during a live or recorded virtual interview; and use AI tools to generate answers in an assessment test,” observed Linchi Kwok, professor at Cal Poly Pomona, in HospitalityNet.
In response to these tactics, some companies are using AI tools to discover who’s gaming who. However, the TestGorilla survey found most companies aren’t ready for the impact of AI. Only 37% said they feel “well prepared for AI, automation, and advanced analytics shaping the future of sourcing.” By sourcing, the survey’s authors mean companies reaching out to attract new employees.
When it comes to sourcing technology talent, many companies’ systems are outdated. With outdated tools and platforms in place, only 17% of survey respondents said they can aggressively source for a majority of their open positions. They blamed outdated candidate data (44%), and 48% said there are major integration gaps between tools.
Still, more than two-thirds (67%) said they hope to invest in new sourcing technology in the next 12 months. These tools could be essential for companies to find individuals with specific skills, such as AI development, which is an expanding part of the IT talent market. Also consider the irony: AI is needed to find AI talent.
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Many professionals, of course, will say they have AI talent — it’s the in-thing to have. For hiring companies, the greatest challenge (expressed by 58% of respondents) is determining whether candidates actually have the skills listed on their resumes. On the other side, three in five job seekers struggle to stand out with their resumes.
Adding to the challenge is the possibility that “employers don’t quite know which skills they’re looking for,” the survey’s authors added. Some imagination is now required, as AI will create new job roles. As the survey authors suggested, “Skills shortages are a genuine problem, especially for emerging capabilities like AI. But research we conducted earlier this year shows that this is being compounded by hiring’s match-making problem.”
This shortage is not strictly a supply-and-demand issue, they continued: “On top of skills shortages, skilled talent and open roles just aren’t finding each other. Because of this, it’s good to remember that your dream candidate may or may not have the background or experience that you expect. It pays to know skill and potential when you see it, regardless of where it’s come from.”
Also: 5 ways to fill the AI skills gap in your business
The survey authors have some recommendations for improving companies’ ability to recognize talent potential: “Professional networking sites like LinkedIn Recruiter and Indeed aren’t delivering,” they said. “Candidate information is outdated, the information people can add to their profiles is unverified, and search and matching algorithms are ineffective.”
A more holistic approach is needed, they added: “Instead of sourcing via information that has little relevance for job-fit — like education, connections, or experience — sourcing teams need to tap into other signals to get a better picture of who candidates are before they reach out. Signals that identify which ones are actually a skills match.”
The arrival of digital job placement was supposed to clear up the headaches of manual want-ad searches, resume mailings, and endless interviews. However, this technology is still a work in progress. Let’s hope for better ways to smooth the onerous role-matching process for employers and candidates.