Recruiters’ Alert: Red Flags to Watch out for in CVs

Recruiters’ Alert: Red Flags to Watch out for in CVs

by | Recruitment, Resume

As a recruiter, one of your most fundamental (and potentially boring) tasks is to screen through all the CVs that come your way, and identify which ones to scrap and which ones to move ahead with. At times this can be tough, when you have scores and scores of CVs to go through, and there’s only so much your brain can process. However, to make your job easier, you can train yourself to look out for certain Red Flags in the CVs that come your way. This will make it infinitely easier for you to sift through the CVs, while shortlisting the very best potential hires.

So what are some of the red flags you need to watch out for?

  1. Does not address the basics of the job description

    Even if you may have listed out the specifications you are looking for, very clearly, you will still receive applications that do not heed the basic requirements. For example, one of the easiest ways to short list CVs is to check the work experience of the candidate. If you are hiring for a senior position, you have very specific conditions in mind. Or certain language requirements that may be a precondition. This way, you’ll be able to filter the CVs much faster.

  2. The format of the CV

    One of the easiest and most obvious ways to tell whether or not a candidate is a potential hire is by simply looking at the format of the CV. If it is sloppy and untidy, you know that the concerned candidate is not really serious about his application, because they clearly haven’t spent time trying to make an impression through their application. This reflects a great deal about how professional the candidate is. While the CV does not need to be elaborate and decorative, it definitely needs to be clean, well formatted and definitive.

  3. Unexplained gaps in employment

    Gap years are perfectly acceptable. And at times, even desirable. But that depends on how the gap year has been spent. Volunteering, internships, traveling, freelancing are some of the most common reasons for taking gap years. If the overall professional record of the candidate is alright, this shouldn’t be a cause for worry for a recruiter. However, what you can’t take a chance with is unexplained gaps in employment. In that case, you have no knowledge about how the candidate spent that time, and worse, you don’t know if they’re hiding something.

  4. No achievements

    The candidate might have been educated at the most prestigious institutions, and may have been employed at fairly reputed organizations; however, without achievements these aspects don’t really matter. They certainly do not account for achievements in themselves. In order to decide whether the candidate can be an asset to your organization, you need more tangible proof. While the candidate might have been entrusted with a lot of important roles and responsibilities, it is also important to get a gauge of how the candidate delivered on them.

  5. Lack of definitive  targeting

    A good CV is one which definitively targets all the job requirements, and responds to each one by stating the skills necessary for the requirements. A CV without intent, or target, is not something that you can short list as a potential hire. While the candidate might be a good all round candidate, specific roles have specific requirements. As a recruiter, it is your foremost responsibility to not compromise on this very crucial precondition for hiring.

Even the seemingly “small” things do make an overall difference to the quality of hire. The way a CV is written up, speaks volumes about the overall personality of a person. While you can’t get a thorough gauge of the professional unless you call them in for a personal interview, the CV can give you enough of an idea about whether or not the candidate should even make it to the next round. Want more tips on how to recognize a great CV in two minutes? Read this great article on Undercover Recruiter.

Eliminating HR and Recruitment Bias with AI

Eliminating HR and Recruitment Bias with AI

by | Artificial Intelligence, World of Work

Some of the biggest challenges in the field of recruitment stem from HR (Human Resources) bias, which impact the crucial aspects of diversity, inclusiveness and equality in the world of work. These issues can be hard to resolve since a lot of times certain prejudices or biases are so deep-seated and normalized, that one doesn’t even realize they are being biased. With a judicious use of AI in recruitment and HR, we can hope to create and sustain a more equal and diverse work space. And here is how.

  1. Using AI to root out bias during recruitment

    This by far is one of the best uses of AI. While AI learns the patterns of recruitment by analyzing the past history, it is possible to mould the algorithms in a way so that while playing the necessary filters of finding probable candidates, it doesn’t stick to the past biases in recruitment. In this case, the result is having a much greater chance at a diverse work force, and at a fair recruitment process which keeps in mind only the necessary qualifications which defines the successful candidate. Thus, keeping at bay any and all biases related to gender, caste, class, religion, et al.

  2. Using AI to identify gender biased job descriptions

    Here is something Amanda Bell, Director of Recruiting at Lever, has to say about Gender biased job descriptions:

    “Luckily, this can be pretty easy. Review your job descriptions with the lens of “Who is the audience here?” If your answer is “any qualified candidate, regardless of gender,” you’ve done a good job! It’s not just about the presence of gender-specific pronouns – it’s also about using language that is inclusive of all genders. Stay away from phrases like “kick ass,” “ninja,” and, believe it or not, “brah.” You can also ask a few employees of various genders to read the descriptions and solicit feedback.”

    In fact, this problem is deeper and more pervasive than we think. Even seemingly harmless words have an impact on how gender inclusive the descriptions are. With the help of AI, we can move a step closer to creating gender inclusive job descriptions. This is often the very first step of recruitment. And getting the beginning right, helps ensure the standards of fairness all through the process.

  3. Using AI to see the “invisible bias”

    While bias in recruitment, and the way job descriptions are crafted can be identified to a certain extent, there are multiple other forms of biases which aren’t visible. These are often the more insidious ones. And are also often the mound of biases leading up to the formation of the glass ceiling.

    Turns out, it is very much possible to sniff these biases out with the help of AI. For example, Joonko, a new application powered by AI, acts as a diversity coach. Based on experiential learning of CEO and Co-founder of the product, Ilit Raz, she designed it after becoming aware of the several forms of unconscious biases she as a woman faced in her everyday work life. In contrast to the available AI tools which mostly look at recruitment biases, this tool aims at illuminating unconscious bias in workplace situations where very few people even think or feel it exists.  “We try to catch these ‘micro-events and point them out to managers and workers immediately.”, says the co-founder on what the product aims at.

    This is a beautiful way of blending technology and human understanding to create a truly inclusive and fair workplace.

  4. Using AI to eliminate biases from Performance Management Systems

    It is no secret that performance assessments are often shrouded by conscious and unconscious biases of the individual entrusted with the task. An unfair assessment of an individual’s contribution to the organization definitely impacts the overall work space environment, making it a less happy place for people to thrive and work in. A way of dealing with these biases is by using AI in performance management systems. It can take care of two main things that are often said to influence a manager’s decision making with respect to performance assessment:

    – Regency Effect: i.e., when a manager bases the performance of an individual on a recent event, rather than looking at his/her performance over a period of time, cumulatively.
    – Contrast Effect: i.e., when a manager compares or contrasts an individual’s performance against someone else’s, instead of comparing it to the pre-set standards for the given task role.

While the role of humans in the world of work can never be completely over taken by AI, there are things that AI can help humans do better. With the right balance, and insights, AI powered technology can help us move towards fairer, equal, diverse and happy work spaces.

Friday Five: Reasons Why AI Can Never Replace Recruiters

Friday Five: Reasons Why AI Can Never Replace Recruiters

by | Recruitment

So is the next big thing in recruitment, AI, or Artificial Intelligence? That question surely deserves an answer in the affirmative. AI and Big Data are beginning to have a pervasive impact not just in the recruitment sector, but across sectors – from helping consumers shop better online, to using algorithms for pairing individuals with the most suitable partners through myriad dating platforms. Be it the professional realm, or the personal, AI seems to be making an impact in both. Why then do we claim that AI Can Never Replace Recruiters? Here are our reasons.

  1. AI cannot relate, empathize or help candidates with subjective opinions

    Just saying the above sentence is enough to substantiate the reason, but it is a case worthy of being made. While AI can conjure clever algorithms and claim to recruit the “perfect” candidate, it lacks empathy. It cannot build a relationship based on trust and guidance to provide the candidate and the potential employer through a meaningful, and indeed, humanized process.

  2. AI does not have communication skills, a prerequisite in the field of Recruitment

    Or put another way, AI does not have the necessary communication skills to be able to really sell a job. All it can do is provide the user with answers based on algorithms, which are a hundred percent objective. The recruitment experience with AI will lack in sensitivity, and more importantly insights that experienced recruiters have. These insights coupled with excellent communication skills help recruiters help the candidates. At times, candidates may believe that a certain organization is not a good match for them – in which case AI will end the process right there. However, that experience would differ with a recruiter in case he/she is aware that the organization in fact is a good fit for the candidate. In that scenario, the recruiter will then go on to initiate a dialogue with the candidate to give him his perspective, and insights. This depth in connection ensures that the candidate is equipped to make a thoroughly informed choice.

  3. AI cannot understand a client’s needs like a Recruiter can

    Without the communication skills of a recruiter, AI can never engage with clients the way recruiters do. Recruiters get down to the basics of understanding the culture, background and environment of an organization, and match candidates not just based on skills but also based on values and principles. AI can simplify an elaborate search process in a span of minutes, however, with a lack of engagement with clients, it can never quite attain that “perfect” fit for the client.

  4. AI is not as motivated as Recruiters are

    It would be a little more than slightly incorrect to say that AI loves what it does. But not for actual recruiters (for most of them at least). And people who love what they do are exceptionally good at what they do. This isn’t just a “quote” from hundreds of successful people all around the world, it is a fact. Being motivated helps recruiters go that extra mile, be flexible, and make that extra effort to help anchor a holistic recruitment process. But can we say the same for AI?

  5.  AI is not Human

    While this is like saying a potato is not an apple, it is at times necessary to stress on the obvious to make a point. This last reason perhaps sums up the four other reasons on why AI can never replace recruiters. AI helps enormously with data and predictions, but at the same time, it is important to understand that the recruitment sector is composed of human beings, and for human beings. How then can machines and AI replace the crucial role of recruiters?

The process of recruitment extends far beyond a “matching” process. It is an enduring process built on the basis of mutual trust, respect and experience. By hoping or attempting to delegate such a delicately nuanced process to AI, there is no doubt that we will lose out on some of the best that the talent pool has to offer recruiters. For recruiters, unlike AI, recruitment is not a black and white process, and not a process of simply ticking off the required skills. It is a deeply humane process, as it should be.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you imagine the job industry would be more efficient with AI instead of human recruiters? Let us know your thoughts!https://www.sincera.in/contact-us/

Moving towards Inclusiveness at Workspaces

Moving towards Inclusiveness at Workspaces

by | Leadership, World of Work

2nd of April is marked as World Autism Awareness week. In solidarity with the movement, this week, we want to speak about the value of workspaces practising the virtue of being inclusive. The only effective way to speak about this is by offering examples of workspaces which are making a difference through their inclusive approach. SAP Labs in India is one such place. Liffy Thomas wrote an article “A Red Carpet Welcome for the Autistic”, for The Hindu.

The article speaks about the processes companies follow in “integrating” those with autism into the workforce. While it is slightly challenging, it is by no means impossible. The process is simple enough to be followed by organizations who excuse themselves from having inclusive practices by giving the reason that they do not have the required capacity. Employment for persons with disability remains a crucial issue in India, and an area which needs our immediate attention – both at an individual level, and at a policy and governance level.

Below is the detailed article. The article was first posted here.

To integrate them into their workforces, an increasing number of companies are now following a series of processes

Around April 2, which is World Autism Awareness Day, employees of SAP Labs in India will gain fresh insights into the mind of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In fact, every year, around this time, the company relaunches this initiative.

This is absolutely necessary, for the company follows a policy of setting aside a small percentage of jobs for people with ASD.

Currently, across its India offices, SAP Labs employs 16 of them.

“This autism awareness week, we plan to hire more autistic adults. The process will run into weeks,” says Kiran Venkataramanappa, development manager and program me lead for Autism at Work at SAP Labs.

Work buddies

SAP Labs has placed them in jobs involving software testing, software development, quality assurance and documentation.

“We have a special on-boarding program me to help them settle down. Each of the autistic adults gets a ‘work buddy’,” says Venkataramanappa.

P. Rajasekharan, co-founder, V-Sesh, a company that provides employment for persons with disability, says the mainstream recruitment process should not be followed while hiring those with ASD into the workforce. Right at the outset, an effort has to be made to discover their hidden talent. There are multinational companies that collaborate with non-profit partners to tap hidden talent in autistic adults. Skills that can set the autistic above neurotypical employees are: attention to detail, logical skills and the ability to remember vast amounts of data.

Job coaches

“We work closely with companies to find ‘job coaches’. They have to be sourced from within. These job coaches have the task of helping those with ASD understand their work and get integrated into the workforce,” says Rajasekharan, adding that job coaches should be willing to commit themselves to this work for a period ranging from one week to one month.

To help these employee settle down in their roles, companies have to invest in visual aids. “Instead of saying it, the job coaches should help the autistic see it. This way, they will be able to retain information better. A work chart for such employees are a must,” he says. Akila Vaidyanathan, director, The Amaze Charitable Trust, an organisation that offers skill programmer for the autistic, says companies can help by offering flexible work hours, besides training and mentoring. JP Morgan, Lemon Tree Hotels, Barclays, Dell and ANZ Bank are among other big companies that keep their recruitment doors open for the autistic.

INTEGRATION MANUAL

* Offer flexible working hours and don’t set the rules in stone

* Initially, allow a parent to accompany the employee

* Assign a mentor to the employee

* Ensure these employees go on a team outing every month

* Train the managers to handle the tantrums these employees may throw

Change always begins at a micro-level. Is your organisation disability friendly, both in its recruitment process as well as its environment? We would love to feature your organization. Do write to us!

What Makes Social Media the Perfect Recruitment Tool

What Makes Social Media the Perfect Recruitment Tool

by | Recruitment, Social Media

Technology has shrunk the world and this is no secret. Social media, a product of technology has ‘connected’ the world like never before. There are very few aspects of life it hasn’t touched and the world of work is no exception. One of the greatest challenges for recruiters today is not just finding enough candidates, but finding the right ones. Social media in the recent years has evolved in its role to become a handy tool to help recruiters in solving this problem and our guest blogger Aanchal Iyer explains how.

Social Media – The Best Way To Connect Recruiters and Job Seekers

Candidates today understand that in order to be visible to recruiters, they must be active on social media. According to ICIMS, recruiters can increase their chance of finding the right candidates by up to 50% when they put up jobs on social media. Also, using mobile-friendly SEO in their job posting, makes it searchable on hand-held devices and increases their overall reach.

Social Media Provides Total Transparency Both Ways

Social media allows for a more transparent screening process – for both recruiters as well as potential candidates. Applicants can suss out a potential employer’s social responsibility strategies, employment principles, salaries and other commitment quotients while employers can also get a good idea of . It’s a way of avoiding potentially nasty surprises and recruitment fails. Hiring managers can refrain from following up with a candidate if they find something they do not like in the candidate’s social media account, and vice versa.

(and which is why there are certain social media mistakes you must avoid while job hunting. Read here to know more.)

Using Exclusive Social Media Recruiting Tools

LinkedIn

LinkedIn allows you to post a job for 30 days. Alternatively, you can sign up for LinkedIn Talent Advantage, which is an exclusive tool for recruiters. These features cost money, but budget companies can still work through networking, joining affiliated groups and using the free advertising option. They can also put their content writing skills to good use on LinkedIn, posting relevant articles and knowledge base tips and tricks to attract potential candidates to the company’s page.

Facebook

Facebook allows employers to post a job for free at the Facebook Marketplace. Also, by building an official recruiter’s Facebook page, one can share one’s company’s profile, products and principles with interested users. Recruiters can also use their company’s page as a recruiting tool. Posting a Facebook Ad is another option, where one can target the exact audience they want.

Twitter

On Twitter, employers can tweet jobs and expand their company’s network and build relationships with candidates. They can also run a keyword search and obtain a pool of contacts from which they can look for suitable candidates. Recruiters can search for candidates based on their interest, location, popularity, industry, hashtag and more. They can also use relevant hashtags along with tweets such as #job, #jobpost, #employment, #recruiting and so on to gain people’s interest and response and also check out what topics candidates are tweeting about and follow them, retweeting their tweets to gain their attention.

So we’re saying…

With social media recruiting strategies, both the employer and the potential employee can get to know each other well. Employers can quickly gauge the skills of candidates. Recruiting through social media takes time and effort; however, you can reap long term benefits when used smartly.

Aanchal is a Digital media marketer, trainer, and a content strategist with over 11 years of experience. She is also the founder of Effcomm Worldwide , a premium content & digital marketing services company, and content4brands.in. She aspires to keep enjoying her work, always.