Predict Job Performance | ATS Software for Recruitment

CVs have been around for a very long time. Too long in fact. The genius that was Leonardo da Vinci created the first CV in 1482.

Since then, recruiters all over the world have seemed to incorporate this document in their hiring process , if they haven't centred their entire hiring strategy around this document. Even candidates have treated this document as an expression of their professional brand.

Have recruiters given a bit too much importance to the document? This is the question we must ask before blaming our hiring teams for the poor selection of candidates, or the absolute culture misfits. CV stands for curriculum vitae, which is Latin for the course of life. A standard CV outlines one's academic and professional path of life. While this would be a great way to understand what an individual has accomplished during their professional tenure, there are problems when hiring decisions depend primarily on an A4 sheet of paper.

There are quite a few issues with CVs, and the first is that text is not the most informative or credible source of information about an individual. Relying solely on someone's writing requires that the person be a brilliant writer, which is not always the case. And even if it is, how do we know that they are honest?

With the changing times and the emergence of the gig economy, things are rapidly changing. Experience and age are giving way to skill, the ability to learn, adapt, and culture-fit as the most important reasons to hire an individual.

The second issue is the shortage of time. Companies, managers, and executives are all busy doing the most important things. Who's got the time to look at CVs anymore? The statistics are revealing, with most HR personnel looking at a CV for only 6 seconds. With lesser time and an ever-decreasing attention span, it would only make sense to reconsider the old CV.

Due to the shortage of time, companies use Applicant Tracking Systems, and they can be counterproductive to your team's efforts. The ATS software scans CVs for keywords, and there are plenty of websites that help candidates in stuffing their CVs with the 'right words.' A single search on Google with 'how to stuff keywords into CV' results in over 10 million results, not to mention the paid services that tweak CVs to stuff them with the right keywords. Hence, such loopholes can render an ATS software, not just useless but also damaging.

CVs don't attract the best talent. They are updated continuously and stuffed with keywords by active job seekers to be picked up by the ATS. These are the individuals that quickly change employment and are unhappy with their current employer. While only 15% of job seekers are active, the rest are passive candidates who will not lookout for a position actively. But they will make the switch if given a good offer. However, they are not continually updating their CV and stuffing it with keywords. Hence, their CVs are not picked up by the ATS software, causing talent teams to lose out on the right candidates.

It is not surprising then that approximately three quarters (72.8%) of recruiters are struggling to find relevant candidates.

Studies show that 86% of the most qualified candidates for open positions are already employed.

Is there a better way?

Yes, and it is revolutionary.

The recruiter is seeking a candidate who fits a job description and can bring value to an organization. They don't have time to delve into numerous CVs trying to figure out who the candidate is. The candidate needs to connect the dots for them. But what if recruiters can construct a 'smart' application form for candidates to fill? Such a form not only helps recruiters 'ask' relevant questions, but it also allows candidates to talk about the immediate benefits that they may bring to the company while summarising their specific skill sets. Some questions can also check cultural fitness, one of the most critical inputs for recruiters.

Making great hires is about great matches. Hence, asking the right questions is vital. However, CVs don’t offer that. As recruiters need relevant information before making decisions, they need to be empowered to ask the right questions, gain quality insights, and select candidates based on scientific data, with speed and at scale.

The solution – Easy Talent's SmartForms

EasyTalent's SmartForm gives you an easy way to create, select, and edit questions as you build your job application form.

Integrated within the application process, the complete process of question creation prevents you from dealing with multiple pieces of information in different places and even omits the need to parse candidates’ information from a CV.

The aim of asking questions in the application form is to find out if the applicants possess attributes as per the job specification. It enables you to probe beneath the surface; to measure the suitability and also filter out applicants who do not meet the skills, experience, or qualifications required for the job role.

To help measure closeness, EasyTalent SmartForm allows you to associate a desirability level to every option of the question you create in the application form.

The desirability level indicates how close the option is to the ideal attribute value (it is defined on a scale that ranges from very high to reject).

Once, all applicants have responded, EasyTalent prepares a ranked list of all applicants based on how close they are to the ideal candidate persona.

EasyTalent SmartForm provides you with a SmartLink feature, which is a great way to collect valuable information from applicants. SmartLink is an intuitive way to link a question's answer option to your pre-defined question. This gives you the capability for triggering an automated validation of any ambiguous or suspicious response entered by the applicant.

Linking EasyTalent’s SmartForms with your social media hiring platform can attract passive applicants and help you build an organizational talent pool. You are ‘always recruiting’ and attracting the best talent.

Discover more about Easy Talent's Smart Form here