Communications of the ACM
How Big Data Is Transforming the Hunt for Talent
Credit: Information Week
Recruiters and HR departments are actively looking for ways to use Big Data effectively to find the best candidates for new openings. Until now, Big Data has been slow to penetrate the world of human resources, but that's changing fast. HR professionals are realizing that there's a lot of value to be created and added through data analytics, whether it's doing a better job spotting talent outside to attract to the company, or doing predictive analysis of who is likely to leave, and why. Big Data is reinventing the world of recruiting and talent management in a number of ways.
According to experts, Big Data will lead to a reinvention of some very traditional processes in companies and a rethinking of how HR gets done. Most importantly, Big Data will require that HR decisions be underpinned by facts, making it possible to decide where the highest value will be added. For example, different analytics packages can be used to fight attrition: you can literally drill down to where it's happening. In addition to seeing departmental or managerial hotspots, it's possible to identify other, less obvious factors. If somebody has been in a role for three years, hasn't been promoted, and hasn't changed roles, there's a far higher probability of attrition than someone who doesn't have those circumstances. When you find the people who have that situation and go have a career conversation with them, it can keep those employees from leaving the company.
In many ways, the biggest obstacle to leveraging Big Data in the search for talent may be HR professionals themselves. Analytics is not a natural skill set for HR organizations. Indeed, for people drawn to the HR field by a passion for psychology and enhancing interpersonal relationships, analytics may sound intimidating. However, the benefits outweigh the challenges. Even if many HR professionals don't have a data background, there are other places in their company this talent exists, and the department should start tapping them. For example, there are talented statisticians who have enough of an organizational lens that they can step into an HR organization and do highly relevant analysis. It's just a matter of getting beyond the sphere where HR people are generally comfortable and hiring people with a different skill set.
From Forbes
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