Job recruitment: Technology will soon force job seekers to stop using hard copy CV

A new study has shown that in the next three years, technology will make the hiring process more effective and easier and both employers and job seekers will have to forget about traditional CV.

The survey involving over 50,000 employees was conducted by Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM) which includes Jobberman, the leading job portal in West Africa, Brighter Monday, the best job platform in East Africa and the number one Executive recruitment and HR solutions firm, The African Talent Company.

9 out of 10 Africans are unqualified for jobs they apply for according to ROAM report. ece-auto-gen

The study says technology is changing the hiring process and the three resource companies are looking at how to leverage this change to find ideal candidates.

ROAM’s Head of Jobs, Matthew Page says a strong shift in the behavioral patterns amongst Millennial job-seekers is the main driver behind piloting research to better understand the trends.

He says: “As advocates for the use and power of technology in the hiring space, we are pleased to see technology is on top of the HR agenda. It aligns with our vision to transform productivity on the African continent. We’re seeing some pretty incredible trends coming out of our millennial users. Firstly, the growth in job activity is massive over the last 3 years. It differs by market but some countries are seeing as much as 50% of the workforce being made up of millennials - these users are actively searching and enquiring about opportunities. More than any other demographic we have seen before.”

The study also shows that millennials are moving away from having physical CVs and are already storing their data in a digital profile via the Jobberman and Brighter Monday web portals in West and East Africa respectively. This according to Page is convenient.

“Job Seekers - and especially millennials - are mobile-centric. They are hungry for the right job and they are looking for an easier to use, digital application processes. Sending a CV over email or via post is slow, arduous and inefficient,” he says.

Job-seekers lie on the pitch after a stampede in Abuja National Stadium during the Nigerian immigration recruitment in 2014. AFP

Page goes on to say; “Having structured data in a digital profile is good for the employer and the seeker. The data is in the cloud, is easily edited and allows for a seamless desktop to mobile experience. For employers, filtering through 100 CVs in hardcopy is a nightmare task. Being able to match profiles to role requirements with technology takes out the manual element and allows for focus on what really matters - the top matching candidates.”

Stressing the impact technology on hiring process, the CEO of ROAM, Clemens Weitz said the hiring decisions in the future will be vastly improved through technology. He maintained that the hard copy CV as the main instrument for candidate selection is a 20th-century practice adding that our generation will be the last to see.

Weitz therefore advises employers and business leaders to ‘’leverage the sourcing technology available or risk missing out on ideal applicants’’