Digital sourcing of employees – latest technologies for on-demand human resources

In my last article (Talent on demand – the flexible world of work is being digitized), I reported on how more and more companies are taking advantage of the models of the future world of work and calling up flexible workers via online platforms. With this post, I would now like to go through the possible developments of the platforms and show which technologies can come into play or are already in use to support and improve the on-demand of the much needed flexible workforce.

What do you think, have the platforms already exploited all the technological possibilities? Where is there still potential? You might find MoreThanDigital an innovative idea to revolutionize online or digital sourcing!

Online dating for resources and projects

One of the most widely used technologies is known to be the matching algorithm. As with many online platforms, various factors are taken into account in the matching process and the searcher, whether it is the company looking for the candidate or the candidate looking for a new job, is offered the most suitable option. A procedure which has also been offered in online dating since the year 2000.

Based on a research article by Eli J. Finkel on the topic of online dating from 2012, he soberingly states “… there is little reason to believe that current compatibilty algorithms are especially effective”. So can matching algorithms be effective in project search or resource search?

The matching algorithm is used heavily, especially on job portals for permanent positions. For mandate-based assignments, one often still relies on the tried and tested search function, which searches through a database with a few search criteria and can lead to countless results, which then have to be sorted out laboriously. Or to put it another way; Parship for permanent positions, Tinder for mandates.

However, the latest technologies in Artificial Intelligence hold new improved possibilities for match making. The next generation of platforms will clearly produce better results by means of sophisticated search functions, and not just in online dating, as another 2017 Resarch article by Eli J. Fink points out. Digital sourcing is thus evolving to the next level.

Trust is the currency of the future

When I book a trip nowadays, I rarely go to a travel agency. My travel agency is the Internet and thanks to many hotel platforms I have the best opportunities to find the hotel for my needs. But what do I look for when making the final choice? The references! I trust my fellow travelers and listen to what they say.

It’s no different in the world of agile workers, freelancers and consultants. Long before online platforms helped people find candidates, people were sharing and giving recommendations to each other. Today, recommendations can also be made online, as with hotels.

But online recommendations carry risks; how can I be sure that the feedback is not from the freelancer or consultant themselves? What if the reviews are just bought? This trust trap exists in the feedback culture of online references as they are used today at Upwork.com or Fiverr.com. More attention needs to be paid to references and their origin in the future.

Can you think of any technology that could support a trust-based reference system? What technology is already referred to as a “trust machine” today? Give us the answer in the comment section.

Now I can see you!

The next and very innovative trend in sourcing is the wide range of offers in the video area. If you are interested in a project or a candidate, the initial information about skills and expertise helps to narrow down the pool of candidates. But nothing beats a personal meeting. But how personal does it have to be? Many impressions can already be gathered from a video of the candidate.

There are already many innovative ideas in this area. From the traditional interview form via Skype, uploading a personal promotional video to customized interview questions. One example is Wepow, a system that allows people to record questions themselves or select from a list of existing questions and send them to a candidate. The candidate can answer the questions and send them back within a predefined period of time. This way you can avoid long waiting times for a first meeting and still get a first impression quickly.

The world of video messages will certainly produce more innovative systems in the future, let’s be curious.

The future is digital

The future of work shows not only a clear trend towards an agile workforce, but also the need to find the right resources quickly, easily and with high quality. Although some platforms already use the corresponding technologies, the possibilities are not yet exhausted and hold great potential to simplify the sourcing of the right skills and expertise even further.

Priska Burkard

Priska hat über 15 Jahre in der Finanzindustrie gearbeitet, wo sie nationale und internationale IT-Projekte für Großbanken mit großem Erfolg geleitet hat. Ihre Karriere in der IT-Welt begann sie als Quereinsteigerin in die Software Entwicklung. Ihre Fähigkeiten und ihr Fachwissen ermöglichten es ihr, nicht nur für internationale Projekte zu arbeiten, sondern auch in Hong Kong verschiedene Rollen im Projekt- und Produktmanagement zu übernehmen. 2016 verließ sie die Finanzindustrie, um sich auf den Aufbau ihres eigenen Unternehmens zu konzentrieren. Als Geschäftsführerin SKILLS FINDER AG und von TechFace setzt Priska ihre Erfahrung, ihr Wissen und ihre Leidenschaft ein, um Frauen zu unterstützen eine zielgerichtete Karriere in der Technologiebranche zu verfolgen, und sie mit Unternehmen zu verbinden, die sich für Vielfalt und Integration einsetzen. Darüber hinaus half sie beim Aufbau von "Girls in Tech Switzerland", einer globalen Non-Profit-Organisation mit dem Ziel, Frauen für die Tech Industrie zu gewinnen und zu halten.