In Germany, Randstad runs a project that automatizes the preselection during the recruiting process. Eureka, a variant on this system has entered its trial phase in Belgium. What is it all about?
'An efficient and more efficient preselection is good for both consultant, candidate and the employer.' - Günther Ghijsels, CIO Randstad
digital technology seeks needle in haystack
'The German Automatic Pre Match (APM) is a software that facilitates the quest for candidates during the preselection of the recruitment process,' clarifies Günther Ghijsels, Randstad CIO. 'Before, our consultants had to dive into databases seeking out the candidate envisaged and the required skills, then correlate the results and finally make an analysis. APM ploughs through all these databases simultaneously and automatically filters the data gathered, tailor-made to the job vacancy.'
Randstad Germany uses the APM system over 2,000 times every single day. It is comparable with Eureka that is used in the Belgian Market. By using this as well, consultants can more easily and more relevantly search the Randstad databases, and in this way find the best fitting candidates faster during a first selection round.
'Take the case where a consultant seeks an architectural draftsman. On entering the function profile, he immediately receives suggestions for candidates. Also related criteria such as '2D CAD Drawing' are shown. This selection can be widened or narrowed down using search terms such as education level, distance to the workplace, languages, experience, etc,' Günther Ghijsels explains.
less obvious
The advantages of Eureka are clear, both for the consultant, the candidate and the employer: it saves time, searches are more efficient and the results of the preselection are more accurate and more relevant.
'These days, employers are confronted with a scarcity on the labour market. Less obvious candidates become increasingly important for them,' Günther Ghijsels knows. 'With our digital technology, we try to find for them the needle in a haystack. That haystack is almost always created when combining various databases. Think for instance of the combination of competences, experience and personal preferences of our candidates. We let technology have a go at this haystack, with as result – a bit in Google style – that relevant information is filtered out. The better and more precise we can select candidates, the higher the advantage for our customers: both for employers and for jobseekers.'
Randstad researches the effects of the system in Belgium. The first results and reactions are positive. 'We are convinced that in this way we can fill more vacancies more efficiently. Our consultants are particularly enthusiast. They consider the interface user-friendly and are satisfied about the profiles that the system delivers. It is still a bit early for figure-results and related evaluations in Belgium. But we have high hopes.'
labour market prognoses
In future, Randstad also wants to make prognoses about the labour market. Which skills and profiles will be scarce in six months' time or within the year?