March 7, 2024

Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is all around us, and it’s revolutionizing nearly every industry, creating new efficiencies across the board. In the recruitment sector, AI is reshaping the talent acquisition process, enabling recruiters and HR professionals to streamline their workflow. That’s why around 85% of talent acquisition experts believe it has the power to fully automate parts of the hiring process. In today’s fast-paced digital world, AI recruitment could represent the dawn of a new era of efficiency, as computers did for paper applications. But what exactly will AI technology fix or improve, and how can talent acquisition teams navigate this new environment? How Is Artificial Intelligence Changing Recruitment? Before we dive into the benefits, use cases, and considerations for this new technology, it’s important to understand what the recruitment landscape looked like just a few years ago — prior to all the publicity of bots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.  The truth is that artificial intelligence is no newcomer to the world of talent acquisition. While its popularity has surged in recent years, AI tools have already been making strides for decades by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Whether it’s sorting through resumes or screening candidates, these early use cases have only grown in popularity and scope. Today, AI software is often used to filter out unqualified candidates based on highly specific, customizable criteria, such as education, experience, and skills. This allows the human recruiter or HR professional to focus on the more nuanced aspects of the hiring process. These use cases play to AI’s strong suits — that is, digesting and analyzing vast amounts of data — to identify the most suitable candidate for any position. However, to effectively leverage AI solutions in the recruitment process, we must first understand the issues it aims to address. Let’s take a look at some common recruiter challenges you might be familiar with: Common Pain Points in Traditional Talent Acquisition 1. Creating an Attractive Brand Image Recruitment marketing can be a tough game. Even large, well-known companies struggle to effectively communicate their core values and culture, making it challenging to attract top talent. A strong employer brand not only differentiates your job postings in a crowded market but resonates with potential candidates on a deeper level. 2. Streamlining the Lengthy Hiring Process From writing a job description to making a hiring decision, the entire recruitment process can be a lengthy, complicated ordeal. This is often further bogged down by time-consuming manual tasks, such as resume screening, scheduling interviews, and coordinating feedback. Multiply this by the hundreds of qualified candidates who might apply to a single position, and it’s easy to see why it can take a while to find the right hire. 3. Securing Top Talent With Niche Skills In today’s competitive landscape of talent acquisition, traditional recruitment methods often fall short when it comes to identifying, attracting, and securing candidates with highly specialized skills. This is especially true for talent with high-demand knowledge or experience, such as IT, coding, or financial services.  4. Personalizing the Candidate Experience Creating a positive, engaging candidate experience is paramount for today’s talent acquisition teams, but it’s easier said than done. This engagement increasingly relies on delivering a high level of personalization to each candidate. However, teams are often limited by resource constraints and the sheer volume of candidate profiles they need to sift through.  5. Improving Employee Retention Turnover has a high price tag for companies, incurring significant financial costs while diminishing team morale and culture. Traditional approaches to building loyalty often fall short, as they don’t always address the root cause of dissatisfaction or mismatches between job roles and expectations. In the latter case, it’s often a matter of vague job postings or even an ineffective candidate screening process. The AI Advantage in Talent Acquisition Of course, AI is not a magic wand that recruiters can wave to eliminate these challenges — but it can be a useful tool. Here are a few of the major benefits AI brings to the talent acquisition table: Streamline Candidate Sourcing Finding the right talent quickly can often mean the difference between leading the market or lagging behind. By harnessing the power of machine learning and complex algorithms, AI tools can scan through thousands of candidate profiles across various platforms to identify top talent who meet precise job requirements. Not only does this reduce time spent on manual searches, but it also increases the quality of potential candidates sourced. Accelerate Resume Screening In addition to searching through candidate profiles, AI can also streamline resume screening. These algorithms are designed to sift through large volumes of applications, pinpointing those that match the job specifications with a high degree of accuracy and speed. This level of automation can accelerate the hiring timeline, which adds to the candidate experience. Plus, it gives recruiters more time to focus on getting to know the talent personally, significantly increasing candidate engagement. Collect Valuable Recruiting Data Data is everything in today’s digital world — and that still applies to recruitment. Talent acquisition teams can use AI solutions to collect, analyze, and leverage vast amounts of recruiting data like never before. From understanding candidate behaviors and preferences to recognizing trends in successful hires, these insights empower recruiters to make data-driven decisions that improve hiring performance and the overall experience. Fine-Tune Your Employer Brand This doesn’t mean using DALL-E to design your next logo iteration. Instead, companies can leverage AI to analyze data from social media, job review sites, and their own internal analytics to better understand how their brand is perceived by potential candidates, and how to shape that perception. Insights like these can enable targeted employer branding strategies, ensuring messaging that resonates with the desired talent pool. Elevate the Candidate Experience AI doesn’t just have the power to attract candidates — it can also help recruiters deliver an elevated candidate experience. The goal is to transform the recruitment journey into a seamless, engaging process with personalized communication and timely updates. AI-driven chatbots are pivotal here, providing immediate responses to queries while machine learning algorithms ensure job recommendations are tailored to each candidate’s skills and preferences. Minimize Hiring Biases It’s an unfortunate truth that biases can creep into hiring decisions without us even realizing it. Even when well-intentioned, a recruiter might inadvertently favor a certain group or person over others due to unconscious biases. AI offers the potential for a more objective approach to candidate evaluation, analyzing qualifications without regard to gender, ethnicity, age, or other characteristics. However, the AI algorithm must be trained on data that’s free of these biases as well. Reduce Recruiting Costs Last but not least, AI has the potential to drive significant cost reductions. By automating routine tasks, these tools can dramatically decrease the time and resources traditionally required for these processes. This enables companies to optimize their HR resource allocation. Moreover, the precision of AI software can reduce the likelihood of costly hiring mistakes and turnover. Addressing the Challenges and Limitations of AI Tools Despite all of these benefits, some people might still be skeptical about this emerging technology. To address the risks and start developing thoughtful solutions, it’s important to understand some of these common reservations. AI algorithms risk missing top talent: This is especially true if exceptional candidates don’t fit the traditional molds. Continuous refinement and human oversight are essential to ensure these tools capture the full spectrum of talent as they evolve. Resume screening can make mistakes: AI-driven resume screening is incredibly efficient, but not infallible. Misinterpretations can occur, especially with non-standard resumes. It takes a balance between AI and human judgment to avoid mistakes. AI tools are often a black box: The complexity of AI algorithms means the decisions they make are often opaque. Demystifying these processes through transparent AI practices and technologies will be vital for maintaining trust and accountability in recruitment decisions. They require additional employee training: Any AI integration will require staff to learn how to use these new solutions effectively. Companies might be hesitant to make this upfront investment in time and resources, but these tools will ultimately enhance rather than complicate the recruitment process. AI can introduce biases from training data: AI reflects the data it’s trained on, so if that data contains biases, these tools could perpetuate those prejudices. It will be critical to continue monitoring and updating AI systems with diverse data sets that promote greater equity in hiring practices. Big data could infringe on candidate privacy: Collecting vast amounts of data with the use of AI often raises concerns about data privacy. Organizations will need to establish robust data protection measures to ensure compliance with regulations and safeguard the personal information of candidates and employees alike. As we look toward the future, these considerations will be critical for developing and integrating AI in a responsible manner that drives innovation and improvement while minimizing current challenges and pain points in recruitment. What Does the Future Hold For AI in Talent Acquisition? Right now, we stand at a pivotal point in time with AI rapidly transforming nearly every industry. As technology advances, we anticipate AI will have much more to offer recruiters and candidates alike — and we’re not the only ones. Between 35% and 45% of companies are considering adopting AI tools this year to aid their talent acquisition efforts If AI continues advancing at its current pace, there’s no doubt that we can anticipate deeper insights into candidate capabilities, preferences, and potential for success within their specific roles. At the same time, the tools themselves will become more intuitive, with algorithms refining their ability to match candidates based on skills, experience, and nuanced factors like cultural fit and long-term aspirations. As AI becomes commonplace in recruitment, solving some of the concerns outlined above will be all the more paramount. Just as we must reflect on our own biases throughout the hiring process, we will also need to work proactively to eliminate these prejudices from our AI.  It’s clear that AI is reshaping talent acquisition, as it is in countless other industries. Recruiters are already grappling with these ethical considerations and exploring the innovative possibilities of these tools. The key will be to approach AI with a sense of cautious curiosity and creativity that deepens capabilities and enhances existing practices. AI and Envision Curious how Envision can help you leverage AI in recruitment process outsourcing?Talk to our experts today to learn more about how AI is impacting talent acquisition.

January 18, 2024

As the world’s third-largest economy, Japan is home to many thriving industries, from electronics and manufacturing to robotics and other advanced technologies. After a period of deflation, the country has shown a strong rebound, approaching 5% nominal GDP growth in 2023, according to Morgan Stanley research. While this has made Japan an attractive investment opportunity for global companies seeking to expand in the APAC region, the Japanese job market has traditionally been notoriously difficult to break into. Enter recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) — a strategic partnership that offers regional expertise and proactive talent acquisition solutions to ensure a successful recruitment process. But how can RPO help overcome unique challenges like aging demographics and lifetime employment? In this blog, we’ll explore everything you need to know about RPO in Japan, from how and why it works to the best practices to succeed with a local RPO partner. The Challenges of Recruiting in Japan Before we dive into the intricacies of RPO solutions, it’s essential to understand the unique challenges of hiring in Japan. From the distinct business culture to social norms like lifetime employment, global companies can often find it difficult to navigate the complexities of Japan’s employment landscape, laws, and expectations — not to mention the language barriers.  Let’s take a closer look at some of these key difficulties to understand how the RPO hiring process can help overcome them: Age Demographics The first and most apparent issue many people in the Japanese recruiting space point to is the aging population. Due to a combination of steadily declining birth rates, increasing life expectancy, and low migration rates, Japan’s age demographics are shifting older, resulting in a higher percentage of elderly citizens and a shrinking workforce. In fact, 10% of Japan’s population is 80 years or older, while over 36.2 million people are over the age of 65, according to the World Economic Forum. Labor Shortages Japan is also facing critical talent shortages, with the number of workers expected to fall more than 11 million — or 20% — by 2040, according to The Japan Times. Primarily driven by low birth rates and an aging population, these talent shortages are impacting a wide range of industries and sectors, with the situation further complicated by a recent rise in unemployment rates. As a result, even Japanese companies are searching for innovative staffing solutions to expand their talent pool. Lifetime Employment Shushin koyo, or lifetime employment, is the traditional system in Japan wherein employees are typically hired right out of university and stay with the same company until retirement. This practice is deeply ingrained in the culture, especially for major Japanese companies, limiting the talent pool by making it exceedingly difficult to find a candidate willing to switch jobs. However, newer surveys show this system may be changing, as a third of Japanese employees report they’d be willing to change jobs or work independently at some point in their careers. Bilingual Talent Finding bilingual talent is another significant challenge in Japan. The demand for professionals fluent in both Japanese and English is high, yet the supply remains limited. Less than 8% of Japanese people speak English fluently. While proficiency is improving, it’s not as widespread as some other non-native English-speaking countries, making it exceedingly difficult to find the right talent who is actively seeking a new position and speaks English well enough to operate in both languages. Why Outsource Recruiting in Japan? While the RPO service model was relatively new to Japan a few years ago, there’s been a notable uptick in adoption recently, especially among global organizations. In fact, the market size in Japan is expected to increase by 12.4% year over year, as it continues to gain traction. But what’s causing companies to leave behind the traditional staffing agency and search for RPO solutions? Regional Expertise Local RPO providers in Japan offer unparalleled regional expertise and essential knowledge for navigating the unique nuances of Japan’s labor market. With an in-depth understanding of local customs, regulations, and language, your RPO provider can expand your talent pool and tailor your recruitment strategies to find the right candidate for any position. High-Quality Hires Unlike a traditional staffing or recruitment agency, which focuses on filling positions as fast as possible, RPO providers specialize in delivering high-quality hires, often with specialized skills in niche areas. Leveraging advanced regional and market knowledge, along with sophisticated talent acquisition tactics, RPO providers can source, select, screen, interview, and hire talent that matches all your criteria, from hard and soft skills to experience, culture match, and values. Flexibility and Scalability Whether it’s a short-term hiring project or a long-term strategic partnership, RPO solutions offer exceptional flexibility and scalability. With the ability to quickly scale recruitment activity based on hiring demands, an RPO partner ensures talent acquisition aligns with business cycles and growth phases. If consulting is what you need, RPO providers can also help refine your existing hiring process to build a proactive talent pipeline. The Promising Future of RPO in Japan As the Japanese labor market continues to tighten and evolve, with an ever-increasing demand for specialized skills and bilingual talent, RPO firms are uniquely positioned to meet these complex hiring needs. From a deep understanding of Japan’s unique market to innovative talent acquisition strategies, an RPO partnership offers keen insight while expanding your talent pool and streamlining your recruiting process. Best Practices for Successful RPO Talent Acquisition in Japan The key to successful recruitment through an RPO provider is to find a partner willing to work with you. After all, they’re the RPO sourcing specialist, but you’re the specialist of your own business. To ensure a prosperous, long-lasting relationship, be sure to follow these three best practices: 1. Find a Partner Who Understands Your Business The first and most crucial step is to find the right RPO partner who works as a seamless extension of your team. They should get to know the ins and outs of your business, its culture, and company values to ensure each candidate is a perfect match. 2. Leverage Their Local Expertise Next, be sure your RPO partner is an expert in the local area. From speaking the language to understanding cultural nuances, it’s essential to have a partner with regional expertise. They can help you connect with and appeal to local talent. 3. Bolster Your Employer Brand Finally, your partner should work with you to develop an attractive employer brand to catch the attention of job seekers and even passive candidates secure in their positions. With a positive image and a strong message, they can help you become a top pick for talent, driving them to you. Boost Your Hiring Efforts in Japan With Envision’s Deep Regional Knowledge Navigating Japan’s complex recruitment landscape requires a partner who not only understands the intricacies of talent acquisition but also possesses deep regional insights.  Envision stands as the trusted partner of companies across the globe seeking to enter — or strengthen their presence in — the Japanese market. With our deep insight into the cultural nuances, hiring practices, and job market, we offer bespoke strategies to help you secure the right talent every time. Reach out to an RPO expert today to discover how Envision can elevate your talent acquisition strategy.

June 8, 2023

今日の人材採用市場の状況は、数年前とは大きく異なります。人事マネジメント協会によると、採用活動を効率化するために、70%の企業がバーチャル採用技術を活用したハイブリッド採用プロセスを標準化しています。リモート面接は一般的になり、地理的な制限を越え、候補者の選択肢が拡大しています。 しかし、これらの変化は新しい社員の採用にどのような意味を持つのでしょうか？ 理論上では、さらに幅広い人材が集められますが、 実際には、採用はこれまで以上に難しくなっています。 今日の採用市場の状況をうまく乗り切るには、採用プロセスのアウトソーシングという、より拡張性のある魅力的なアプローチが必要です。 採用プロセスをアウトソーシングするとはどういう意味ですか？ 簡単な答えとしては、RPOは、企業の採用プロセスを第三者であるサービスプロバイダーに部分的または完全に外部委託することです。 ではその質問に対するさらに具体的な答えを見ていきましょう。 従来の職場の構造は変化しています。リーダーや採用担当マネージャーが、拡張性があるだけでなく、短期的な採用活動を長期的な戦略と整合させ採用プロセスを進化させることを RPO は支援します。 固定された一通りのプログラムではなく、組織はRPOと協力して、独自のビジネスニーズに最も適した人材パイプラインを形成することができます。企業ごとにニーズは異なりますが、一般的なRPOの提供サービスとしては次のものがあります。 ・オンデマンド/プロジェクト：時間に制約のあるプロジェクトの追加人員を探している、または、特定の部門で早急に人材が必要ですか？契約ベースの業務では、一定の期間内で、必要なポジションの具体的な人数を明確にします。 ・機能ベース：この契約では、一定期間ではなく、RPOプロバイダーが将来の見通しを持って長期間にわたって採用ニーズの一部を監督します。これは、ITなどの特定の部署や部門に対して行われることがよくあります。 ・フルサイクル（エンドツーエンド）：この段階では、RPOパートナーが採用プロセスのすべてのプロセスを管理し、クライアントは弊社のリソースと専門知識にフルにアクセスできます。 RPOサービスの人気が高まっている理由は何ですか？ 最近では、RPOサービスへの世界的な関心は着実に高まっていますが、採用のアウトソーシングが定着してきていることも明らかになりました。ある国際報告書によると、この業界の価値は2027年末までに216.9億ドルに達すると予想されています。 なぜ多くの企業が従来の採用に代わってRPOサービスに移行しているのでしょうか？競争が激しい市場では、企業の最大の資産は人とその才能です。 アバディーン戦略研究所の調査によると、社内で採用を行っている企業の60％が、社員のスキルギャップの原因について社内チームが理解していない可能性が高いことが分かりました。一方、RPOプロバイダーと提携している企業では、社員の50％以上が「最高レベル」であることが分かっています。 グローバルに事業を展開している企業は、現在現地に人員がいない海外拠点に新しいチームを構築し拠点を設立しようとしている場合もあります。 その地域の市場と最高の人材を見つける場所を熟知している信頼できるパートナーに、採用プロセス全体をアウトソーシングすることで時間と費用を節約し、地理的な障害をクリアすることができます。RPOベースの採用を活用することで、リーダーは自社を差別化できるだけでなく、従来の採用方法では得られないトップクラスの人材にアクセスすることもできます。 RPOは従来の採用方法とどのように異なるのですか？ RPOが従来の人材派遣会社とどのように異なるか疑問に思っているなら、それはあなただけではありません。一部重複する点もありますが、両者は人材獲得プロセスにおいて非常に異なるアプローチを行っています。 組織にとってRPO導入が適切であるかどうかを判断する際には、次のような主な違いを考えてみてください。 適合優先 人材紹介会社は自社の応募者プールから人材を集め、これらの候補者を「売り込む」ことで報酬を受け取ります。これでは、リファーラル・プログラムや自社ウェブサイトなど、他の貴重な情報源を見逃がしてしまいます。RPOではこの点が異なります。 RPOプロバイダーは、最初に候補者を見つけるのではなく、リソースを組み合わせて最適な資格のある候補者を確実に獲得できるように、そして最高の人材を見つけるために貴社に代わって取り組みます。 候補者体験 人材紹介会社と連携した場合、採用プロセスの文化やそれが企業全体へどのように影響するのかについてほとんどコントロールできなくなります。一方RPOプロバイダーは、貴社の使命と価値観が採用と面接のポリシーに反映されるように連携します。 積極的vs受動的 多くの場合、採用活動は従業員の退職やスキルギャップの顕在化に対する事後対応​​として考えられています。 RPO プロバイダーは、高度なレポートと人材分析を活用して、全体的な人材獲得戦略を改善する将来の機会を特定し、競合他社の一歩先を進みます。従来の人材派遣会社は、採用ニーズが発生したときにそれに対応するだけです。 覚えておいてください。採用プロセスのアウトソーシングは、単に空き求人を埋める以上のものです。これは貴社とRPOプロバイダーの間の戦略的パートナーシップです。最高の人材、プロセス、テクノロジーを結集することで、重大なスキルギャップを解消し、長期的な戦略を立てます。 RPOの利点と採用コスト管理 RPOソリューションを活用する最も重要な利点の1つは、RPOプロバイダーが貴社のチームと協力して、貴社特有の採用ニーズと、それが長期目標および独自のビジネス プロセスにどのように適合するかを理解できることです。 人材獲得のアプローチを最適化することで、下記のような利点もあります。 ・コスト削減：人材紹介会社の手数料はすぐに膨れ上がります。求人サイトの費用や高い離職率と組み合わされると、リーダーは適合性の悪い採用の代償を支払うことになります。RPO プロバイダーは、各候補者に給与ベースのコミッションを請求するのではなく、貴社と協力して採用ニーズを判断します。その情報を活用して、組織にとって最も合理的なサービスと価格モデルに合わせて調整します。 ・柔軟性： 採用ニーズが毎月一定であることはほとんどありません。季節的な需要の変動や期限付きの目標など、RPOパートナーは貴社の変化する採用目標に合わせて、サービスのサイズを調整するオプションを提供します。 ・データ重視の洞察：RPOプロバイダーと連携すると、そのプロバイダーの市場全体の知識とレポート機能にアクセスできます。これには、業界のトレンド、組織に特有のパターン、および採用戦略に新しいツールを活用する機会が含まれます。 適切なRPOパートナーを味方につければ、競争力を維持し、コストをより適切に管理し、新たな成長の機会にアクセスできる迅速かつ効率的な採用プロセスを作成できます。 RPOサービスとの提携 まだ組織にRPOサービスが適しているかどうか確信が持てないですか？決断を下すために次の質問を考えてみてください。 非常に特殊なスキルと才能を必要とする、採用が難しいポジションがありますか？ 従業員の離職率を減らし、採用コストを効果的に管理することは、あなたの組織の長期的な目標の一つですか？ 採用ニーズの変動が激しく、いつ採用活動を強化する必要があるか予測するのが難しいですか？ これらの質問のほとんどまたは全てに「はい」と答えた場合、RPOと連携することが組織にとって最適な選択でしょう。業界全体にわたる経験と、雇用主としてのニーズに焦点を当てた拡張性の高いソリューションを備えたパートナーを探してください。 フルサイクルのサポートかオンデマンドのサービスかに関わらず、RPOプロバイダーは長期的な戦略的パートナーおよびブランドチャンピオンとして機能します。 RPOとのパートナーシップの始め方 採用はこれまで以上に難しくなっています。競争が激化し、スキルのギャップが拡大する中、リーダーは採用プロセスをより効果的に管理するためのツールとプロセスが必要です。 適切なRPOパートナーがそれを支援します。 最適化された採用アプローチを活用すれば、採用ニーズを満たし、コストを効果的に管理し、競争に勝ち抜くことができます。 RPOプロバイダーが貴社の組織にどのような価値を提供できるかを知りたいですか？今すぐEnvisionにご連絡ください。