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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

​Today, the hiring landscape looks a lot different than it did in years past. In an effort to streamline recruiting, 70% of companies have normalized a hybrid hiring process that leverages virtual recruiting technology according to the Society for Human Resource Management. Remote interviewing has become commonplace, bridging geographic boundaries, and expanding candidates’ options. But what do these changes mean when recruiting new team members? In theory, an even wider pool of talent to pull from. In reality, hiring has never been more difficult. Successfully navigating today’s talent landscape will require a more scalable and engaging approach: recruitment process outsourcing. What Does It Mean to Outsource the Recruiting Process? The short answer: RPO is the partial or complete outsourcing of a company's recruitment process to a third-party service provider. Now, let’s explore the longer answer to that question. The inherent structure of the traditional workplace is changing. RPO is here to help leaders and hiring managers evolve their recruitment processes in a way that’s not only scalable but that also directly aligns their short-term hiring initiatives with their long-term strategy. Rather than a “one size fits all” program, organizations can work with an RPO service provider to create a talent pipeline that makes the most sense for their unique business needs. Although it varies from company-to-company, some of the most common RPO offerings include: On-Demand/Project: Looking to hire extra support for a time-sensitive project or have an immediate need for talent in a specific department? A contract-based engagement defines the specific number of roles you need during a set period of time. Function-Based: In this agreement, an RPO provider will oversee a portion of your recruiting needs for the foreseeable future rather than a set period of time. This is often done for specific divisions or departments such as IT. End-to-End: At this stage, an RPO partner is managing every step of your recruitment process, giving you full access to their resources and expertise. Why are RPO Services Growing in Popularity? Although global interest in RPO services has steadily grown in recent years, it's now clear that recruitment outsourcing is here to stay. One international report found that the industry is expected to reach a value of $21.69 billion by the end of 2027. Why are so many companies moving toward RPO services in place of traditional recruiting? In a hyper-competitive market, a company’s greatest asset is its people and their talents. Aberdeen Strategy and Research found that within the 60% of organizations that handle recruitment in-house, it’s more likely that internal teams lack an understanding as to what's causing skill gaps in their workforce. Meanwhile, companies that partner with an RPO provider find that more than 50% of their workforce is “top quality.” Globally expanding enterprises may also be looking to build up and establish brand new teams in overseas locations, where they currently have no people on the ground. By outsourcing the entire recruitment process to a trusted partner that knows the region and where to find the best talent, saves time, money, and logistical barriers. By leveraging RPO-based hiring practices, leaders not only differentiate their companies, but they also gain access to top talent in a way traditional recruiting methods can’t. How RPO Varies from Traditional Recruiting Methods If you’re wondering how RPO is different from traditional staffing agencies, you’re not alone. Although there is some overlap between them, they represent two very different approaches to the talent acquisition process. When deciding whether RPO makes sense for your organization, keep these key differences in mind: Placement Over Fit Recruiting agencies pull from their own pool of applicants and get paid when they "sell" you on these candidates. This means leaders miss out on other valuable sources, such as employee referral programs or their own website. With RPO, it's different. Your provider is working for you to find the best talent, using a combination of resources to ensure you're getting the most suitable, qualified candidate ⁠- not just whoever is available first. Candidate Experience When you’re working with a staffing agency, you lose much of the control you have over the culture of your hiring process and how that reflects on your company as a whole. With an RPO provider, you’ll work together to ensure that your mission and values underscore recruitment and interviewing policies. Proactive vs. Reactive Oftentimes, hiring initiatives are thought of as a reactive response, either to an employee leaving or a skill gap becoming more apparent. Your RPO provider will leverage advanced reporting and talent analytics to identify future opportunities to improve your overall acquisition strategy, keeping you a step ahead of the competition. A traditional staffing agency will simply react to your hiring needs as they come up. Just remember: Recruitment process outsourcing is about more than simply filling open jobs. Instead, it's a strategic partnership between you and your provider. Together, you’ll bridge critical skill gaps and plan for long-term initiatives by bringing together the best of people, processes, and technology. Managing Recruitment Costs and Other Benefits of RPO One of the most significant benefits of leveraging an RPO solution is that your provider will work with your team to understand your unique hiring needs and how they fit into your long-term goals and your unique business process. By optimizing your approach to talent acquisition, you’ll also gain access to: Cost savings: Recruitment agency fees can quickly add up. Combined with the costs of subscribing to job boards and high turnover rates, leaders are left paying the consequences of a bad candidate fit. Rather than charging a salary-based commission on each candidate, an RPO provider works with you to determine your hiring needs. With that information in hand, they will tailor their services and pricing model to what makes the most sense for your organization. Flexibility: Your talent needs are rarely consistent month-to-month. Depending on seasonal demand fluctuations or deadline-specific goals, an RPO partner provides the option to scale their services as needed to meet your evolving recruitment goals. Data-driven insights: When working with an RPO provider, you'll have access to their market-wide knowledge and reporting capabilities. This can include industry trends, patterns specific to your organizations, and opportunities to leverage new tools for your hiring strategy. With the right RPO partner on your side, you can create a quick and efficient hiring process that helps your organization to remain competitive, better manage costs, and access new growth opportunities. Partnering with an RPO Service Still not certain whether an RPO service is right for your organization? As you work to make your decision, consider the following questions: Do you have hard-to-fill positions with very specific skill sets and talent needs? Are reducing employee turnover and better managing your recruitment costs both part of your organization’s long-term goals? Do you have fluctuating talent needs that make it difficult to predict when you’ll need to ramp up your hiring efforts? If you answered yes to most or all of these questions, an RPO partner likely makes the most sense for your organization. Look for partners who have industry-wide experience as well as scalable solutions focused on your needs as an employer. Whether you need end-to-end support or are looking for on-demand services, your RPO provider should serve as your long-term strategic partners and brand champions. Getting Started with an RPO Partner Hiring has never been more difficult. Faced with heightened competition and widening skill gaps, leaders need tools and processes to better manage the recruitment process. The right RPO partner can help. Armed with an optimized approach to hiring, you’ll be able to meet your talent acquisition needs while better managing costs and staying ahead of the competition. Ready to learn how an RPO provider could deliver value to your organization? Get started by contacting Envision today.