Sep 2022

Technological Innovations in BGV industry Overview An interesting conversation by two  industry HR leaders Sreekumar and Venkat, This blog deep dives into How Technological Innovations in BGV industry helps to limit Risk in Hiring Sreekumar, a senior HR Manager, while taking his morning walk in Tower Park, Anna Nagar, in the suburbs of Chennai, bumps into his friend, Venkat, an HR Manager from a public sector enterprise. Venkat has just come back from New York. After the customary exchange of pleasantries, the two engage in conversation, covering all recent issues. The conversation veers around the trustworthiness of employees. Citing the recent murder in Mylapore, Chennai, Sreekumar tells Venkat how the trust deficit proves a bane. Venkat narrates how his personnel administration as it was called then (not HR)  had to cope with the traditional background check method in those days before the advent of technology. He agrees with his older friend that the traditional method of conducting background checks will not serve the purpose. He adds that technology has transformed the employee verification process with more accuracy. Venkat says that HR professionals face a challenging time screening candidates with remote joining and work-from-home options becoming rampant. He agrees that this has become a lot easier with the advent of new technology and explained How Technological Innovations in BGV industry helps to limit risk in hiring for HR fraternity. Sreekumar says that it is critical for a new-age entity to understand whom they are hiring. He adds that the advantages of technology in screening potential employees help make sure that companies are hiring trustworthy candidates. Latest Technological Innovations in BGV industry : Thanks to the disruption Artificial Intelligence has caused in the way we conduct business, it helps large amounts of data be processed within a short period, says Sreekumar. He adds: A simple Google search with the candidate’s name will give you a bird’s eye view of matching names from databases across the web in a matter of seconds! Complex data analytics, along with AI and Machine Learning (ML), can prioritize data as per its relevance and present it to the HR team with more valuable data first. This helps the HR personnel to make sure that they are hiring the right candidates.” Venkat is more curious to know steps that can make the lives of HR personnel a lot easier,. Sensing his curiosity, Sreekumar offers some tips in right earnest. The HR personnel needs to ensure that their background screening process is fool-proof. Throwing light on background checking and authorization process, Sreekumar points out: “Some countries need the authorization of the candidates with clear disclosures before conducting a background check. However, inadvertently, the HR personnel can violate such requirements and, in the process, face both regulatory fines and lawsuits.” But, background screening technology reduces the risk of non-compliance by automating the disclosure and authorization process. Thanks to the screening technology, it sends compliance disclosures to candidates, facilitates their electronic authorization, and stores all documents in a secure place. “Instead of exchanging disclosure and authorization documents with the potential candidates over e-mail, screening technology helps handle the process fairly,” Sreekumar says. Background screening technology can automate critical workflows in the hiring process. It helps HRs save time, improve regulatory compliance, and create a better candidate experience. Applicant Tracking System “We can avoid double-entry with the help of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). HR teams can simplify keeping track of thousands of resumes and candidate details. When integrated with background screening technology, the ATS avoids double-entry and lets talent acquisition staff knows where candidates are in the screening process. When your ATS and background screening process are integrated, candidate demographic data flows seamlessly from ATS to the background screening platform.  “With it, you can quickly move from the job offer to the background screening process, which also helps to improve the candidate experience.” According to Sreekumar, health screening can be simplified using tech tools. “Employment health screening requires candidates to plan a visit to a testing facility, but tech can ensure the process is not cumbersome or be held up by scheduling delays. With the benefit of mobile, paperless health and drug screening technology, HR can give candidates access to an easy-to-use portal where they can look for testing facilities near their location, schedule their test, and access their results when ready.” Application programming interfaces “Advancements in cloud computing allow screening platforms to process larger volumes of data. Application programming interfaces (APIs) provide better integration between screening platforms’ tools and customers’ systems. ML algorithms speed up the time taken for background checks. E-referencing Facilitated by technology, e-references can be requested in seconds, triggering an instant e-mail notification to the referee. The referee can complete the reference on any device and at any time that suits them, with all their responses being recorded directly in the e-reference system. E-referencing provides the referee the ultimate convenience and flexibility to provide their reference at a time and place that suits them. When e-references are received digitally, it frees up time for HR staff by avoiding ‘phone tag’ and helps them to get on with other responsibilities. Since the efficiency is improved, it helps to create a quicker and more accurate process for onboarding new employees – that suits the requirement of today’s fast-paced business environment.” With verifiable data, real-time verification is possible quickly and securely. “AI-based authentication, deep search, match score, OCR, face-match, and other tech competencies effectively adapt to unique use cases. As businesses worldwide go remote, automating employee verification and onboarding processes has become possible with AI. Digital Address Verification HR can verify identity, criminal background, and employment records in seconds. Address verification, which used to take several days, can now be completed in minutes with a digital address verification product. Criminal record checks can now be accomplished quickly because of technology. Electronic signatures or an Aadhaar-based e-sign can digitize the entire documentation part of the onboarding process. This helps make the hiring process seamless, secure, and convenient.” More government bodies, educational institutes, and businesses are moving towards digitizing

  What qualities to look when hiring employees Ganesh waited with bated breath. He has lost count of the number of interviews he has attended. A computer engineer, he wanted to become software professional and dreamed of settling down in the USA with a plush job. When it comes to technical skills, Ganesh ticked all the right boxes. But his struggle was in conveying his ideas to others and making them buy his ideas and convince them that he would be the right fit for the job. Ganesh has been waiting in the air-conditioned reception of the MNC for the past 10 minutes. But he felt it had been years he had been waiting. He felt thirsty, and even in the cold, too, he felt sultry. That’s when Mona, the recruiter, came out. Ganesh got up from his seat, and he felt butterflies in his stomach. A candidate’s soft skills like communication, collaboration, and time management are important as they are the qualities recruiters look when hiring employees. In hiring, there is always a disconnect between the requirement and the availability of talent. What are the qualities to look when hiring employees is a critical aspect for both HR and the candidate? While there are debates over the great resignation and the increased attrition, a large pool of candidates cannot find a fit in organizations. They cannot bag their dream jobs in organizations even with suitable education qualifications. An impressive CV may help one reach the interview phase, but for all roles, HR makes sure there are certain qualities to look for when hiring employees. Here are the top seven qualities that can turn a candidate from an applicant to an employee As per a recent National Centre for the Middle Market study, 44% of respondents, recruiters, stated that candidates’ lack of skills is one of the major challenges they face in recruitment. We know now that skills are important — but what skill sets are more important? Is there a way to improve them? When recruiters mention the qualities to look for when hiring employees, they divide the skill sets into hard and soft skills. Hard Vs. soft skills Hard skills are measurable and teachable skills. They are job-oriented and include the technical side of the role. We can learn hard skills through formal education and training. Some examples of hard skills are programming, typing, mathematics, and accounting. However, soft skills are a wide category and tough to measure. It includes personal traits and interpersonal skills. Soft skills focus mainly on how you interact with others. It also includes social skills, emotional skills, communication, and teamwork. It’s not easy to teach soft skills, and they are hard to measure. In the above survey, over 60% of respondents considered soft skills more important than hard skills. What are the top soft skills required to get selected for a job in an interview? According to a Zety study, recruiters and HR managers look for candidates’ teamwork, communication, time management, problem-solving, and creativity. They also look for leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, and the ability to manage stress and take decisions. Let’s see each of the soft skills and how to develop them. Teamwork: We need Teamwork to complete the work in an organization quickly and effectively. Teamwork helps to create a system that can meet deadlines while following high-quality work. When we share work among the members, we can do it quickly, and this, in turn, will improve the organization’s efficiency. Further, to become a team player, a candidate should be flexible. He or she should also give respect to others in the team. They should listen to the team members; whenever required, they should support or help them finish their jobs better. Thus, teamwork ensures productivity and efficiency. Communication: In a 2019 LinkedIn survey in the United States, communication was the most sought-after soft skill. Communication plays an important role in cracking an interview. A candidate with good communication skills can convey his personality and attitude. They can share their ideas very well and share their thoughts. Looking at the job profiles, we know that globally, organizations are giving a lot of importance to communication in their potential employees: “good communication skills.” Hence, even with good degrees and professional skills, candidates should develop good communication skills to get selected for employment. Time Management: In an employee’s life in the office, it’s easy to let the day finish without doing the most important task. Moreover, if a candidate doesn’t know to manage his time, he will often end up not completing his work or project on time. The three P’s of time management- Planning, Prioritizing, and Performing- are critical for employees and organizations to succeed. HR managers say this is one of the important qualities to look for when hiring employees. Hence, candidates should be able to convey and establish that they are good at time management in an interview. Problem-solving skills: This is one of the top skills recruiters look for in job applicants. Logical skills help you understand why an issue is happening and how to resolve it. The journey to finding a solution starts with understanding the issue, coming up with resolutions, executing them, and assessing their efficiency. Creativity: Individuals with a creative mindset can come up with unique solutions for their problems. Another benefit of creative candidates is their enthusiasm, which will assist them in completing tasks and resolving issues. Emotional Intelligence: Researchers point out that emotional intelligence or emotional quotient influences how employees interact with their colleagues. EQ also has a role in how employees manage stress and conflict. Equally important is managing your emotions positively to let go of stress, talk effectively, relate to others, overcome challenges and resolve conflict. To succeed in an interview, it’s not enough to tick all the right boxes. You should understand what are the qualities to look for hiring employees by an organization, too. You should assure the recruiters that you are the best fit for the job. For that, be honest and display your personality. In addition