Using Data Analytics in Headhunting

Q: What makes you the best partner for finding the right candidates for open positions?

A: We are specialized in finding candidates for the banking, insurance and tech sectors. Knowledge in these areas helps us understand our clients’ needs. Our capabilities are primarily based on Big Data and data analytics. Using analytical tools allows us to respond swiftly to find suitable candidates in a short time span.

Companies give us difficult tasks for very specific roles with particular requirements. The main source of our data analytics is LinkedIn. We have a license to use their data analytics and their data crunching, although we also perform our own. LinkedIn has various tools and relies heavily on artificial intelligence to scour the network and identify candidates. For example, the platform can provide information on whether people are looking for a job based on their actions on the platform. It can also predict the likelihood of a person accepting a job. Not every candidate has a great profile on LinkedIn, which means you have to use more advanced analytics to find them and determine their suitability according to certain details on their profile. Apart from LinkedIn, we also use other platforms, such as Boomerang, OCC and Indeed.

Q: What are the biggest challenges for companies regarding recruitment?

A: One of the biggest challenges in recruitment is the loss of time. Companies spend significant resources to find candidates. Even when they find them, there is no guarantee that these candidates will perform as well as expected. HR departments do not have the resources nor the time to do very in-depth searches. We act as a kind of filter, providing greater precision in the search. We perform interviews and exams and record them so companies can review these as well. We also take into account how companies work and how agile their work approach is. Not all candidates will be long-term employees of a company. Sometimes a suitable candidate can be employed for a specific task. This broadens the pool of potential candidates as individuals may be willing to take on a short-term challenge.

Q: What changes are emerging in your sector?

A: There is a general trend toward greater agility in work cultures. Companies are moving away from a hierarchical system where the boss decides everything. Banks, in particular, are changing. BBVA, for example, is undergoing a digital transformation that is having a big impact on the market. One of the elements of this is having agile work schemes. I see other banks going in that direction. Banks do not have a choice because they face increasing pressure from competing products brought in by other parties in the market. Other industries have been more cautious to move away from a hierarchical model. 

Q: What have you learned after three years in the market?

A: We did not imagine the importance of globality. Foreign clients look for candidates who are bilingual and can operate in multicultural contexts. Our data analytics allow us to provide greater information on these types of skills. We also have learned that strong networking remains very important for individual career advancement. Recommendations are a very central component of our search process. Lastly, I would say that there is no ideal candidate. Companies are looking for the candidate that functions. In businesses where most work is done as projects, it does not really matter how the project is handled, as long as it is completed in the expected time frame achieving the objectives and sticking to the defined budget.

Ingeniosi is a headhunting agency that uses data analytics as the basis of its search operation. Its clients are in the banking, insurance and tech sectors