CareerOne targets SMEs with new recruitment service, but will the investment bring results?

In the never-ending quest to make recruitment straightforward for SMEs, job search site CareerOne has launched a new cloud program designed to help hirers save time.

However, while many filtering initiatives are now available for recruitment purposes, debate lingers as to whether they lead to the best outcome for hirers.

E&I People Solutions co-director and human resources expert Abiramie Sathiamoorthy told SmartCompany this morning that with filtering services, there are “always the cases of people (applicants) falling through the cracks”.

The CareerOne system, called SeeMore in a Box, is a search and analytics cloud-based platform that helps hirers narrow down candidates to those with the key attributes desired for a job.

Hirers can load candidate information into the SeeMore in a Box program from emails, resumes or existing employee profiles. The program then analyses the data to sort and rank it based on the required criteria for the role.

The company claims that hirers lose “80% of their time” sorting through resumes of unsuitable candidates.

CareerOne chief executive Karen Lawson said in a statement that SeeMore in a Box can help SMEs make up this time.

“Also, by dramatically reducing the time required to make a recruitment decision, businesses safeguard their employment brands and keep top candidates engaged.”

Saving time on recruitment has been a key issue for SMEs, with many sites such as OneShift now on the market to make the hiring process easier and more time-effective.

However, in some cases, recouping precious time comes at a price.

A CareerOne spokesperson told SmartCompany that the SeeMore in a Box program costs $1995 a year for companies with fewer than 15 employees, $3725 a year for companies with up to 30 employees, and $5995 for companies with more than 30 employees.

Sathiamoorthy says human resources departments and recruitment companies have been using filtering technologies for years, and generally they are helpful in narrowing the field of applicants.

She says filtering services can help hirers get to the core of what skills they need, such as staff with working rights, or certain qualifications, and relieve them of reading “redundant information”.

But she says while the temptation to use these services can be speedy hiring, she cautions that the recruitment process still needs to be “robust”.

“Filtering systems help…but you need to read every (shortlisted) application entirely, and make sure you really are finding the right person for your business,” she says.

When using resume filtering programs, she says to set up a series of questions that require ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers, as this can quickly narrow down the applicants. She also recommends tags for the skill sets you need in the position.