Referrals Vs Applicants with Ladan Davia of Beeya

According to Linkedin, the #1 way to discover a new job is through a referral… and referrals are the top source of quality hires. 

Look, there are good people responding to posted jobs but most likely, they are being passed over. Why? 

Our guest today says “The answer is serving up less to maintain more” when looking for talent. Using AI and machine learning can help target the right applicants to diversify your talent pool to find the right hire. 

 Today’s Quote: 

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” - Milton Berle

I’m Rick Girard and welcome to the Hire Power Radio Show. Our mission is to help Entrepreneurs and hiring managers to avoid costly hiring mistakes by identifying a specific problem and provide proven solutions to enable you to WIN the right hire. We share insights from top-performing rebel entrepreneurs, disruptors & industry experts. 

Like our guest today: Ladan Davia, Founder & CEO for Beeya

Beeya, is a meta-search engine for jobs that hosts all jobs on the internet, in one place. It is the only platform that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to accurately match candidates to jobs they are qualified for, solving the faulty keyword issue other online platforms serve users. 

Ladan has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Fox Business, and The Wall Street Journal, and is using her influence to help young entrepreneurs, especially women, break through the tech industry.

 Which makes Ladan a perfect expert for today’s topic.

Ladan, Welcome to the Hire Power Radio Show today! 

Today we are going to cover 

• Referrals vs. applicants -benefits to each
• Other options for hiring 
• How to level the playing field and bring the right talent forward regardless of where they came

Why it is wrong to focus on referral candidates?

• Unfair advantage to people who are connected
• Not based on merit

Why employers are losing good people?

• Just because someone is in transition does not mean they are bad
• Referrals are not necessarily the best hire

Why it costs employers more?

• They are not hiring the right people
• Taking the easy out by hiring the easy way.

Rick’s input

• Time is the big factor here
• Referrals take less time and are partially vetted
• Not putting the right amount of diligence in the interview process
• Other options
  • 3rd option - targeted recruiting
  • More time-intensive, allows you to stack the deck with A-players

 

How do we fix this hiring issue?   

• Different ways of filtering applicants
  • Keyword filtering does not work (no buzzwords)
• Needs to go
  • What do we focus on then if not keywords??

Time issue?

• How to replace the keyword with AI & ML
  • Challenges: the AI can become bias
  • Need to eliminate name, age & gender

Rick’s Nuggets

• Applicant Filtering
• Performance metrics in the job description
  • Eliminate buzzwords
• Call to Action in the JD to self filter… answer to 3 questions
• Time issue
• Utilize the phone screen 
  • 30-45 minutes will save hours in the long run

Key Takeaways:

• Look for alternative ways to hire and stay away from a keyword match
• Don’t be so open to referrals. Open your mind to other people