The Benefits of Semantic Search in Recruiting

Semantic means ‘meaning’ and semantic search is a technology that fetches results to a query on the basis of user intent and the context behind the query. It is a revolutionary technique that has changed the way we look at search. Today, it is everywhere, with even Google having introduced it to its algorithms. Its biggest scope has been witnessed in the fields of enterprise search and scientific research, both of which have to deal with mammoth amount of data. Enterprise search tools like 3RDi Search and Coveo have emerged as the most effective tools based on semantics.

Recruitment is witnessing an ever increasing number of candidates seeking and applying for jobs and the emergence of multiple platforms to scout for candidates, including job portals and social media. In such a scenario, can semantics benefit recruitment when it comes to finding the right candidate?

People with years of experience in the field of recruitment believe that finding the right candidate is not as easy as it seems. They say it’s a fact that recruiters many a time fail to reach the right candidate either because they didn’t type the right keyword or the candidate missed out on including the “right” set of keywords in his/her resume or online profile. This is where semantic search can step in to fill the gap and help HR and candidates connect.

Why it Can Make a Difference

The concept based approach of semantic search makes it far easier to find the most relevant candidates, with “wrong keywords” no longer serving as the barrier.

To begin with, it fetches results on the basis of the meaning or concept associated with the query instead of the string of words typed by the user. When you apply this concept to the scenario of recruitment, you witness a breakthrough as it takes away the element of guessing from the process. In other words, the recruiters are no longer left to guess the words and terms that candidates are most likely to use on their resumes, along with the entire spectrum of likely-to-be-used synonyms.

An Example:

Let’s consider a recruiter is looking for a software developer. When he/she enters the words software developer, a conventional search tool will only fetch candidates having the exact words on their profile/resume. However, a semantic search tool will not just fetch candidates with the exact string of words, but also conceptually similar terms, such as software engineer, software development professional, software professional, software technology expert, and so on.

The Benefits

There are several ways in which it can benefit the recruitment team of an organization and make the task of finding the right candidate easier and faster.

1. Faster process of finding the most relevant candidate match.
2. Recruiters are not required to have a very deep knowledge of the diverse terms relevant to a field or industry.
3. Recruiters are not required to spend time conducting in-depth research on the industry.
4. Recruiters get access to a wider pool of relevant candidates.
5. Even novice recruiters can find perfect candidates like experienced professionals do, as the “searching” is taken care of by the tool.
6. Organizations with less experienced recruiters can also connect with the most relevant candidates.
7. Makes it easy to source candidates for technical positions, where there can be multiple terms to refer to a specific position.
8. Ensures that companies don’t miss out on good candidates just because he/she failed to include a specific term in his/her resume or profile.

The Bottom Line:

While the concept of applying semantic search to recruitment might sound exciting, we have still a long way to go before we can completely rely on machines to “find” candidates. Maybe in the near future, this technology, along with AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP), will advance to a level where the complete process of sourcing can be taken care of by a tool with zero human intervention. However, for now we can safely use semantic search based tools to aid the recruiters, save their time and allow them to focus on more important tasks.