Good evening readers, and welcome to the final post from the Novus Opus team!

Our journey began back last September, when we set ourselves the task of visualizing the future of work. In order to execute on this objective, we made the decision to divide and conquer. We took a deep dive into several very distinct industries to discover the driving forces that are changing the way in which they operate. We kicked off our analysis by taking a front row seat at the Ticket office, before investigating what was orchestrating the changes within the Music industry. The new year saw us Recruit yet another industry, which then led to some serious Education, before finishing off with our very own World Cup Final in the world of Sports Analytics!

Now it is time to see the results of all this PUNishment!

The use of the Company Spotlight articles gave concrete examples of front-runners in each industry and how they are adapting to gain an advantage over their competitors. Although each industry was analysed in isolation, a number of common themes regarding the changing nature of work have emerged. Here at Novus Opus, we believe that these trends will have a long-lasting effect on businesses and organisations in the years to come.

Digital Disruption

Throughout each and every industry investigated, the influence exercised by technology was immediately apparent. Conor’s first post outlined the transformation of the ticketing industry across all segments of the value chain. Supply, operations, distribution and marketing have all been super-charged by the transition from an entirely physical industry to an almost entirely digital one. This development was further reinforced through the analysis of the music industry and Spotify’s meteoric rise. Recruiting, Education and Sports have also seen a total redesign as the ability to leverage the technological advancements has allowed companies to become closer than ever to their customers.

Cost Saving Efficiencies

Disruptive technology has seen the simplification of transactions and many intermediaries removed from supply chains. This has allowed many organisations to realise considerable savings. Devin’s outline of the changing nature of the recruiting industry highlighted the cost-saving potential of going digital as Amazon have demonstrated. Through the use of automation and machine learning, Amazon has significantly reduced the number of employees required to screen candidates, albeit with varying degrees of success! Of course Amazon is not the only company to take advantage of more efficient operations however here at Novus Opus we believe that over the course of the next decade we will see a transition away from the emphasis on saving money and instead, we will watch (and take part) as large corporations begin to develop new ways to make money!

A New Skillset

The wide-reaching effects of technology have overhauled the skills required by employers. Whether you are the CEO of Google or the CEO of L’Oréal, the desire to attract the top tech talent is at an all-time high! This has created a major shift in the type of education and abilities that constitute a “highly-employable” workforce. Seamus touched on the reluctance of many education professionals to adapt to new, digital forms of education as a potential stumbling block for the propagation of digital skills. However, as the number of “digital natives” continues to rise, I believe that the level of familiarity with technology will continue to rise naturally and the existence of “non-adopters” will become increasingly obsolete.

The Power of Data

The “Data Explosion” is a well-documented phenomenon of the 21^st century. Reports estimate that there over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day through various channels. (1) This has given rise to a race for companies to make the best use of their data. Devin demonstrated the level of expertise that has been introduced to the NBA, and Formula 1 racing, in order to make incremental improvements that may result in creating that mercurial competitive edge. In the Music industry, Spotify has revolutionized the discovery of new music by delivering several weekly playlists tailored to your existing library. Ticketmaster will make sure you never miss your favourite artist’s upcoming gig. The companies that have managed to generate truly valuable applications for the infinite streams of data on their customers have been significantly rewarded. This has strengthened the grip that many “Giants” within industries have on their customers by increasing customer acquisition, retention and loyalty. Many of our industry investigations brought to light the prevalence of fast-moving, agile start-ups that offer a unique twist on the market offering. However, I believe that it is the utilization of data which allows giants such as Ticketmaster, Spotify and Facebook to maintain their foothold in an increasingly competitive environment.

Smartphone Ubiquity

While piecing together our research, the Novus Opus team stumbled upon a trend which had gone under the radar. In each area of study, the prevalence of mobile applications was most notable. It is clear that in order to be seen as a major player in any industry, distribution through a smartphone is essential. Around the world, humanity is more connected than ever and consumers expect to have access to products and services on demand. The importance of the mobile platform is unavoidable however this can be seen as a major global benefit. Smartphone ubiquity has changed not only how companies access their customers but also how customers access companies. Improved internet access in Third World countries ensures the moderisation and development of these nations as well as the ability to leverage digital advancements and innovate homegrown solutions.

It is clear to us that the nature of work is changing at a rapid pace. The digital revolution will continue to develop in years to come and continue to have a significant impact on society. We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of this topic and we encourage you to venture forth and continue to investigate the evolving nature of industry.

Acta est fabula, Plaudite!

Ross Finnegan
Novus Opus

 

References

(1) https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/05/21/how-much-data-do-we-create-every-day-the-mind-blowing-stats-everyone-should-read/#78665f5960ba

 

Welcome back ladies and gents!

Hope you’re all ready for some St Patrick’s Day celebrations! Why not kick off this bank holiday weekend with a brand spanking new Novus Opus blog post? Keeping in the spirit of the festivities, there’s a pot of gold waiting for you at the end of this installment 🙂

Devin presented us with some fascinating insights last time out with cool post on the explosion of sports analytics. Interestingly, the growth in sports data seemed to be centred around professional teams leveraging analytics to gain an advantage over their competitors. This got me thinking about other functionalities of sports analytics, which led me to this week’s Company Spotlight segment!

Opta Sports is one of the largest international sports analytics companies in the world. Headquartered just over the pond in the United Kingdom, they analyse data for dozens of sports across 70 countries worldwide. (1) Founded back in 1996, Opta Sports have been analysing sports games for over 20 years (yes, sports analytics has been around longer than you might think!)

You may not know them for their work with individual teams seeking to exploit their rivals’ weaknesses, however. Opta have been more publicly active in the statistics and visualisations departments of sports analytics. Having forged partnerships with BBC and Sky Sports, most match statistics which appear on your television screen are likely to have been supplied by Opta. In a football game for example, Opta will not only record every aspect of the game which did or did not happen in real-time (shots, passes etc.) but also what should have happened.

Introducing, Expected Goals – a statistic which tells us how many goals a team should have scored. When a shot is placed on goal, Opta’s software takes a variety of factors into account such as the angle, distance from goal, was it a header etc. and compares this to a historical database of shots in previous matches. (2) Using this data, Opta can calculate how likely it is for a shot with a specific set of characteristics to be scored. It is amazing to think that data analysis has allowed an algorithm to determine the quality of a chance when watching a football match, just as humans do intuitively.

In the graphic above which shows every single Harry Kane shot for the 2016/2017 Premier League season with Tottenham Hotspur, the larger circles represent a smaller Expected Goal metric. This means the chance was more difficult to score. We can see how Mr. Kane scored a few goals from a short distance out, which were very likely to be converted based on historical data. He has also scored from a few difficult chances too!

It isn’t hard to see how the area of sports analytics is a disruptive technology. Analytics and statistics have revolutionised the betting industry and Opta have contributed to this. Historical data being at a punter’s finger tips has change the way we place bets, forcing bookmakers to adapt. Not only this, but user experience has been enhanced by the implementation of data driven widgets into betting apps, allowing users to follow 3-D match visualisations. (3) This tool is especially useful as it allows customers to follow every twist and turn of a game, even if live streaming is unavailable.

But there’s a more human element to it too. Opta have transformed the way sports fans view the game. Providing incredible statistics which amplify special moments on the field through their social media channels is a wonderful example of this. It shows how analytics can provide insights to inspire people and initiate passionate dialogue about the world’s most popular pastimes. What’s not to love!

Sports analytics has been knocking around for a long time, but only a recent explosion has exposed the true reach of its capabilities. Whether this be a professional sports teams analysing an opponent’s movements to gain a competitive advantage, or a record breaking statistic on Twitter. The possibilities are seemingly endless. A common theme throughout this blog has been the way in which technology exerts its influence on an industry to drastically change the way we do things. Sport is no different in this sense.

Nonetheless, it is intriguing to see how technology and analytics can compliment each other in a game that is so fueled by emotion and passion. A curious thought, indeed!

Séamus Keher
Novus Opus

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations! You have made it to the POT OF GOLD:

Q: Why don’t you iron a four leaf clover?
A: Because you don’t want to press your luck!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

References

(1) R. McGuinness, R (2012). Spectators who are on the ball: A look inside the world of sports stats. [online]. Metro. Available at: https://metro.co.uk/2012/01/03/spectators-who-are-on-the-ball-a-look-inside-the-world-of-sports-statistics-272423/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2019].

(2) Mirror Football (2017). Expected Goals – the new Opta stat you will be hearing a lot about this season. [online] irishmirror. Available at: https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/what-expected-goals-mean-welcome-10978476 [Accessed 15 Mar. 2019].

(3) Opta Sports. (2019). Opta Match Visualisation. [online] Available at: https://www.optasports.com/services/opta-match-visualisation/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2019].

 

 

Hello Readers.

In today’s post I want to discuss the booming expansion of the Sports Analytics industry, and how the nature of the work being done in the space has changed so drastically in recent years. Simply put, sports analytics are a collection relevant, historical statistics that when properly applied can provide a competitive advantage to a team or an individual. The information, and the conclusions derived, are used to inform those involved and facilitate the making of accurate decisions, both before and during the event (the match, game, race, or otherwise).

The term “sports analytics” was popularized by the 2011 film “Moneyball“, which delves into the analytical success of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. Since then, the industry has been turned on its head, with advances being made every day in the application of analytics to sport.

The two specific examples I would like to discuss today are:

1. Player Tracking in the NBA
2. Data Analytics in Formula 1

Player Tracking in the NBA

The NBA, due to its fast-paced nature, high scores, and close margins, is a prime candidate to be ravaged by the impact of analytics. By analyzing player movement, the efficiency of the team as a whole can be gauged and understood. According to SportVu, an analytics website, teams in the NBA are now using up to six cameras mounted to the catwalk of stadiums to record player movement 25 times per second (SportVu, 2019). The analysis conducted focuses not only on individual performance, but on the efficiency of the team as a whole, and that is what makes it so effective. Now, according to ESPN, the data is there not only to explain player performance, but also to “provide information that has never been presented” (Oliver, 2013). In an industry that recorded a total revenue of over $8 billion last year (Forbes.com, 2019), every little certainly helps.

Furthermore, changes in the game itself, strategically and tactically, are now being realized on the back of in-depth analytics. The graph below illustrates the comparison between free throw and three point attempts per month in the NBA. This is the result of a shift in strategy, after analytics proved that the expected value from three point shots exceeded that of any other play (Ross, 2015).

This is described as the “concept of an efficient shot and the value of a shot”, and is one of the many areas that the game of professional basketball has been altered by analytics (Counterpoints, 2019).

Data Analysis in Formula 1

Formula One is a unique sport. Highly skilled race cars that are customized and optimized to every last tiny detail on tracks that are subject to change via weather or temperature. With live feeds of information coming from every aspect of the car (tire pressure, engine, speed, torque and otherwise), data is abundant. An argument has recently arose discussing whether the mathematicians and data scientists behind the Formula 1 giants should be paid more than the drivers themselves. It seems ridiculous, but the arguments are convincing. Before every race, analysts run countless simulations, incorporating every possible variable, to inform their drivers’ race strategy and achieve maximum performance for the driver and the race car (Sloan Management Review, 2019).

The sport itself has shifted fundamentally from a battle of wits and skill in equal cars to a battle of engineering and analytics, with teams of hundreds sitting behind every driver. As analytics in Formula 1 advance further and further, the question of whether the machine may be a better decision maker than the man or woman comes into light. The rise of self-driving cars could yet reach Formula 1, but many fans are strongly against it. In the words of James Allen, one of Formula 1’s leading journalists, “what is entertaining about sport I think is man or woman mastering machine, when you’re talking about mechanized sport anyway”, “if [the fans] knew that it was all being done by a machine or machine learning, I think there’d be less appeal” (Sloan Management Review, 2019). So, although the capability may be there, the desire from those than keep the sport afloat may not be.

I encourage anyone who has a strong interest in the field of sports analytics, be that through Formula 1 or otherwise, the follow the Sloan Management Review Podcast, ‘Counterpoints‘. There episode on Formula 1 is listed below:

https://sloanreview.mit.edu/audio/why-f1-mathematicians-should-be-paid-more-than-drivers/

Thoughts

Sports analytics has its cynics, there is no doubt. Traditional fans and observers want sports to be played in the traditional way: Formula 1 cars piling up on a wet day, or NBA stars racking up points and not wasting opportunity on three pointers. However, there is no doubt that analytics is improving the quality of the sport globally. The examples are endless, but some of the more notable are: the Oakland Athletics team in Moneyball, the New England Patriots Superbowl rampage, the evolution of the Olympic sport of Curling, and those discussed above.

A fantastic summary podcast, once again by the MIT Sloan Management Review Counterpoints team, discussing whether sports analytics work or not, can be found here:

https://sloanreview.mit.edu/audio/so-do-analytics-actually-work/

It is well worth a listen.

Have a good week,

Devin
Novus Opus

 

References

STATS. (2019). Basketball Player Tracking for Pro Teams | SportVU | STATS. [online] Available at: https://www.stats.com/sportvu-basketball/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2019].

Oliver, D. (2013). Evolution of analytics movement in NBA. [online] ESPN.com. Available at: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/9980160/nba-how-analytics-movement-evolved-nba [Accessed 11 Mar. 2019].

Forbes.com. (2019). Forbes Releases 21st Annual NBA Team Valuations. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2019/02/06/forbes-releases-21st-annual-nba-team-valuations/#40823aa511a7 [Accessed 11 Mar. 2019].

Ross, T. (2015). This Isn’t Your Dad’s NBA: Thank Big Data. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/nba-data-analytics/396776/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2019].

MIT Sloan Management Review. (2019). Counterpoints | Why F1 Mathematicians Should Be Paid More Than Drivers. [online] Available at: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/audio/why-f1-mathematicians-should-be-paid-more-than-drivers/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2019].

MIT Sloan Management Review. (2019). Counterpoints | So, Do Analytics Actually Work?. [online] Available at: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/audio/so-do-analytics-actually-work/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2019].

Hi there readers,

We hope you are having a great week! Conor here with another Novus Opus Company Spotlight! To further Ross and Seamus’s great intro to the Edtech industry I aim to dive deeper into a specific company to see how the work they are doing is changing the world of work as a whole.

The company of choice is Coursera. Coursera is a platform which offers online courses, skills workshops and even degree programs where users can access lectures and talks from some of the best instructors and professors in that field. Anybody, anywhere can subscribe and join a course, for a fee, where they will be taught, examined and given feedback all online. Coursera provides a completely virtual university experience.  There is the possibility for peer review and even group seminars for certain courses. When thinking of the logistics of arranging a room and ensuring that everyone is free, the thought of having an instructor simply record the lecture and post it online for others to watch at their convenience is a relatively stress-free process.

Coursera was founded in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science Professors who wanted to share their knowledge and skills around the world. Professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng put their courses online for anyone to take – and taught more learners in a few months than they could have in an entire lifetime in the classroom (Coursera Blog, 2019). Since then, they’ve built a platform where anyone, anywhere can learn and earn credentials from the world’s top universities and education providers.

Some of the services that Coursera offer, any normal university could never feasibly provide in the current day.

• Mobile Devices

Many universities attempt to make use of mobile devices by releasing apps which show timetables and students cards electronically but do not use smartphones and tablets to their full potential. With Coursera, students have the option to be watching or rewatching lectures as they travel with options to be asking lecturer’s questions via instant messenger if the lecture is live. As well as this, students can be constantly doing quizzes and testing their knowledge on the material just taught adding another learning method many universities cannot offer.

With most university group assignments the first meeting takes place to swap numbers, make a group chat and a shared google drive and you may never meet face to face again! With Coursera this just starts with a group chat, students could be miles apart but are still able to work together and communicate using discussion boards and chat rooms to efficiently submit a task. With the changing nature of the workplace encouraging more ‘work from home’ hours this is great practice for what is required for jobs of the future.

• Inclusivity 

With students travelling as part of their degree becoming increasingly popular, it is always the language barrier which seems to hinder those without a second language or not willing to travel as far as America or Australia. With Coursera, courses are offered for a global audience with courses offered in over 30 different languages as well as with subtitles. Students could travel to any city in the world and be able to watch and be examined remotely in their mother tongue by some of the best professors and instructors in their field.

• Online recruiters

Coursera provides sharable course and specialisation certificates that can be automatically uploaded and linked to CVs and LinkedIn profiles. Recruiters can not only see the qualification you have but can view the course themselves to see the details of the modules and the skills that would be relevant to them.

 

Coursera has taught over 35 million learners since 2012 and has over 27000 courses, targets which the most prestigious universities wouldn’t get close to hitting. With the workforce turning to online learning and communication to reduce travel, emissions and cost isn’t it time that education did the same too?

Conor Wallace

Novus Opus

Bibliography 

1. Coursera Blog. (2019). About | Coursera Blog. [online] Available at: https://about.coursera.org/ [Accessed 29 Jan. 2019].

Happy Monday to our readers from the Novus Opus Team 😊

Ross kicked off the Education Industry in style last week with a blistering post! EdTech certainly seems to be a rapidly developing area where technology has had a massive impact. I began to wonder: has this technological influence altered the quality of education being delivered?

The generation of young people that are presently in education are unique. They are the first generation to be raised as ubiquitous technology users. They are ‘digital natives’ in the sense that technology is so intertwined in their upbringing that it cannot be separated.

This could explain the widely accepted consensus that technology in classrooms has improved student engagement. Students are learning in an environment that is natural to them – surrounded by technology. It gives them the chance to enhance interactions with classmates and teachers by encouraging collaborative work in the classroom. (1) This sounds very promising indeed.

However, there are problems associated with implementing new technologies in the classroom. I have witnessed these teething issues first hand. In the latter stages of primary school, an interactive whiteboard was installed in our classroom. It was Wi-Fi enabled and boasted lots of cool functionalities, but our teacher at the time did not see it this way! She couldn’t adapt to the technology and eventually turned off the interactive whiteboard and reverted to the chalkboard beside it.

This professional development still seems to be an issue as it was highlighted as a key issue in Education Technology by the Horizon Project. (2) It is necessary to address this problem and ensure teachers are properly equipped to effectively operate technology in the classroom.

On the bright side, the introduction of technology into the classroom has the potential to reduce costs for student’s families. North Iredell Middle School in North Carolina, USA has leaped into a new era by issuing hundreds of students with MacBook Airs. The laptops have been funded by a grant as part of the federal Race to the Top program. (3) Students are now writing up assignments on laptops, eradicating the need for expensive stationary and copybooks. Most school textbooks have already made the jump to digital too, with material available in the form of e-books.

All things considered, technology is certainly integral to modern education and this seems to be for the better. If academics are trained and governments give financial backing, it seems the way is paved for a new generation of workforce who have been raised and educated in a technology-saturated environment. This will transform the way we work, but what does it mean for the future?

Séamus Keher
Novus Opus

References

(1) GESS DUBAI (2017). The Effectiveness of Technology in Education. [online] Available at: https://www.gessdubai.com/news-center/articles/effectiveness-technology-education [Accessed 28 Jan. 2019].

(2) Nagle, D. (2019). 6 Technology Challenges Facing Education — THE Journal. [online] THE Journal. Available at: https://thejournal.com/articles/2013/06/04/6-technology-challenges-facing-education.aspx [Accessed 28 Jan. 2019].

(3) Ramirez, M. (2014). What it Really Takes for Schools to Go Digital. [online] Time. Available at: http://time.com/3104013/digital-classrooms-race-to-the-top-blended-learning/ [Accessed 28 Jan. 2019].

Greetings readers and welcome back to Novus Opus!

The cold weather is really starting to set in but don’t fret, this post is sure to warm you up! So far, we have covered the changing nature of work in the Ticketing, Music and Recruitment industries. Today we will pivot to our fourth industry, Education.

Education is one of the largest industries in the world, with recent estimates suggesting a global market size of $4.4 trillion (1). However, despite this colossal level of investment, the education system is consistently criticised. As Albert Einstein said “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid!”.  Amidst the backdrop of rapid advances in automation, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, the necessity for improvements within the education industry has given rise to a new subsegment of the education industry known as “EdTech”.

Education Technology, or EdTech, is the use of technological processes and resources to improve education. Products and services come in the form of apps or tools to enhance the learning process for both students and teachers (2). With an education system that does not properly support every individual, the EdTech industry is attempting to make learning easier and more accessible for students.

Textbook publishers are making moves into the EdTech industry. However, these companies are using paywalls, expiration dates and printing restrictions on their ebooks in order to control the traditional market. (3) This has given rise to a surge in the number of start up companies in the EdTech industry. According to multiple studies, the global EdTech market will grow by approximately 17% per annum to $252bn by 2020. (4) Studypool is an online learning platform that connects students to a pool of tutors 24/7 on demand for a fraction of the price of in-person tutoring. This allows students to find assistance within ten minutes of hitting a stumbling block, regardless of the subject. Students and parents don’t have to pay a tutor by the hour. Time is also a rare commodity for kids these days. Therefore, micro-tutoring is efficient for everyone.

A large portion of the EdTech products and services are for use within the classroom. Immersive Tech is a trend within the industry which is having a major impact on the way in which students will learn in the future. This change in format will benefit students who may be more accustomed to visual learning. 3D Bear is a 3D design tool that runs on your browser or tablet and allows students to become familiar with Augmented Reality (AR) & 3D printing. Functionality for 3D Bear is improving constantly from learning number sequences and mathematical equations to visualising the periodic table.

The app is free to download on the Google Playstore and the Apple Appstore and is used in classrooms around the world.

Asian Market

There are more young people in Asia than the rest of the world. As a result, the growth of the EdTech industry is being driven by Asia (5). China and India are the two fastest growing nations in Asia. China has made education the core focus of its 13^th Five-Year Plan and aim to create an overall student to computer ratio of 6:1 in the next three years. The Chinese government invested a record $1.07 billion in EdTech startups in 2015 alone. It was announced that it will invest an overall $30 billion in EdTech by 2020. As well as that, Asia is becoming a more global-thinking. English language-learning education platforms are on the rise: there are 300 million English language learners in China. In India, the future education policy is heavily emphasizing digital, as the government has implemented programs such as Digital India and Skill India to spread digital access.

It is clear that there are a lot of advancements in the education industry at present. Technology is providing the major catalyst for this and I am sure that the education system that the next generation of students are brought through will be far more well-rounded and accepting of various types of intelligence.

 

References

(1) Anon, (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/09/global-education-market-reaches-4-4-trillion-and-is-growing/?utm_term=.17806ec443da [Accessed 23 Jan. 2019].

(2) Xu, L. (2019). Edtech 101: What is Edtech and How Is It Impacting Education?. [online] 100mentors Blog. Available at: https://blog.100mentors.com/edtech-101-what-is-edtech-and-how-is-it-impacting-education/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2019].

(3) Daisyme, P. and Daisyme, P. (2019). Is The EdTech Industry A Billion-Dollar Opportunity? – Due. [online] Due. Available at: https://due.com/blog/edtech-industry-billion-dollar-opportunity/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2019].

(4) Technology Addiction: Concern, a., Testing?, S., Promises, D., Dust, H., Learners, H., Tech, S., Edtech Should Complement Good Pedagogy, N., Children?, C., Classroom, 1. and Classroom, 1. (2019). 9 Things That Can Improve the Edtech Industry – The Tech Edvocate. [online] The Tech Edvocate. Available at: https://www.thetechedvocate.org/9-things-can-improve-edtech-industry/ [Accessed 23 Jan. 2019].

(5) TechCrunch. (2019). Education technology is a global opportunity. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/19/education-technology-is-a-global-opportunity/?guccounter=1 [Accessed 23 Jan. 2019].

 

 

Good evening Readers!

Welcome back for another thrilling Novus Opus post! I hope you enjoyed Séamus’ brilliant post on the effect LinkedIn is having on the recruitment industry.

Both Devin and Séamus’ posts had me thinking, is it the case that using technology and AI in recruiting results in the hiring of clones of current employees. Devin has previously mentioned the gender bias incorporated in Amazon’s AI recruitment. This is an easily noticed bias, however, some more subtle personality trait and attitude biases may be harder to spot. It is the case that some organisations are looking for similarly skilled individuals and those who can communicate and negotiate well. Although, those who have very similar mindsets or even political views may not challenge each other, question proceedings in the workplace or bring new ideas to the business they are in.

The traditional interview process offers candidates the opportunity to communicate and convince an individual of how they would go about and complete a given task. Answers may not be the ones expected or they may not even have been thought about before. That being said, they may very well be logical and well thought out answers all the same. With regards to AI only the predictable, anticipated and expected answers will be accepted or scored highly. I believe eliminating the opportunity for alternative and creative, but altogether reasonable and logical answers, could be detrimental to organisations. Business thrives on harnessing initiative and unique ways of solving problems. If only those who think and process information in a pre-determined way are accepted through online tests this could be damaging to businesses in the future.

Effective communication is also a huge part of any successful application to most big firms. If candidates are solely tested using online logical or verbal reasoning tests how are these communication skills tested? I would be interested to see how results would vary if the same candidates were tested in verbal interviews as opposed to online assessments. I think understanding the characteristics of those individuals who are successful in the online assessment process but would have failed in a traditional interview setting would be particularly interesting.

The debate surrounding the benefits of online, compared to face to face, assessment is an interesting and also complicated one which I am sure many HR companies are regularly engaged in. I agree that online tests are a good indicator of a candidate’s suitability and a significant development in the reduction of time and money spent on interviewing large numbers of candidates. However a problem arises when they completely overrule and replace not only the reading of CVs but also the interview process which I believe some alternative thinking, clever and communicative candidates thrive in. With current technology and AI recruitment methods I believe, as is the case with many of today’s industry problems, the balance between technology and human input is key!

 

Conor Wallace 

Novus Opus

Hello there 🙂

Buckle up ladies and gentlemen, we are about to dive into another Novus Opus Company Spotlight segment! Devin and Ross shared some very interesting nuggets of information on the previous two posts, enticing me to look closer at companies working in the tech-recruitment space. This week’s focus will be on LinkedIn Recruiter.

The process of recruitment can be a painstaking one. Finding the right employee involves choosing candidates, conducting interviews, drawing up a shortlist before evaluating everything to select and appoint the most suitable people.

Technology has been pervasive across all industries in recent years and recruitment has been no different. Advancements in tech and increased access to big data has facilitated a speed-up and digitisation of the recruitment process. This is embodied by LinkedIn Recruiter, a platform which automates the CV screening stage of recruitment. (1)

Essentially, LinkedIn have developed a search engine for corporations whereby users can search for prospective employees. LinkedIn Recruiter seems to be a simple addition to LinkedIn’s existing service, which comprises a business and employment platform that allows for professional networking. People already post their skills and qualifications to LinkedIn, but now employers have way of effectively and efficiently searching through potential employees by specifying job criteria.

This service allows employers to fill positions by searching for the required job titles, location and skills. For example, a firm may require three accountants in San Francisco who are skilled at cash flow analysis. (2) All LinkedIn profiles matching these criteria are returned to the user, who can prospect employees to a shortlist – namely LinkedIn’s Talent Pool.

In addition, employers can make changed to their search by saving or hiding candidates from their talent pool and can easily pick up where they left off searching, being redirected to the last page visited before leaving the project. (3) This seems to eradicate the need for trawling through hundreds of CVs, as most people seeking employment are on LinkedIn already!

Interviewing candidates is another integral stage in the recruitment process, one which has been revolutionised by technology. Conducting interviews via phone/video has surged in popularity in recent years, and it isn’t hard to see why; they smooth over logistical concerns, save money and are ultra-convenient. (4)

Considering this and the fact that LinkedIn provide a messaging service, it seems the professional networking firm have marketed themselves as a one-stop-shop for recruitment. Employers can advertise a position, make specific searches for prospective candidates, create a shortlist of these and contact interviewees on the same platform. They have seemingly eradicated the need for recruitment agencies entirely!

Nevertheless, it is an interesting development that has dawned on the recruitment industry. There is no doubt that LinkedIn have simplified the employee selection process, but perhaps this could be taken further. Will AI Intelligence eventually automate the entire process? This remains to be seen, as Devin noted problems such as bias in current algorithms have hindered dissemination.

It could be the case in our lifetime that people will be hired solely on the premise of artificial intelligence… What an interesting idea!

Séamus Keher
Novus Opus

 

 

References

(1) Oswal, N. (2018). The Latest Recruitment Technology Trends and How to Really Use Them. [online] PC World. Available at: https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/633219/latest-recruitment-technology-trends-how-really-use-them/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2019].

(2) Shaul, B. (2018). LinkedIn Launched New Features for Job Seekers, Recruiters. [online] Adweek.com. Available at: https://www.adweek.com/digital/linkedin-launched-new-features-for-job-seekers-recruiters/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2019].

(3) Cheung, P. (2018). 3 New LinkedIn Recruiter Features That Will Make You More Productive and Efficient. [online] Business.linkedin.com. Available at: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/product-updates/2018/new-linkedin-recruiter-features-that-will-make-you-more-productive [Accessed 5 Jan. 2019].

(4) Mars Library. (2015). Video interviewing & phone screening in recruitment. [online] MaRS. Available at: https://www.marsdd.com/mars-library/using-video-interviewing-phone-screening-recruitment-process/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2019].

Good evening,

Welcome back to Novus Opus! I hope you caught up on Devin’s tantalising piece on the growing role that technology plays in the Recruitment industry. If you haven’t checked it out, you can do so by clicking here.

Today, I want to give my personal reaction to Devin’s article. As a final year student, I am far too familiar with the current state of recruiting! It is tough to track down an exact figure, however an article from Warwick University’s careers blog suggests that an average student spends approximately 20 hours putting together an application and preparing for interviews for each company they apply to(Leslie, 2019). Given that most students apply to multiple companies, anything that could streamline this laborious process would be of great benefit!

Devin outlined the significant role that Machine Learning is beginning to have on the screening of applicants. This system would be particularly useful to students applying for jobs in different cities or countries to where they live. Given that the student could access the software on their laptop and interview via a webcam, this system would be far more convenient. This may lead to discrepancies regarding the accuracy of machine’s ability to assess the quality of a candidate. However, perhaps the same could be said about humans!

The combination of a more efficient system with the use of targeted job postings seems like an extremely intelligent use of modern data analytics technology. Making use of these two advancements in tandem presents a superior system to current recruitment system which Devin described as an “untapped line of business”.

The restrictions and limitations imposed by recent regulation such as GDPR does seem to be a serious hindrance to a more advanced, efficient recruitment system. However, given the level of investment in the area, I am sure that developing compliant systems is not beyond the capabilities of large multinationals.

I hope that companies begin to harness the technology at their disposal to greatly improve the process for students who simply do not have the time to waste!

Ross Finnegan
Novus Opus

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

References

Leslie, C. (2019). How much time should you spend on a job application?. [online] The Careers Blog. Available at: https://careersblog.warwick.ac.uk/2015/11/09/how-much-time-should-you-spend-on-a-job-application/https://careersblog.warwick.ac.uk/2015/11/09/how-much-time-should-you-spend-on-a-job-application/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2019].