Foreword

People Analytics in the Era of Big Data does a great job of melding analytic processes and methods with the mass of data that is growing exponentially every day. Future success in talent management will be largely dependent on an organization’s ability to mine that database. The days of scanning job boards, college recruiting trips, open houses, and advertising are obsolete. Organizations’ main problem is twofold. One, there is no competitive advantage in applying these recruitment processes. Everyone can and does use them, and the results are similar rather than unique. Two, these methods are all behind the competitive curve. Nothing within them speaks to the special demands of the future because they do not uncover and express true future talent demands. At best, they are simply common tools.

The good news is, as the authors so clearly explain, that diving into the Big Data ocean with predictive analytics fishing gear virtually ensures that you will catch exactly what you’re fishing for. First, think about the talent pool. In truth, there is no shortage of qualified people for any one company. The talent ocean has not been overfished for the needs of your company. The problem is that there are many boats fishing. You need a world-class talent acquisition system. This is where predictive analytics comes to the rescue.

There is a shortage of twenty-first-century talent acquisition strategies. Recruitment doesn’t start in the employment section of the human resources ...

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