Data goes big

Even the most every-day activities in HR create a lot of data – and many (if not most) companies don’t know how to use it to their best advantage. It might sound odd, but I’ve always loved data. Use it right and it’ll prove points, backs-up arguments and rubber-stamps activity. Put simply, data handled well will show you whether you’re right or wrong. It shows you the best way.

With the rise of multimedia, social media, and the Internet the growth in data and what can be learned about people and people habits are growing. What does this mean for HR?

First, HR must must must collect and analyse their data. From web traffic and click-throughs to social mentions and social footprints, every fact and figure can tell you something – and comes in useful to get all your recruiting patterns mapped.

Opinions differ as to how deep this will go and how useful it will be – but whatever the reality, you must get the basics right.

A good friend, Alex Clyne from Jump Digital, has developed a fantastic product called Digital Edge which gathers all the bits together for you. It’s well worth a look at what they do – and it’s something that we can offer as part of our own services