What is crowdsourcing in recruitment and selection?

Discover how crowdsourcing revolutionizes recruitment and optimizes talent attraction with this innovative strategy.

This article will analyze in detail what crowdsourcing is and its  types. Subsequently, its links with Human Resources and how PITCS has carried out this methodology will be explained. The goal of this blog is for the reader to understand on a deeper level how crowdsourcing influences their daily lives, and how it works wonderfully during each hiring process. We also define how to use crowdsourcing in recruitment and selection.

What is crowdsourcing ?

Crowdsourcing is a practice in which certain processes or tasks are outsourced to increase productivity and streamline a company’s workload . The term crowdsourcing comes from two words in English: crowd (crowd) and outsourcing (externalization of resources). 

Jeff Howe, a technology journalist at Wired Magazine , pioneered the use of the term crowdsourcing , in his published article “The rise  of crowdsourcing ” in 2006. In it, he writes about the need to use the benefits of what he calls “common talent”, channeling a joint response of experts on a subject to resolve a specific situation.

When the internet emerged, millions of people were allowed to interact and collaborate through an app, a social network or any other means of coordination. Then, crowds could collaborate and provide solutions to thousands of people.

In general terms, crowdsourcing is a practice and not a technology, as it is part of a search methodology that companies apply. This consists of a multitude of people supplying a certain group of sectors in different branches. For example, Wikipedia and Uber, through crowdsourcing, have developed a network of workers who not only collect data and provide new information, they also create a network of jobs throughout the world. That is why PITCS uses this methodology to develop its recruitment and selection activities.

Types of crowdsourcing

• Crowd creation (collective creation): It aims to achieve creative proposals and innovations for products or services.
• Crowd funding (collective financing): Its purpose is to obtain funds for projects or causes.
• Crowd wisdom: It seeks to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of others to gather intelligent results.
• Crowd voting (collective voting): It is applied to surveys or idea contests, as macro evaluation queries.

Examples of crowdsourcing

Collaboration through an app:

• Cornershop: It is a company and mobile application, originally from Chile, that delivers groceries at home through an online platform to connect delivery drivers with customers in several cities in Latin America.
• Zomato: It is a home delivery company that uses an app to connect restaurant delivery drivers and many other suppliers with users who want a delivery service.
• Uber: Transportation company with a presence in India, Canada, and other countries, that connects a multitude of drivers with passengers. Drivers supply passengers with a transportation solution and take them where they need to go.

Collaboration on a website or social networks:

• Wikipedia: Online encyclopedia that allows anyone to write and edit articles on various topics. Its operation is based on the collaborative work of multitudes that provide knowledge to millions of readers who are enriched by their information. Thanks to crowdsourcing , Wikipedia is a very valuable source of knowledge, as it obtains the contribution of a wide variety of experts in different fields.
• Stack Overflow: Online platform, very famous among software programmers which is used to ask and answer questions about programming and software development. This is based on crowdsourcing , since it obtains the contribution of a multitude of people to provide answers to questions about programming. At the same time, this can also be a challenge, as it is important to ensure the quality and veracity of the answers provided by taxpayers.
• The rich data: Facebook group in which foodies (lovers of good food) give restaurant references and other people provide them with suggestions about the best places, depending on the price or type of food, in each area of the city.

Related: How internal recruitment helps a business?

Crowdsourcing in the recruitment process

During the recruitment and selection processes, companies seek to attract the best talent available; However, for a long time, geographical and physical barriers have been a significant obstacle that hinders these processes. Faced with this problem, digital recruitment companies like PITCS have identified the importance of incorporating the crowdsourcing methodology in the field of Human Resources, especially during the recruitment and selection process. Throughout the following paragraphs, we will explain the reasons why crowdsourcing has become a vital practice in the field of human resources.

Advantages of using crowdsourcing in the recruitment and selection process

• Wide Diversity of Candidates: Allows you to reach a wide and diverse range of candidates who can come from different origins, geographic regions and areas of experience. This increases the chances of finding highly qualified candidates who might not have been reached through traditional recruiting methods.
• Speed and Efficiency: The recruiting process can be streamlined by allowing multiple people to evaluate and qualify candidates simultaneously. This can significantly reduce the time needed to identify and select suitable candidates.
• Cost Reduction: By outsourcing parts of the recruiting process through crowdsourcing, organizations can reduce costs associated with advertising job openings, reviewing resumes, and conducting interviews.
• Innovation in Assessment: Crowdsourcing can bring new perspectives and approaches to candidate assessment, which can lead to a more accurate identification of the skills and competencies required for the position.
• Broad Geographic Reach: Allows you to reach candidates from different parts of the world, which can be especially beneficial for positions that require specific skills and are not necessarily limited to a particular geographic location.

Final Words: Crowdsourcing in recruitment and selection

Crowdsourcing allows resources to be optimized and promotes the generation of innovative ideas, since by calling for an open response, people feel more comfortable sharing their creative and innovative ideas. This fosters greater community and brand ownership for participants.

Likewise, it is highlighted that PITCS uses crowdsourcing as part of its innovative approach in attracting new talent. By leveraging a multitude of unlimited sources of talent within and outside the organization, PITCS seeks to conduct the recruitment process in a more assertive manner and attract candidates who might not have been found otherwise.