Singtel’s technology-centric recruitment strategy

The first-ever HR Festival Asia, brought to you by the combined experience of HR Technology Conference & Exposition (US) and HR Summit (Asia), takes over the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on May 8 and 9. With a line-up of more than 100 speakers across six dedicated streams, and an Expo Hall with more than 100 exhibitors, there’s a little something for everyone at the event. Check out our HR Festival Asia tag for more coverage direct from the event.

Singapore telecommunications company Singtel is not one to shy away from innovation, having seen its fair share of digital transformation.

The Talent Acquisition team is no exception, Rachel Fitton (pictured), its Group Head of Talent Acquisition, told HR Festival Asia’s Recruit and Engage stream, powered by Indeed, today.

She shared how her team had been able to automate the recruitment function, starting with the digitisation of hiring technology in 2015.

Two years later, Singtel introduced artificial intelligence and machine learning into screening processes, before finally scaling them across the organisation for all job functions last year.

“It has been very interesting because it has allowed us to ask questions around how do we understand our incoming talent; how do we look at the future?” Fitton said.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has also helped to streamline recruitment operations – a welcome aid, says Fitton.

“We encourage our people to learn tools like UIPath, which allows employees to make their own RPA. It sounds complicated, but it’s not difficult. We truly celebrate the people who learn to use bots,” she says.

Now, the Talent Acquisition team is focused on its next phase – a five-year plan called TA 2023. Fitton reveals that there are four parts to this strategy: candidates, recruiters, stakeholders, technology.

Candidates, for one, are looking for a more personalised service than ever. Recruiters, on the other hand, are looking to increase their productivity, and add more value to their business by introducing predictive analytics into their roles.

Having such a strategic plan has allowed Fitton’s team to be “proactive” rather than “reactive”.

“We need to move away from just looking at talent pipelines, and understand what technology will look like for us,” she says.

Fitton had these parting words for attendees when it comes to HR technology:

“Always have a seat at the technology table. Having a seat is about how you can impact your job, how you can impact your company, and how you can impact the future.”