The search for suitable applicants for vacant positions presents many companies with great challenges.

According to a study by XING and ICR, 36 percent of vacancies were already difficult to fill in 2015. With an average application process duration of 101 days, the search for applicants in the MINT sector took a particularly long time.

In many cases, traditional methods do not lead to success. Addressing applicants directly can provide an alternative. Suitable candidates can be easily identified on the skillster platform with the help of character profiles and application videos.

The difficulties of many companies in filling vacancies can inhibit growth or even threaten their very existence. Although jobs are still frequently posted and recruiters are still frequently used, these measures often do not have the desired effects. In many cases, the search for suitable talents in this more traditional way is time-consuming and costly. One alternative used by many companies is "active sourcing" or "direct sourcing". This refers to all measures taken by a company to address candidates and attract their attention. The trend in recent years has clearly been towards active recruiting. In the XING study, over 30 percent of the companies surveyed stated that direct sourcing was the most cost-effective way for them to find new talent.

However, employers face a number of challenges here, too. For example, 53 percent of companies say that direct contact with applicants is also very time-consuming. One reason is that so far there are inadequate technical solutions in the area of active candidate search. On business contact networks such as XING or LinkedIn, HR professionals can search for suitable candidates, but as long as Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG, is offered a position at BMW by the algorithm, the system seems to be of limited use. In addition, the search for applicants can often only be carried out with a lack of precision. Many applicants feel irritated and disturbed by the often unfocused calls from headhunters, which can be due to the fact that they are not looking for a new job. Often, however, they do not see themselves in the position or industry they are offered.

Clearly, there is a need for new options in active sourcing. New solutions should enable a more targeted search for and approach of applicants, save time compared to previous options and take place on a digital level to prevent geographical limitation, as is the case, for example, with job fairs. We at skillster are convinced that we can offer such a solution with our platform. The focus here is on the results of the personality test, which potential applicants complete directly on our website, and the application videos of the job candidates. Our algorithm allows each company to choose from the specified professional abilities and character traits of candidates and then access the videos, character profile and CV of candidates on the dashboard.

Nothing should thus stand in the way of an efficient and result-oriented search process. And those who have already seen their potential colleague in a video before the first meeting will be much more motivated to travel to do the job interview.