Future-Ready Recruitment Starts Here

Using traditional recruitment methods – where a job ad is posted and job seekers send in their CV to the relevant department that is inundated with applications that need to be sorted – only 20% of applicants are presented with the opportunity to engage with the organisation in question. In a country where 687 000 school leavers and 203 000 university graduates are entering the job market annually, there is no doubt that there is opportunity for local employers to attract and retain the right talent for their vacancies; the question is how to link the two most effectively and successfully?

Merchants is proud to power MyCalling – a unique digital recruitment platform that uses data science to connect the talent of today with the businesses of tomorrow. MyCalling offers businesses access to a growing database of local talent, provides simplified screening and interview scheduling processes and allows businesses to create a bespoke profile based on their needs. Essentially, it enables businesses to rapidly scale operations on-demand, increase recruitment efficiencies, decrease recruitment costs and manage future recruitment requirements.

For job seekers, MyCalling offers a free platform that allows them to register, create a digital CV, get matched with hundreds of potential vacancies and get invited to an interview directly with the hiring organisation. “MyCalling establishes what we call a ‘unique marketing identity’ for the job seeker when they register, which is then aligned to the specific needs of the organisations looking to hire. The platform allows businesses to assess their existing talent and current successes, and use these as a baseline to identify the kind of talent required for the roles in question,” explains Hilton Michels, MD of MyCalling.

“By applying this data, the platform is able to rank potential candidates based on the organisation’s unique operational markers without excluding any talent. This means that the business has access to the best possible talent for their specific vacancy, and the job seekers are being considered for more than just their skills or experience.”

South Africa currently has a youth unemployment rate of 59%, highlighting the need for solutions focused on employment of the youth, many of whom may be unskilled and inexperienced. Michels notes that in the last 24 months, 15% of MyCalling’s placed candidates had no previous work experience and 50% were unemployed students. “We are putting talent in direct contact with organisations who are looking at candidates holistically, taking into account values like personal integrity, rational thinking, respect and positivity, when looking to make placements. This is positive for those candidates without experience, as it presents them with initial opportunities to enter the job market.”

“We recognise that finding a job in South Africa is incredibly difficult for the youth, and further to this there can be costs involved in terms of access to technology, developing and distributing CV’s, and transport, for example. In most instances MyCalling will not cost jobseekers more than a MB of data to register and create their unique profile online,” he says.

The MyCalling process is challenging traditional recruitment processes and providing huge opportunity for local businesses in terms of sourcing candidates from untapped talent pools across industries and territories. Not only is this aimed at driving business success, but also empowers South African job seekers by bringing the hiring opportunities directly to them and giving them choice when it comes to employment opportunities.