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3 Ways to Dominate the Job Market During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Shefali Vasave | February 4, 2022 | 182 views

Introduction: How COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted All Areas of Professional Growth

It is an undeniable fact that the pandemic had a systemic effect on all areas of professional growth and the job market. In some fields, the pandemic has created career opportunities for many people. The need for medical professionals, engineers, and other skilled workers skyrocketed during this time. It was not uncommon to see people who were unemployed or underemployed having their skills used in these fields.

However, due to the restrictions on social movement, many businesses were forced to close their doors. This resulted in job losses and the stalling of career growth on a massive scale. According to an OECD Policy Responses to COVID-19 study, the volume of job postings with the criteria of work from home arrangements increased by 100% in Canada and 64% in Australia. However, in the United States, job openings dropped by 70% in July 2020. The study also observed a weak recovery, concluding that many employers were postponing their hiring processes in such a volatile environment.

That being said, there’s a growing number of new opportunities. For those who are still looking for a job or want to change careers, now may be the perfect time to take a look at what's out there. There are many career opportunities for people to capitalize on their skillset across industries. For instance, teachers who had to adapt to a new online mode of teaching are considering providing online coaching services. They are developing digital courses to leverage their newfound skills. This article will give you some tips on how to continue with your professional career development despite the pandemic’s impact.


Researching and Identifying New Career Opportunities

A study by the McKinsey Global Institute predicted that 14% of the global workforce, or over 375 million workers, will need to acquire new skills or change occupations by 2030, owing to automation and the development of artificial intelligence. The pandemic has only exacerbated this situation further. To understand how to overcome it, it is essential to take the most explicit disruption of work life into consideration, i.e., remote work.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to adopt remote work, there are signs that this working set-up is here to stay. Many organizations are now building their hiring, employee, and HRM policies around it. Even before the crisis, several sectors witnessed a growing location-agnostic workforce. This required developing training and development programs to accommodate the challenges of working remotely. These industries are now in the middle of transitioning to a permanent remote working arrangement.

Identifying new career growth opportunities means understanding what companies are really looking for. You must develop a career plan that showcases your adaptability and remote-ready attitude. As job responsibilities become varied, soft skills like communication, social adaptability, cognitive abilities, and the like will take precedence over skills that are trainable on the job.


Top Skills to Cultivate With Consistent Training and Development

Learning from home, like working from home, is another consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the many restrictions that were enforced to contain it. With e-learning platforms providing numerous opportunities, the increased focus on training and development is self-evident. Learning a new skill, developing your current skillset, and acquiring some indispensable capabilities will help you stand out in the current job market. So, what skills should you start cultivating?

Communication skills

Communication skills are crucial in any job and will be even more so in the post-pandemic era where work is done remotely. Physical workplaces have always been a hotbed for some of the best collaboration and communication. Improving your communication skills will put you at the front and center of career opportunities. Actively reaching out to people and making it a habit to respond quickly are just some ways to make workplace communication effective.Learn how to enhance your people skills here.


Critical thinking skills

Quick and analytical thinking is essential for senior leaders. With the pandemic, organizations are increasingly looking for employees who can bring this skill to the table. With the business landscape changing rapidly, sometimes overnight, critical thinking will be in high demand. According to an Indeed career coach, you can improve critical thinking by working on six aspects: improving self-awareness, understanding your thinking process, learning to think long-term, listening more actively, asking lots of questions and evaluating evidence. The next time you are challenged at work, remember to adopt these aspects in your problem-solving process.


Leadership skills

Leadership has no single definition. While some people believe that leadership is the act of influencing others into action, others may associate it with confidence, charisma, high levels of emotional intelligence, competence, and the ability to assess situations and make decisions quickly. Whatever your definition of leadership, it is a necessary component of a successful future. Whether you want to lead a team or manage a group during a project, these skills will come in handy.

“With organizations able to hire from pretty much anywhere in the world – if they want to – the talent pool for many small (and large) companies has opened up massively, which is great news, especially when you consider how desperate the industry is for more skilled tech professionals.”

- Nabila Salem, President of Revolent Group


In addition to these soft skills, leveraging your social network is going to be an essential factor in helping you boost your career growth.

The Importance of Your Network and LinkedIn

Networking is vital to career success. It is how we meet new people and learn about opportunities that are not accessible every day. It can be done both in person and online. A HubSpot study reveals that almost 85% of job postings are filled or applied for via networking and personal contacts.

One great thing about networking is that it can be done both in person and online.

“When we create a positive experience that fosters connection and builds trust, we increase the probability of a future business transaction.”

- Carrie Missele, Director at Inspirant Group


While some people prefer to network in person, you can now use social media or networking sites like LinkedIn to build your professional circle. Regardless of how you choose to network, it is important to maintain a positive attitude and a willingness to help and receive help from others.

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network, with over 500 million members in over 200 countries and territories. With more than 20 billion connections, it's easy to see why it has become the go-to place for job seekers and employers alike. According to CNBC, almost 70% of jobs never get published, making it imperative to build personal connections to be able to access some of the best career opportunities in your field.


Conclusion: Getting Ready for Rapid Career Growth in 2022

It is never too soon or too late to think about your career and professional development. Whether you’re at the beginning of your career or a seasoned professional looking to switch, it's important to plan. With the COVID-19 pandemic throwing a mixed bag of challenges at professionals worldwide, your career growth will depend on how well you’re able to identify long-term opportunities that move in parallel with the changing dynamic of the business landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions


Should I hire a career coach to train me?

You may want to consider hiring a coach if you have been working in your field for a few years and are not seeing any career and professional development.


What are some strategies for success in my career?

One of the most effective strategies to use is to find a mentor in your field of work. They will not only guide you but will also assist you in making connections and identifying opportunities that you would have missed otherwise.


How do I find a mentor?

A mentor can be found in many places, which can include your co-workers, managers within your industry or through coaching services. Mentoring relationships can be formal or informal, and it is often best to start with a person you know.

Spotlight

FLOW Executive Finders

FLOW is an executive search consultancy aimed at leadership positions, that uses its knowledge of organizational culture and of people to generate engagement in the companies by matching the candidate’s and the position’s challenges. FLOW believes that the executives that build companies want to be motivated by personal and professional transformation.

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The current economic climate and ongoing labor challenges have created a tough environment for employers of all sizes. In order to weather the storm, many employers are looking for ways to reduce their expenses and save money. However, in their efforts to do so, many organizations make the mistake of cutting costs without a clear plan, which can result in lost productivity, reduced morale, unhealthy company culture, and negative long-term effects on the company’s growth and people. Successful organizations, on the other hand, take a more strategic approach to contain costs. They understand that simply slashing expenses, or their workforce can be counterproductive in the long run. Instead, they focus on optimizing their resources by identifying areas where they can reduce expenses without compromising productivity or future growth. Ultimately, the key to successfully managing your costs is to strike a balance between reducing expenses and maintaining productivity and growth. 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Strengthening workplace efficiency can also reduce employee frustration and improve overall satisfaction. Bolster workplace culture through public recognition and reward programs: Improve retention by creating a positive workplace culture that recognizes and rewards employee contributions. This can include public recognition programs, such as employee of the month awards, as well as reward programs that incentivize high performance. Be transparent when communicating with employees to help them understand important decisions and establish opportunities for two-way feedback. Invest in New Technology Adopting new technology is becoming increasingly important to stay competitive and thrive in today’s digital age. Technology can help save time and money by streamlining operations and allowing your business to operate more efficiently. 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While these expenses are often unavoidable, some businesses are transitioning to remote and hybrid work arrangements to contain costs. These solutions may not be suitable for all industries or job positions, and if going hybrid or remote isn’t possible, consider downsizing facilities to reduce rent and utility bills. Your business can also explore other alternatives, such as co-working arrangements and renegotiating leases to term, to try and better manage costs. Here are some additional ways adopting flexible work arrangements can help reduce or contain costs for your business: Transitioning to remote work arrangements: This can help cut down on rent, utilities, cleaning costs, and other expenses associated with a physical workspace. While this may not be suitable for all industries or job positions, many businesses can consider offering flexible scheduling and improved benefits to lower overhead expenses. Downsizing facilities: If converting to a home-based business or going remote isn’t possible, consider downsizing. Additionally you can consider subletting excess space or renting out unused areas to generate additional income. Exploring alternative workspaces: Explore alternative workspace options, such as co-working arrangements, to reduce the cost of renting an entire workspace. This can help reduce rent and utilities, as well as provide networking opportunities and access to shared amenities. Overall, you should carefully evaluate your workspace needs and consider all options available to reduce overhead expenses. By doing so, your business can allocate more resources to growth initiatives, maintain positive company culture and drive long-term success. Reviewing Expenses Maintaining healthy cash flow is essential for your business to operate and survive, especially during difficult times. Reviewing expenses regularly can you help identify areas where you can adjust costs and optimize your spending and overall financial resources. Here are some ways in which reviewing expenses and building relationships with providers, suppliers, and vendors can help your business contain costs: Reviewing contacts with providers, suppliers, and vendors: Try reviewing your contract with their providers, suppliers, and vendors to see if there is any way to adjust your license, or services provided to try and reduce overall expenses. Identifying and eliminating unnecessary costs: By reviewing expenses regularly, you can identify and eliminate unnecessary costs. For example, eliminate subscriptions or services that are no longer used or needed. Building strategic partnerships: Building relationships with providers, suppliers, and vendors can help cultivate allies and strategic partners. These partnerships can potentially reduce your costs by sharing resources and collaborating on cost-saving solutions. For example, you can partner with a supplier to get better prices for materials or with a vendor to share marketing costs. By implementing these strategies, you can reduce expenses and optimize your financial resources, which can help you weather challenging times and achieve long-term success.

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You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This holds particularly true when it comes to employee onboarding. It's a new hire's introduction to the organization and the experience has a significant impact on employee retention. Unfortunately, that's why it's rare to see many employees with years of tenure. Research by Future Workplace found that 91% of Millennials expect to stay in a job for less than 3 years. Companies lose 25% of all new employees within the first year, according to SHRM, but almost 70% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for 3 years if they experienced great onboarding.

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Fountain Announces Conversational AI to Optimize Hiring Process

Fountain | March 16, 2023

On March 15, 2023, Fountain, a leading applicant tracking system (ATS) for high-volume hiring, announced the addition of Fountain AI to its suite of hiring solutions in an effort to provide its customers with more robust and efficient hourly hiring processes. Fountain AI, a conversational artificial intelligence solution, accelerates the hiring funnel and assists hiring managers in expediting candidates' start dates. The solution also automates processes that would otherwise be manually completed by hiring managers and enables recruiters to screen and qualify candidates efficiently. When recruiters don't have time to connect with talent and manage pipelines, it results in application drop-offs, disengaged candidates, and interview no-shows. With mobile-first applications, automated data collection and sorting, and simple interview scheduling, Fountain AI helps enterprise organizations streamline recruiter operations and simplify the hiring funnel for candidates. It facilitates application conversations to eliminate repetitive questions and improves hiring efficiency when combined with the Fountain Labor ATS. Fountain AI guides job candidates through applications with 24/7 real-time responses, simplifying the hiring process for recruiters and applicants. Using automated data collection and WhatsApp/SMS, applicants can benefit from AI-powered conversations with recruiting teams, scheduling interviews and answering simple application questions without leaving the chat. CEO of Fountain, Sean Behr, shared, "Enterprise organizations are in tight competition for hourly talent and if you don't hire fast, you don't have staffed operations, which leads to a poor customer experience and negative business outcomes." He added, "The addition of Fountain AI to our core offering creates an enhanced, user-friendly applicant experience for recruiters to move candidates through the funnel in minutes." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Fountain Fountain is a leading provider of Labor ATS solutions for high-volume hourly hiring. The company's all-in-one platform streamlines the applicant experience and saves hiring and operations teams time and resources. With an automated workflow tailored to each organization's needs, Fountain helps qualified candidates find the proper role and guides them to start in days, not weeks. Hundreds of customers across 75+ countries rely on Fountain to hire over 3 million workers annually.

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TALENT MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Paradox Launches Industry-First Conversational ATS to Revolutionize High-Volume Hiring with Chat- and Text-Driven Automation

PRnewswire | March 23, 2023

Paradox, the conversational hiring software helping global employers like Unilever, Nestle, L'Oreal, CVS Health, and General Motors transform hiring with automation that gets recruiting work done faster, today announced the launch of its Conversational ATS. Designed from the ground-up to completely reimagine the high-volume hiring process, the product obsessively focuses on delivering the best frontline candidate and hiring manager experience in the world. Underpinned by a conversational UI that makes engagement feel simple and seamless, Paradox's ATS automates things like screening for requirements, interview scheduling, reminders, offers, new hire onboarding, and more. The product is already helping global clients dramatically reduce time-to-hire to hours or days, instead of weeks — and deliver frictionless experiences that candidates love. "We didn't want to build just another ATS — so, we didn't," said Paradox founder and CEO Aaron Matos. "Our mission has always been to help our clients get work done faster, so they can spend more time with people, not software. We believe at our core that conversational experiences will become the new enterprise user interface, and this is a step in the right direction in the journey to change that paradigm." For companies that partner with large enterprise ERP and HCM platforms like Workday or SAP, Paradox is also launching high-volume solutions built to work alongside those systems — allowing clients to see all the benefits of conversational automation and high-volume hiring, without needing to switch their ATS to see those benefits. "We've had the pleasure of working alongside some of Paradox's clients in our research to understand how conversational software is transforming talent acquisition — and the impact we've seen it have on those organizations is truly remarkable," said Janet Mertens, Senior Vice President of Research at The Josh Bersin Company. "Finding and retaining talent today is a huge challenge for most companies, and using the old tricks isn't the answer anymore. Paradox is thinking differently about how to solve for the future and helping organizations leverage creative new solutions to address the talent shortage." Reimagining the ATS with Conversational Experiences While new versions of the ATS have emerged in the last decade, they haven't been purpose-built for high-volume hourly hiring and deskless workers who primarily rely on a smartphone or mobile device to get things done. "Our big insight was that you could fundamentally transform the hiring process — and cut days of wasted time — by automating most of the boring stuff no one has time to do anyway," said Paradox President and Chief Product Officer Adam Godson. "Our goal was to make automation feel like we were putting a recruiter in every location, for every hiring manager. That's the real magic — an experience driven by a conversational assistant, who works 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world to get hiring work done, instantly." With conversational experiences at the core of everything: Hiring managers can quickly open and post jobs with a few taps in a mobile app Candidates can apply to jobs in minutes, all via text or chat Screening for minimum job requirements can be completely automated Interviews can be scheduled (or rescheduled) instantly with qualified candidates Automated reminders can be sent to drive significantly higher show rates Reminders can automatically be sent when a candidate needs to complete other steps in the process — like a background check or assessment, or paperwork and onboarding tasks ahead of their first day For organizations already leveraging a large enterprise ATS — like SAP SuccessFactors or Workday — Paradox clients can keep that ATS and add Paradox on top. This allows clients using these systems to modernize and streamline the process for high-volume roles without undergoing a massive lift and shift. The result is a full transformation of the high-volume hiring process but fully integrated into the existing system of record. "Our job is to help our clients solve their biggest challenges — in whatever shape that takes," said Matos. "Often, that means layering Paradox on top of the existing HCM or ATS. We're fortunate to have great partnerships and relationships with many of the large ERP and HCM players in this space, and that allows us to deliver solutions that solve our clients' sharpest pain, often with very clear, immediate ROI." Driving Tangible Results for High-Volume Employers Of course, building the technology is one thing. Deploying it at scale to drive real business results is another challenge. But that's where Paradox has made its biggest impact. And not just with the bottom-line, but with the actual people using the product every day. "It's just the convenience of it — you don't have to go to a computer or even be at work to see that an interview's been scheduled or a candidate's accepted an offer," said Johnny Courtemash, Training Director for Starcorp, which owns and operates 150 Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants. "The time that it's saving our company is amazing." Several other large enterprise clients have seen similar results. Since implementing Paradox's, clients across a wide range of industries have seen dramatic improvement in candidate conversion, time-to-hire, operational efficiency, and candidate satisfaction, including: Reducing the time from application to interview scheduled from days to minutes Increasing application flow, with a 99% candidate satisfaction rate Cutting time-to-hire by more than half to fill open roles faster Madeline Laurano, founder of Aptitude Research, a research-based analyst and advisory firm focused on how changes in technology are transforming today's organizations, said Paradox's launch signals a new wave in the industry. "There's so much focus on ChatGPT and what it might do for recruiting and HR, but Paradox is already there — and it's been leading that charge for years," Laurano said. "There's so much about this industry that requires deep domain knowledge and the Paradox team has it. They're full of people with real passion for recruiting and HR, they exist to serve their clients, and they have innovation in their DNA. This is a big step forward for our industry — and I couldn't be more excited to see how they shape it." About Paradox Launched in 2016, Paradox is the conversational recruiting platform behind the world's first Conversational ATS. Serving clients like Unilever, CVS Health, Amazon, L'Oreal, Nestle, and General Motors, Paradox is helping recruiters and hiring managers save hours every day on manual tasks like candidate screening, interview scheduling, and reminders, while delivering the world's best, most frictionless candidate experience. Paradox has won numerous awards, including Human Resource Executive's Best HR Product of 2019, 2021, and 2022, and consecutive honors in 2020, 2021, and 2022 as one of Forbes Top Startup Employers. To learn more about Paradox's product, visit www.paradox.ai. To explore open opportunities on its team, visit careers.paradox.ai.

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TALENT ACQUISITION, RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Climb Credit Launches Beta Version of ClimbTalent to Simplify Hiring of Job-Ready Talent

Climb Credit | March 10, 2023

FinTech firm, Climb Credit, introduced yesterday the ClimbTalent platform to increase access to career training. The platform links job-ready talent with diverse educational and career backgrounds. Employers, staffing agencies, and recruiters seeking new hires can connect with upskiller and career-switcher community members. With the ClimbTalent platform, Climb Credit is utilizing its extensive experience and data acquired from over 8 years in the career training industry to facilitate the swift and assured hiring of candidates with non-traditional technical backgrounds by employers. Climb is teaming up with firms seeking to fill vacancies in fields such as software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, and other technical roles and linking them to their pre-screened pool of over 100,000 proficient members from more than 200 school alumni communities. Employers increasingly recognize the value of non-degree career-focused credentials and look at skills rather than degrees when hiring. Focus on skillsets provide access to a diverse pool of skilled candidates, with 60% of the US workforce lacking a college degree. However, career-switcher alumni from such programs still face obstacles in finding jobs, including evaluation of education providers and skills mapping. These challenges often result in employers relying on traditional degree requirements, which filter out qualified skill-trained candidates. The platform aims to assist businesses in overcoming obstacles to recruitment and concentrate on the necessary job-related abilities. It provides job-ready resources to proficient candidates, such as resume guidance, mentoring, and technical interview support. These tools help graduates communicate their skill sets more effectively and demonstrate how they can translate into different job roles. Casey Powers, CEO of Climb Credit, said, "Over the years, we've been able to witness the positive impact that skill-based education can have on people." She further added, "After years of pursuing our mission to increase access to career-advancing education, we're ready for the next step, to help their graduates enter careers and fill workforce gaps with strong, capable employees." (Source – CISION PR Newswire) About Climb Credit Climb Credit is a student lending platform that offers greater accessibility, affordability, and accountability for career advancement and transformation. Its objective is to empower individuals to reach their career goals, regardless of their credit history. Climb Credit accomplishes this by selecting schools and programs with a proven track record of increasing graduates' earning potential. It then offers financing alternatives designed to match the unique requirements of those pursuing professional growth and higher salaries. Climb Credit collaborates with schools that teach a broad range of subjects, including cybersecurity, pilot training, data science, heavy machine operation, culinary arts, and coding.

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TALENT ACQUISITION, RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Fountain Announces Conversational AI to Optimize Hiring Process

Fountain | March 16, 2023

On March 15, 2023, Fountain, a leading applicant tracking system (ATS) for high-volume hiring, announced the addition of Fountain AI to its suite of hiring solutions in an effort to provide its customers with more robust and efficient hourly hiring processes. Fountain AI, a conversational artificial intelligence solution, accelerates the hiring funnel and assists hiring managers in expediting candidates' start dates. The solution also automates processes that would otherwise be manually completed by hiring managers and enables recruiters to screen and qualify candidates efficiently. When recruiters don't have time to connect with talent and manage pipelines, it results in application drop-offs, disengaged candidates, and interview no-shows. With mobile-first applications, automated data collection and sorting, and simple interview scheduling, Fountain AI helps enterprise organizations streamline recruiter operations and simplify the hiring funnel for candidates. It facilitates application conversations to eliminate repetitive questions and improves hiring efficiency when combined with the Fountain Labor ATS. Fountain AI guides job candidates through applications with 24/7 real-time responses, simplifying the hiring process for recruiters and applicants. Using automated data collection and WhatsApp/SMS, applicants can benefit from AI-powered conversations with recruiting teams, scheduling interviews and answering simple application questions without leaving the chat. CEO of Fountain, Sean Behr, shared, "Enterprise organizations are in tight competition for hourly talent and if you don't hire fast, you don't have staffed operations, which leads to a poor customer experience and negative business outcomes." He added, "The addition of Fountain AI to our core offering creates an enhanced, user-friendly applicant experience for recruiters to move candidates through the funnel in minutes." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Fountain Fountain is a leading provider of Labor ATS solutions for high-volume hourly hiring. The company's all-in-one platform streamlines the applicant experience and saves hiring and operations teams time and resources. With an automated workflow tailored to each organization's needs, Fountain helps qualified candidates find the proper role and guides them to start in days, not weeks. Hundreds of customers across 75+ countries rely on Fountain to hire over 3 million workers annually.

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TALENT MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Paradox Launches Industry-First Conversational ATS to Revolutionize High-Volume Hiring with Chat- and Text-Driven Automation

PRnewswire | March 23, 2023

Paradox, the conversational hiring software helping global employers like Unilever, Nestle, L'Oreal, CVS Health, and General Motors transform hiring with automation that gets recruiting work done faster, today announced the launch of its Conversational ATS. Designed from the ground-up to completely reimagine the high-volume hiring process, the product obsessively focuses on delivering the best frontline candidate and hiring manager experience in the world. Underpinned by a conversational UI that makes engagement feel simple and seamless, Paradox's ATS automates things like screening for requirements, interview scheduling, reminders, offers, new hire onboarding, and more. The product is already helping global clients dramatically reduce time-to-hire to hours or days, instead of weeks — and deliver frictionless experiences that candidates love. "We didn't want to build just another ATS — so, we didn't," said Paradox founder and CEO Aaron Matos. "Our mission has always been to help our clients get work done faster, so they can spend more time with people, not software. We believe at our core that conversational experiences will become the new enterprise user interface, and this is a step in the right direction in the journey to change that paradigm." For companies that partner with large enterprise ERP and HCM platforms like Workday or SAP, Paradox is also launching high-volume solutions built to work alongside those systems — allowing clients to see all the benefits of conversational automation and high-volume hiring, without needing to switch their ATS to see those benefits. "We've had the pleasure of working alongside some of Paradox's clients in our research to understand how conversational software is transforming talent acquisition — and the impact we've seen it have on those organizations is truly remarkable," said Janet Mertens, Senior Vice President of Research at The Josh Bersin Company. "Finding and retaining talent today is a huge challenge for most companies, and using the old tricks isn't the answer anymore. Paradox is thinking differently about how to solve for the future and helping organizations leverage creative new solutions to address the talent shortage." Reimagining the ATS with Conversational Experiences While new versions of the ATS have emerged in the last decade, they haven't been purpose-built for high-volume hourly hiring and deskless workers who primarily rely on a smartphone or mobile device to get things done. "Our big insight was that you could fundamentally transform the hiring process — and cut days of wasted time — by automating most of the boring stuff no one has time to do anyway," said Paradox President and Chief Product Officer Adam Godson. "Our goal was to make automation feel like we were putting a recruiter in every location, for every hiring manager. That's the real magic — an experience driven by a conversational assistant, who works 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world to get hiring work done, instantly." With conversational experiences at the core of everything: Hiring managers can quickly open and post jobs with a few taps in a mobile app Candidates can apply to jobs in minutes, all via text or chat Screening for minimum job requirements can be completely automated Interviews can be scheduled (or rescheduled) instantly with qualified candidates Automated reminders can be sent to drive significantly higher show rates Reminders can automatically be sent when a candidate needs to complete other steps in the process — like a background check or assessment, or paperwork and onboarding tasks ahead of their first day For organizations already leveraging a large enterprise ATS — like SAP SuccessFactors or Workday — Paradox clients can keep that ATS and add Paradox on top. This allows clients using these systems to modernize and streamline the process for high-volume roles without undergoing a massive lift and shift. The result is a full transformation of the high-volume hiring process but fully integrated into the existing system of record. "Our job is to help our clients solve their biggest challenges — in whatever shape that takes," said Matos. "Often, that means layering Paradox on top of the existing HCM or ATS. We're fortunate to have great partnerships and relationships with many of the large ERP and HCM players in this space, and that allows us to deliver solutions that solve our clients' sharpest pain, often with very clear, immediate ROI." Driving Tangible Results for High-Volume Employers Of course, building the technology is one thing. Deploying it at scale to drive real business results is another challenge. But that's where Paradox has made its biggest impact. And not just with the bottom-line, but with the actual people using the product every day. "It's just the convenience of it — you don't have to go to a computer or even be at work to see that an interview's been scheduled or a candidate's accepted an offer," said Johnny Courtemash, Training Director for Starcorp, which owns and operates 150 Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants. "The time that it's saving our company is amazing." Several other large enterprise clients have seen similar results. Since implementing Paradox's, clients across a wide range of industries have seen dramatic improvement in candidate conversion, time-to-hire, operational efficiency, and candidate satisfaction, including: Reducing the time from application to interview scheduled from days to minutes Increasing application flow, with a 99% candidate satisfaction rate Cutting time-to-hire by more than half to fill open roles faster Madeline Laurano, founder of Aptitude Research, a research-based analyst and advisory firm focused on how changes in technology are transforming today's organizations, said Paradox's launch signals a new wave in the industry. "There's so much focus on ChatGPT and what it might do for recruiting and HR, but Paradox is already there — and it's been leading that charge for years," Laurano said. "There's so much about this industry that requires deep domain knowledge and the Paradox team has it. They're full of people with real passion for recruiting and HR, they exist to serve their clients, and they have innovation in their DNA. This is a big step forward for our industry — and I couldn't be more excited to see how they shape it." About Paradox Launched in 2016, Paradox is the conversational recruiting platform behind the world's first Conversational ATS. Serving clients like Unilever, CVS Health, Amazon, L'Oreal, Nestle, and General Motors, Paradox is helping recruiters and hiring managers save hours every day on manual tasks like candidate screening, interview scheduling, and reminders, while delivering the world's best, most frictionless candidate experience. Paradox has won numerous awards, including Human Resource Executive's Best HR Product of 2019, 2021, and 2022, and consecutive honors in 2020, 2021, and 2022 as one of Forbes Top Startup Employers. To learn more about Paradox's product, visit www.paradox.ai. To explore open opportunities on its team, visit careers.paradox.ai.

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