GrabJobs disrupts old school recruitment process in SEA

Finding a job has never been this easy for both job seekers and employers. Singapore-based GrabJobs is making a fuss in the recruitment scene with their interview chatbot technology.

“The recruitment industry is a bit old school. It is not really relying on new technology and there are still very old processes. It is an inefficient industry,” GrabJobs CEO and founder Emmanuel Crouy said in an exclusive interview with TD.

Crouy considers himself as a “people-person” and made a career in big recruitment firms after working as a developer and having a background in computer science. However, thanks to these experiences, Crouy is able to make GrabJobs.

Its website features jobs from Singapore, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, and South Africa.

How it works

GrabJobs posts job openings on the web and app platforms and job seekers can apply to the positions. Users can filter the job posts based on location, industry, and form of employment. Applicants can also enter keywords to further narrow the job search. At this point, GrabJobs works as a normal job ad board.

What discerns GrabJobs from the rest is the fact that application and initial interview take place within the app. I personally tried the app and saw that job seekers can apply using solely their profile in GrabJobs. The initial interview is facilitated by the chatbot using questions from the employers. These questions must not be taken lightly for job seekers will be ranked based on their answers.

For employers, GrabJobs takes away the tedious tasks of filtering through hundreds of applications. It also takes initial assessment off the hands of employers for, in most cases, they ask the same question to applicants and get an overview of their skills and experiences. This process usually takes days to go through all the applications. This is now done by the interview chatbot.

With GrabJobs, employers will meet ideal candidates for the job and ready for second interview saving them time and money.

AI and machine learning

GrabJobs recently raised USD 930,000 in seed funding and Crouy confirmed to me that they have plans to integrate machine learning and natural language processing technologies into its signature chatbot.

The plan is to partner with Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to create the new recruitment technologies that will refine the GrabJobs platform, the startup said in a statement. Specifically, GrabJobs will work with Erik Cambria, associate professor in Artificial Intelligence at NTU, to create the technologies.

One of the common problems in Southeast Asian countries, with the exception of Singapore, is the stability of internet connection. Right now, GrabJobs is also installing kiosks – basically tablets on a stand – in schools, malls, and government offices to reach out to job seekers that may not have access to the app or internet.

To further GrabJobs growth, the company recently appointed Franck Courmont, formerly general counsel APAC at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, as a board member.