XpressJobs

With Jobs Search, Google wants to connect people with more opportunities. The company powers a smarter job search by pulling in data from across the internet, job matching sites and apps. XpressJobs is now part of this global project to make recruitment an easier, simplified effort through Google Search.

“We’re thrilled to be a startup that collaborates with Google and be among global companies such as LinkedIn and Monster!” said Chathum Henegama, Co-Founder and CEO of XpressJobs. “Being among the top 100 websites Sri lankans visit, we already get over 35% of our traffic from Google Search. It’s a pretty big deal for us because now we have a much larger audience made up of the billions of Google users who can see our listings.”

An accurate, refined search result

Candidates already use Google to search for jobs. Thanks to machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI), this search engine not only shows you relevant findings that match your keyword, but ranks them by distance to your location, learns about your job search preference, and provides additional filters. Cloud talent solutions integrated in Jobs Search automatically detect acronyms, understand industry jargon often used by employers in job listings and detect the desired seniority making sure that roles that are far too junior or senior are not incorrectly matched among other things. You don’t have to login to a particular job site to search for jobs because Google pulls in this data from its partner sites to deliver a refined search result, and a better overall user experience.

Market trends in Sri Lanka

Touching on Sri Lanka’s job market, Dr. Oshadie Korale, Chief Operating Officer of xpressJobs, said that the hardest part of recruitment is finding people to do a trade job. “We see a big shortage of skilled labour such as electricians and technicians but young people don’t want to do those, even though the pay is good. Everyone wants a desk job,” says Oshadie. An increasing trend in young people resorting to driving tuk tuks (three wheelers) poaches a valuable working force from other much needed jobs. Recruiters and employers are also frustrated to see graduates who are only paper qualified and do not have practical knowledge of the real world.

xpressJobs’s role in the Sri Lankan job market

As a tech-based recruitment company, xpressJobs researches on why there are gaps in the labour market and how to fill them. Some of their initiatives include a CV-less application system, filtering systems, SMS interview selection, video job advertisements. “Young people don’t read newspapers, so a traditional paper ad might not gain enough exposure. This is why we need other digital means of reaching out to them,” continues Oshadie.

Modern advancements such as AI and machine learning stand to greatly benefit job seekers in Sri Lanka while global partnerships such as this strengthen recruitment and address important needs in the global job market.