On ProSky: Introducing Automation to the Hiring Process
Have you ever applied for a job but got rejected without the company even reviewing your resume? Have you ever been passed over for an opportunity by a less qualified co-worker because he/she was better at sweet-talking your boss? Have you ever felt that who you know is actually more important than what you know — even for very technical positions? No fear! ProSky is here to help!
ProSky (2015)
The Facts
Founded in 2015 by Crystal Huang, Fabio Panettieri, and Matthew Ang, ProSky is a platform that gives companies a solution to true performance-based hiring and talent development. ProSky’s aim is to use software to reform the recruitment process in helping candidates find their best fit companies and to help those companies grow diverse and talented teams. Currently it has raised about $3 million in seed funding with plans to move quickly into series A.
The Technology
ProSky’s main product is a candidate evaluation platform. Employers seeking to hire can request that candidates partake in relevant projects and challenges on ProSky. Then, a performance evaluation record is sent back to employers for each candidate with assessment points in specialized categories (leadership, teamwork, programming…etc.) depending on the position. The company can then either directly hire the highest performing candidate or use the evaluation as an additional metric moving forward in the HR process. Additionally, ProSky can also be used by companies to evaluate their existing employees for promotion opportunities (likely as an additional metric to traditional annual performance reviews). Lastly, ProSky also offers job-seekers the opportunity to do projects, courses, and challenges related to their desired career direction. This not only will improve the potential candidates’ skills in those areas but also could catch the eye of talent-seeking employers.
My Perspective
Overall, I think that ProSky is moving in the right direction. Across most industries, job and career advancement opportunities are dominated by networking ability- this is especially true at the entry level. It might be common knowledge that companies typically separate applications into two piles; one for candidates with referrals and one for all others. If they find someone satisfactory in the referral pile, the other pile of resumes won’t be reviewed. Therefore, no matter how qualified or talented you might think you are, it doesn’t matter if no one even reads your application.
To this extent, ProSky aims to solve this referral “problem.” However, I don’t think that a ProSky evaluation will be able to completely replace the current hiring process. To be successful, ProSky has to 1) Demonstrate the effectiveness of its various projects and challenges in detecting talent and 2) Show that the talent translates to increased revenue for the partnering corporation. If both of these statements are true, I can see ProSky serving as an additional metric in the hiring process. In that case specifically, I think it will be an effective candidate screening tool that determines who the company brings in for an interview. Personally, I do not think that any software (at least not currently) is able to fully replace final round in-person interviews.
The Bottom Line
While presented as a disruptive technology, ProSky will not revolutionize current HR processes in the near future. It’s first step is to prove itself worthwhile to corporate partners that it’s algorithm can accurately detect talent and generate revenue for the organization. Until then, the burden of proof still lies in ProSky’s court.
