Karim Akhlal (39) knows what it’s like to encounter gut-feeling biases as a job applicant. “If someone’s car stereo was just stolen, as a Moroccan you’re immediately 3-0 down.”
If you’re not white, not male, and not highly educated, applying for jobs quickly becomes a very difficult game. And according to Akhlal, this is often due to the way recruitment is structured. With his recruitment platform Recrout, he wants to change that.
“A CV, cover letter, interviews—often it’s a lot of fuss. We turn it around and start with a personality profile, including an assessment,” explains Akhlal. “What are a candidate’s talents and competencies? Our algorithm then predicts who fits the role best. Today, recruitment is often a dumb, administrative system that posts vacancies and manages CVs. We add smart technology to that.”
A recruitment system that allows companies to hire the best people without bias. Don’t the big players do that too?
“Other organizations, including a large corporation of one of your Quote 500 members, actually tried to copy us. It failed miserably. If you lack a soul, it simply won’t work.”
What is the soul of Recrout?
“That comes from something I personally strongly dislike: the idea that someone decides whether you get a job based on a little CV and gut feeling. If your car radio gets stolen, as a Moroccan you’re immediately three goals down. I get it, but I believe more in technology. Let the human factor play a smaller role. Based on data, we can make objective decisions.”
