ROIKOI the hiring software company wants to make it easier for companies to recruit a diverse workforce. Because, as we all know, when it comes to getting hired, the playing field is not level. Vote here!

Meet the companies vying for the title of Recruiting Startup Of The Year (RSOTY) at Hiring Success 18, in San Francisco, March 12-14. Register here! Your vote determines which six are flying to California to pitch their ideas to 1000+ Talent Acquisition leaders and puts them in the running for the grand prize.

One of these six will be selected by a group of C-Suite experts and industry analysts for the ultimate prize of a Gold Sponsorship to Hiring Success 19, worth $10,000, which includes a branded booth and dedicated demo-room for potential customers to interact with their product.

We talk to CRO of ROIKOI, Houston Perry who joined the company in 2016 from a personal conviction that everyone can do better when it comes to diversity, about why their solution deserves your vote for RSOTY.

What’s your company’s elevator pitch?

ROIKOI is the most efficient and inclusive hiring software on the market. We surface candidates who are diverse and pre-screened for talent, fit, and likelihood to join a company. Our average customer only has to contact 25 passive candidates to find the right new hire, saving them around $10,000 per recruit, and most notably, increasing employee diversity within their organization.

What gave you the idea for your startup?

Our founders are from Austin, and we started asking the question ‘Why is it easier to find out which restaurant has the best tacos than it is to identify the best people to hire?’ We sought to fix that and create a more efficient and fair hiring system.

How do you envision your idea changing the talent acquisition landscape?

We want to make it easier for organizations to build a more inclusive pipeline of candidates. This leads to more diverse teams, which leads to improved company culture and economic outcomes. On average, our process delivers a pipeline of technical candidates that is 60% female and 70% non-white.

What does ‘hiring success’ mean to you?

To us, ‘hiring success’ means using your organization’s resources more effectively to identify and attract a diverse workforce.

What is your favorite interview question and why?

My favorite interview question is: “Do you have any questions for us?” It gives the candidate an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and passion for the company they want to join.

What’s the role of technology in hiring?

Technology allows companies to become more efficient in how they hire, saving time and money, as well as promote a diverse workforce by mitigating the bias that exists when humans run a hiring funnel.

BusinessInsider reports that Indeed is worth between 750 million and 1 billion dollars, and hints that the purchase price could exceed $1 billion. “It was a very attractive offer. It was a very exciting outcome for shareholders and employees and everyone involved in the business,” said Indeed CEO and Co-Founder Paul Forster. Courant reports that talks had begun as early as March and Morgan Stanley advised Indeed on the deal.

The exit is all the more impressive for Indeed because its founders Forester and Kahan raised only $5 million in venture capital (from Allen & Company, The New York Times, and Union Square Ventures). In fact, the New York Times declared in a regulatory filing, that they alone expect to net $100 million on the purchase.

Every month, Indeed attracts 80 million unique visitors and over 1 million new resumes. Indeed also has accumulated over 1 million employer reviews and 25,000 advertisers, according to Indeed’s blog. And now, I expect the Indeed brand to grow in the Asian Market, where 60% of the population resides.

Recruit has spent more than $700 million buying American staffing firms over the last two years, according to ERE. Many expect an IPO in 2013. The purchase of Indeed solidifies Recruit as a major player in the American Job Market. However, Businessweek reports that Recruit expects to “boost overseas sales to 50 percent of its total, compared with about 4 percent now.” It’s an ambitious plan; Indeed.

• 14.4 million people have used social media to find a job. That’s nearly the same amount of job seekers who are currently displaced and seeking work. I’d be curious to know the amount of recruiters who use social media as their primary source of candidates.

• 56% of HR Professionals are using social media to source candidates. This figure happens to be a 54% increase from 2008.  Social recruiting is a new phenomenon that has grown over the last 36 months by leaps and bounds.

• 24% of managers found candidate personality & fit from a social profile. Fit and personality are such subjective elements, but are critical to making the right cultural hire and decreasing employee turnover. The social profile can give the job seeker another outlet to showcase that he or she is a good cultural fit.

• 6 to 1. This is the number of job seekers to every job available in America.  No wonder job seekers are taking to social media recruiting and public campaigns to gain the attention of hiring managers and organizations. The market is flooded with candidates, some of which are not qualified and many of which are simply having to wait too long in between opportunities.

 Job Searching with Social Media

 Using Social Media for Recruiting

While the infographic offers an interesting take on social media’s place in an organization’s candidate search, companies must not rely solely on social media to fill positions especially when only 6 out of 10 Americans check their email and use a search engine each day. Not every American relies on email or even social media as a primary form of communication.   Recruiters are still missing out on a large segment of the job search candidate population. This social network and technology adoption is growing, especially considering experts predict that Facebook will surpass 1 billion users later this year.

Yes, social media plays a role and it will continue to do so.  While we must spent more time recruiting through social media, we also must not forget about late adopters to technology and social networks, who are also just as likely to be engaged and productive candidate bases from which to recruit from.

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a HR consultant, new media strategist, and author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. Jessica is the host of Job Search Secrets, an internet television show for job seekers.