Beryllium Limited is positioning itself to capitalise on opportunities in the human resource services market through a new company called IkonSpot Limited.

The company, which has largely dealt in security, logistics and cash management services, launched the new business on January 31, with a promise to “revolutionise” the way organisations approach talent acquisition. The business model is said to be the first of its kind in Jamaica and will compete against online HR services giant
CaribbeanJobs.com.

IkonSpot Limited is made up of two divisions — Ikonwork Hire, an applicant-tracking system for organisations that streamlines the hiring process by sifting through best-fit employees faster; and Ikonwork, which connects candidates with career opportunities through a hassle-free job search experience.

Both platforms work together to offer a “seamless experience” for both the hiring organisation and the job candidate, CEO of IkonSpot Limited, Veda Samai told the
Jamaica Observer.

The HR services concept was developed back in 2022 when Guardsman Group, the parent company of Beryllium, joined forces with international tech company Intellicene to introduce state-of-the-art security technology to Jamaica under the Guardsman Metaverse brand.

Guardsman’s decision to dabble in generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology back then later developed into a full-fledged focus on incorporating the technology into existing systems and to use the software to solve ongoing challenges within the group which now spans some 27 companies.

One of its biggest obstacles was managing training and recruitment services for its employee force, which now stands at over 8,000 people and growing.

“I thought to myself that the same HR needs that our companies were facing must be similar for other companies, right? How could we not only provide a solution to this problem but take it to the next level?” Guardsman Group Managing Director Vinay Walia said during the launch of the company at the AC Hotel Kingston on Tuesday.

Key features of the AI-powered Ikonwork Hire platform include a job seeker chatbox, over 1,000 skill and role-based assessments, forensic voice analysis: including risk assessments, candidate ranking based on skill sets and job description requirements, a smart interviewer console that schedules interviews and collects interviewer feedback directly on the platform.

Ikonwork Hire is also good for bulk hiring, data analysis and is a centralised candidate database.

“When I’m looking at someone’s profile, I can see their resume, cover letter and interviewer notes.

“The role-based assessment on the platform allows me to capture key things that we are missing in Jamaica, which is soft skills. Coming from the BPO industry, one of the challenges we’ve had is that soft skills, meaning empathy and leadership skills, we are missing those because there is no way to measure them,” Samai, who also presented at the launch, told the
Sunday Finance.

Psychometric testing and risk assessments that are built into the new platform will reduce those concerns and other challenges for many local employers, particularly in the finance, health care and business process outsourcing (BPO) industries, she said.

Meanwhile, Ikonwork, also an interactive AI-based tool, allows candidates to search through a diverse list of job offerings. Job hunters can advance job searches on the platform using location, industry, experience level, and skill set filters, and create customised profiles and professional personas. The platform is also designed for candidates to stay up to date on job applications through its mobile notification alert system.

“An end-to-end recruiting system is something that was well-needed in today’s market. Typically you would have to go to CaribbeanJobs, post the job, and then you’d have to buy another software to process the applications, which not only adds more costs, but it’s also a disconnected system.

“What we have brought to market is one seamless process from the candidate side and bridging that into the employer side,” Samai said.

So far, IkonSpot Limited has had interest from one of Jamaica’s largest hoteliers. The company is also scheduled to meet with players in the BPO, e-commerce and merchandising sectors. The company says job seekers can access the website for free, but it will charge a fee for organisations who will get the benefit of unlimited job postings and full access to the applicant tracking systems.

The value of the talent acquisition market is still being tallied, but the new business model is expected to crunch days of paperwork from mass job-seeking and recruiting fairs down to hours.

Outside of being time-consuming, the downsides to job fairs include the loud and crowded environments that can make it a challenge to communicate, ask questions or even fill out an application. Still, it is one of the popular methods used by employers who seek to hire more than 30 people.

“The platform is suited for companies of all sizes, whether it’s just the recruiting side or when we expand into payroll services through another company called Microbridge. The combined services of Microbridge and Ikonworks allow Beryllium to bring to market an end-to-end HR technology platform that provides solutions which take care of your HR needs from hire to retire,” Samai said.

IkonSpot is going after business in the health care, BPO, finance and tourism sectors in Jamaica before branching out into other areas of the market. Over time, the company will seek to take on business outside of Jamaica, particularly in the Caribbean region.