How AI is Changing the Game for Recruiting
Even though it may seem like something out of a science fiction movie, AI or artificial intelligence is now here to stay. While often depicted as scary in contemporary films and TV, AI has proven to be extremely helpful to the recruiting and staffing industry due to an increasing demand for human capital paired with a diminishing supply of experienced and talented people within the labor pool.
Although it is still in its infancy, it has made inroads in many industries, but perhaps none more profoundly than in recruiting and staffing. AI for recruiting is the application of artificial intelligence to the talent acquisition process, and is designed to streamline or automate some part of the recruiting workflow, especially repetitive, high-volume tasks. According to a recent IDC report, in 2 years time 77% of HR organizations will be using AI for talent acquisition. While 56% currently use AI for this purpose. Let’s take an in depth look at all the ways AI is changing the game for recruiting.
AI FOR RECRUITING: SOURCING CANDIDATES
One of the most time-consuming and mind numbing parts of a recruiters job is manually going through loads of resumes looking for the appropriate candidates. Nearly half of recruiters say they spend close to 30 hours a week on sourcing alone. Instead of overtaxing recruiters, AI is making it possible to automatically narrow down the best people based on experience, skills, tenure and other qualities by applying this knowledge to automatically rank, grade, and shortlist the strongest candidates. Intelligent screening software that automates resume screening represents a huge opportunity for recruiters because it integrates with your existing ATS. This means it doesn’t disrupt your workflow or the candidate workflow and requires little IT support, not to mention it accelerates the hiring process.
BETTER ENGAGEMENT WITH CANDIDATES
Anyone that has ever gone through a number of interviews with a variety of companies can tell you that the process can sometimes feel dehumanizing. Ironically, it’s because many times humans, in this case recruiters and HR professionals, let emails, phone calls, and inquiries go unanswered due to the sheer amount of work they have on their plate. The result is that otherwise talented candidates that may be a good fit will slip through the cracks because they feel disillusioned with the hiring process of that organization. This is where AI can be especially effective because it can automatically respond and reach out to candidates with more info and even with full on conversations. Even though candidates know that there may not be a human behind this interaction, at least the organization is keeping them updated and answering any questions they have in a timely manner. Additionally, AI and automation can provide assessment testing and scoring without human intervention to create more efficiency in the hiring process by qualifying candidates quicker.
REMOVING BIAS FROM THE HIRING PROCESS
Unfortunately we all have biases. We tend to pre-judge people based on incomplete information and while most of these biases are not borne of malice, they are nonetheless harmful. Additionally, these biases often lead to bad hiring decisions that can negatively impact a company’s culture. Since AI isn’t warped by human biases, the outcomes it produces have less to do with race, gender, disability, or sexual orientation and more on skill and competency. This technology helps standardize the hiring process which ultimately results in more inclusive workplaces which have been shown to improve a company’s bottom line.
REDUCTION OF HIRING TIMES
In order to thrive, companies need to fill openings within their organization in a timely fashion. The reasons for this are keeping positions open can overburden existing staff, draining their morale and lowering productivity. Perhaps the most important benefit that AI offers is how much it reduces the hiring lifecycle. By automating the most repetitive and time-consuming parts of the hiring process, recruiters and HR professionals are able to find candidates, move them through the hiring pipeline, and onboard them quicker. The best part is that this technology can be integrated into existing recruiting processes without disruption.
DOING MORE WITH LESS
No matter what industry you’re in, executives are always looking for ways to cut costs while improving efficiency. Recruiting is no different in this regard, but luckily AI accomplishes the “do more with less” credo. This technology frees recruiters from menial tasks in a way never before seen, allowing them to forge more deep and meaningful relationships with candidates. This increased time spent with candidates allows HR staff and recruiters to go beyond just skills and achievements to see if a candidate would be a fit with company culture and to better assess their soft skills.
AI FOR RECRUITING: IN CONCLUSION
The bottom line is that AI has made recruitment faster, better and more fair. It’s by no means meant to replace humans in the hiring process, but rather to augment their skills and make them more potent by eliminating tasks that are menial and time consuming. Strangely, AI actually helps humanize the hiring process by improving workflows, improving engagement, and allowing everyone involved to feel more appreciated and allowing recruiters to spend more time getting to know the candidates they are looking to hire.
