Link to the royalty-free image by Mohamed Hassan here
With the labor shortage in the US looming large, the problem is further complicated by the unprecedentedly high monthly quit rate and movements such as the Great Resignation and quiet quitting. It’s clear that now, more than ever, the importance of getting your recruitment right cannot be understated – all the more so if you are recruiting for a large corporation.
The good news is that there are technological advancements that offer tremendous benefits for the recruitment process. In this short article, we’ll be focusing on one such development: artificial intelligence.
AI-Powered Job Search Engines
Regardless of the sector of activity, artificial intelligence is one of the top 4 growing technologies in the business world. But when it comes to recruitment, how exactly is it implemented?
AI-powered search engines are capable of analyzing millions of resumes in real time. According to the algorithms and directives they are given, they can then filter for specified keywords, identify patterns, and compare seemingly qualified candidates with previously successful hires in ways that would be otherwise impossible for human recruiters.
With a continuous analysis of big data, job portals that use AI are able to gain insights into the labor market and are, thus, able to identify best practices – and even predict trends – as is demonstrated with the recruitment tips by Lensa.
Benefit 1 – AI Is Not Susceptible to Bias
Bias – whether conscious or unconscious – is inevitable for humans. It could be something as innocuous as a recruiter having a bad day and, in consequence, dismissing an otherwise excellent candidate or seeing a detail on a resume that triggers a memory and, thus, skews the opinion of the recruiter.
Unfortunately, some biases are not quite as innocuous. Unfair (even criminal) hiring practices that discriminate based on a candidate’s race, gender, sexual orientation, or other still exist. And not only are these hiring practices unfair to the job seeker, but they deprive the company of taking advantage of the diversity of the workforce and could potentially leave the employer open to litigation.
Implementing AI in the recruitment process will go a long way toward minimizing the risk of being influenced by conscious and unconscious biases.
Benefit 2 – AI Is a Tremendous Time-Saver
Link to the royalty-free image by Regos Komyei here
Carrying out an effective recruitment campaign requires a considerable investment in resources, notably time and personnel. When the recruitment is not done right, it needs to be done again, putting a further drain on your resources. Not only does AI improve the chances of large corporations finding the right candidate for their open positions, but it can also save recruiters a considerable amount of time by:
- Filtering out unqualified candidates
- Sending out automated responses
- Conducting assessment tests
- Scheduling interviews
- Responding to candidate queries
Benefit 3 – AI Can Improve Candidate Experience
In much the same way as you can use technology to boost customer engagement, you can also use AI to improve candidate experience. This is important – especially in an age of digital communication where employees and job seekers frequently share and rate their experiences. The impression a candidate has of the recruitment process often goes a long way toward informing them on how they feel about the company as a whole. When these impressions are shared (and they frequently are), a reputation is formed.
AI improves candidate experience in a number of ways:
- By eliminating or reducing repetitive tasks, the recruiter is then free to engage more with the candidates.
- By quickly eliminating candidates who wouldn’t stand a chance of landing the job, the candidate is spared taking additional and pointless steps, and thus the possibilities of contributing to a candidate’s frustration are minimized if not outright avoided.
- By gathering and analyzing feedback from candidates, AI can help recruiters refine their recruitment process.
Benefit 4 – AI Can Accurately Assess a Candidate’s Skills
Just because a candidate lists a particular skill on their resume, that doesn’t necessarily mean they possess it – or perhaps not to the extent that is needed. One of the biggest ways AI helps recruitment for large corporations is by administering assessment tests and thus more accurately filtering for candidates who possess the skills needed for a particular position.
Since many types of skills employers are looking for have to do with communication or the way an employee interacts with a client or co-worker, having the candidate take a multiple-choice test simply isn’t going to cut it. AI, on the other hand, is able to interact with human users, and progress in improving this capability is being made every day.
The Bottom Line
Getting the recruitment process right has always been important for large corporations. But in today’s volatile labor market, it’s more important than ever. Fortunately, a lot of progress has been made in AI. And this technology can help recruiters save time, eliminate biases, improve candidate experience, and conduct relevant assessment tests.
