AI in recruitment

In just a few short years, artificial intelligence has already disrupted the way just about everything is done. And yet, amazingly, we are somehow only at the beginning of this incredible transformation. Needless to say, the future of AI is a bright and dynamic one full of possibilities.
But it’s already penetrated just about every industry imaginable, automating a wide variety of processes and accomplishing them more efficiently than a human being ever could. For an outsider, recruitment might not seem like an obvious place for AI to flourish, but it has, and it is.

What is AI capable of?

While AI is still no match for the human brain when it comes to tasks that require critical thinking or complex decision making, it is particularly good at more mundane tasks like sifting through masses of data – a characteristic that makes it great for recruiters who might otherwise have to go through thousands of resumes on their own, filtering for specific criteria. AI can accomplish the same task in minutes rather than days or weeks and without the possibility of human error.
In fact, AI is great at reducing the influence of many human flaws – flaws we often aren’t even aware of like subconscious biases. AI tools that help identify the best candidates for a position won’t care if they are male or female, black or white or anything else.

How recruiters use AI

Besides analyzing resumes in minutes, recruiters use AI for a wide variety of tasks and are constantly experimenting with new and creative possibilities, like:

• Sourcing: Though humans have many sourcing capabilities that AI does not, AI can scan public online profiles to identify potential candidates – even those who aren’t actively looking for work, but might be open to the right opportunity.
• Interacting with candidates: Rather than spending hours in conversations with each candidate, simple AI solutions can guide candidates through the application process, help schedule in-person interviews and more.
• Candidate analysis: Though not yet mainstream, AI can also help recruiters analyze candidates with tools like facial expression analysis software. Humans are generally pretty good at picking up subtle expressions, but AI can draw on vast amounts of data and eliminate emotions and biases in judgment to help you understand which candidate is really the best fit for your company.

The benefits of AI in recruitment

Used correctly, AI is an immeasurably powerful tool in the hands of recruiters. It goes without saying that these kinds of initiatives save valuable resources like time and money. As in every other industry, AI can be used to automate simple tasks and perform them far more efficiently than has ever been possible before.

But AI tools also make it possible to perform those simple tasks on a larger scale than ever before, extending the reach of recruiters and widening talent pools. The results of these processes then allow recruiters to approach their work with a more scientific outlook, making judgments based on large sets of data and reliable analyses.

Perhaps one of the most interesting and powerful benefits of AI in recruitment, however, is providing candidates with a uniformly professional and positive experience. Anyone who has dabbled in employer branding will know that it’s important for recruiters to provide all candidates with the same experience that reflects the values of the brand. AI allows you to program those values into your interactions with all candidates.

AI is the new frontier for recruitment as we all search for ways to expand operations and make things more efficient.