There are a few different schools of thought out there when it comes to the subjects of both recruiting and employment and the affects AI (Artificial Intelligence) is having right now, and will have in the near future.
In this post we’re going to explore how AI is playing a role in recruitment and employment now, and what possibilities the future holds.
Firstly – What Is AI for Recruitment?
It’s mostly about automating much of the workflow in the recruitment process, workflow that a computer program can handle, which therefore frees up the time of staff. AI can perform much of the screening of potential candidates via search filters, producing short lists of ideal candidates much, much faster than having people view endless resumes, application forms and cover letters.
Repetitive and high-volume tasks have always been part and parcel of mass recruiting, whether it be in a company’s HR department, labour hire, recruitment agencies, or even just the manager or owner of a small to medium-sized business.
AI aims to reduce the repetitiveness and time consumption by automating much of the process.
AI To Replace Some HR Jobs
Some industry experts are predicting that artificial intelligence will replace up to 16% of jobs in HR roles over the next decade. This doesn’t necessarily mean that 16% of people employed in human resources will lose their jobs, but that some of the mundane tasks they have to perform now will be replaced by AI, freeing up the HR employee to focus on more important things.
AI Can Make Recruiting New Staff Easier and More Streamlined
Let’s quickly list some key ways AI is affecting the industry of worker recruitment, then we’ll take a look at some in a bit more detail:
- Automating high volume and repetitive tasks
- Freeing up staff for more important tasks
- Produce a short list of good candidates in much faster time
- Improves quality of hire
- Reduces costs of recruitment
- Can produce a more level playing field
- AI doesn’t gloss over applications simply due to tired eyes or fatigue setting in
- AI to conduct Skype-like interviews
- Highly advanced data analytics
- Character analysis
- And more…
AI Reduces the Cost of the Recruitment Process
Within large organisations or recruitment agencies, the cost of conducting and going through the recruitment process from start to finish can be very time consuming when all processes are performed by humans.
This naturally leads to a much higher wages bill for the process from start to finish.
AI can vastly reduce the time it takes to find the right candidates, thus massively reducing the costs incurred in doing so.
This can be both a good and a bad thing when it comes to places like recruitment agencies and labour hire firms. For the company it’ll mean more profit, buy for those employed in the recruitment trade, there is definitely the prospect of job losses and less employment opportunities on the horizon.
Character Analysis and Artificial Intelligence
A person’s character is just as important when hiring the right candidate as their experience and skills. Bad or flawed character can lead to an employee being far from an asset to the company, no matter how skilled they might be at their job.
Poor character doesn’t only affect the employee’s performance, it can also affect everyone around them, creating dissent or a negative vibe.
AI is being equipped to assess character of potential candidates, and this can be achieved through questionnaires, personality quizzes and even online searches for any negative information about a candidate.
Interviews Conducted By AI Robots
It’s sounds kind of sci-fi and futuristic, but it’s actually already a reality.
Many initial screening interviews that take place in a bid to refine a short list of candidates are conducted remotely via systems such as Skype. Instead of a real live human being conducting the interview, AI computer programs are taking up the task and asking the questions.
The candidate provides answers and the AI software logs those answers and analyses them.
Whether we like it or not, agree with the process or not, this is becoming the reality and likely the norm in the not too distant future.
AI Set To Level the Playing Field
One key reason AI levels the playing field in the initial stages of recruitment is because no emotions are involved. An AI robot is not going to be impressed by a resume with fancy wording, or any text designed to invoke certain emotions in the person reading it.
All the bot cares about really is the data on the page. A candidate giving themselves glowing praise in a job application isn’t going to mean a thing to an inanimate computer program.
The trick will no longer be to impress by telling people what you think they want to hear. Instead, it will be all about credentials, data and statistics; at least for the initial screening and short-listing phase.
This will definitely level things out and give more people a shot at getting short listed if they have the skills and qualifications necessary for successful employment.
Some Downsides To AI Recruitment
It’s not all milk and honey though. Like anything, there are always downsides, such as:
- Effective and accurate AI requires a truck load of data
- Human biases and bigotry can still infiltrate the AI system within the programming
- Many people will be suspicious of this new technology and where it’s headed and may resist adopting it
- There is the possibility of job cuts in the recruitment/HR industries and departments
The Takeaway
Artificial intelligence is already becoming embedded in the world of job recruitment, and that’s a trend that’s set to increase in the near future. The world as a whole is becoming more automated. Whether that proves to be a good thing or not, we can only wait and see.
References:
