As technology continues to advance, AI is becoming an indispensable part of the hiring process, reshaping how companies find, evaluate, and hire top talent. In this article, we’ll explore the ways AI is revolutionising recruitment and what recruiters, hiring managers and talent acquisition teams need be aware of as they navigate through these exciting times.
The Role of AI in Recruitment at PPS
At People Prospect Solutions, our approach to recruitment is highly personalised. While we utilise some basic AI tools to assist us in finding the right candidates for open vacancies and coordinating our interview schedules, it’s important to note that most of what we do is carried out by our small team of dedicated recruiters.
1. Streamlining CV Screening and Enhancing Candidate Matching
Sorting through 100s of CVs to identify the most promising candidates for a role is one of the most time-consuming tasks in the recruitment process. According to a Linkedin report in 2019, the average recruiter spends 30 hours a week on administrative tasks such as sourcing candidates, screening CVs, scheduling interviews and coordinating with members of the hiring team. If much of this can be automated effectively, then why not increase productivity and allow recruitment professionals focus on the on the bigger picture of building those all important connections?
All job boards, including Linkedin will use data-driven algorithms to assess a larger amount of candidates more effectively. AI-driven applicant tracking systems (ATS) use natural language processing (NLP) to scan and rank CVs based on keywords, skills, and qualifications, allowing recruiters to focus on the most relevant candidates.
Some are limited to CVs alone, but other more sophisticated solutions predict candidate success based on their online (e.g. GitHub and Linkedin) and social media presence, and can assess cultural fit within a given company. This not only benefits job-seekers by connecting them with opportunities that will help their professional growth, but also helps employers find candidates who align with their required skills, values and goals faster.
2. Improving Candidate Experience
Candidate Experience is one of those terms that we hear a lot about now. A lengthy, cumbersome, and impersonal recruitment process can be a major deterrent for job applicants, leading to a subpar candidate experience.
A report conducted by Jobvite claimed that 70% of employers take over 30 days to fill a job position. This is a long period of time to keep potential candidates engaged in the recruitment process, particularly as they are most-likely having interviews with other companies too.
Furthermore, unclear job descriptions, long and arduous interview schedules and poor communication with job-seekers can have a detrimental effect on candidate experience. In the world of Rec2Rec we are lucky that most of our clients are aware of the ins and outs of candidate experience and we work together to ensure we uphold the best level of candidate experience we can.
However, in the general job-seeker market, a survey found that nearly 60% of candidates rejected job offers because of unsatisfactory recruitment experiences. This not only dissuades potential candidates from considering future applications but can also tarnish your organisation’s reputation as jobseekers talk to one another!
So how can AI help here?
AI-powered recruitment tools offer a solution to this challenge by simplifying the entire application process, enhancing efficiency, and creating a more enjoyable experience for candidates through:-
- Efficient Scheduling: Coordinating interview schedules can be a logistical nightmare. AI-driven scheduling tools can automate this process by analysing availability and preferences, sending out invites, and ensuring that interviews are scheduled efficiently.
- Better Communication: Automated responses to candidates to inform them of their application status as soon as possible e.g. CV received, application reviewed, interview booked, interview reminders etc.
- Reducing Human Error: Humans are prone to making mistakes. Recruiters might forget to send interview details to applicants, or they may send the wrong interview date. AI is unlikely to make mistakes.
Utilising AI to craft a more engaging recruitment journey can substantially elevate the candidate experience, ultimately attracting a pool of more highly qualified candidates
3. Video Interview Analysis to Reduce Workload and Bias
As we all know, interviews stand as a pivotal phase in the hiring process, serving as a direct assessment of a candidate’s skills and character. However, the conventional interview methods often demand substantial time and effort from recruiters.
Enter AI-enabled interview platforms (e.g., VideoAsk, Willo Video, and My Interview), which hold the potential to significantly ease the human workload by streamlining processes and harnessing the capabilities of data and analytics. These platforms not only enhance efficiency but also play a crucial role in reducing human bias, a longstanding challenge in recruitment.
These innovative platforms empower recruiters to initiate pre-screening interviews with candidates via video calls and text-based interactions. These interactions are meticulously recorded and subjected to analysis through advanced machine learning algorithms. This analysis aims to identify the most promising candidates for the subsequent interview rounds while simultaneously minimising the impact of unconscious biases.
AI-driven interview tools go beyond the surface by employing voice and facial expression analysis. This technology assesses a candidate’s tone, demeanor, and emotional state during the interview, offering an objective evaluation that transcends subjective biases. These insights are then integrated with the content of the candidate’s responses, furnishing recruiters with a more holistic understanding of their personality and suitability for the position.
Moreover, these platforms deliver valuable performance metrics to recruiters, including response times to each question and the candidate’s overall level of engagement throughout the interview. By relying on concrete data and AI-driven analysis rather than gut feelings or intuition, recruiters can make more equitable and impartial hiring decisions, thereby promoting diversity and inclusion within their organisations.
These platforms are not wholly trusted yet, and we will always let job-seekers know on the type of interview they are going to be put forward for. However, we think it’s important to highlight and consider the implications of AI-powered interviews on the future of the recruitment process.
4. Continuous Learning and Improvement
One of the greatest strengths of AI is its ability to learn from data. Recruitment AI systems continuously improve by analysing hiring outcomes and feedback, making them more accurate and efficient over time.
At People Prospect Solutions, we believe in leveraging the power of AI to enhance our recruitment process while retaining the personalised touch that sets us apart. In a rapidly changing job market, embracing these technological advances can lead to better hiring decisions and ultimately, stronger organisations.
In the end, AI in recruitment is about improving the hiring process for all stakeholders—making it faster, fairer, and more insightful than ever before. Embracing these technological advances can lead to better hiring decisions and ultimately, stronger organisations.
