Whether it’s crafting job descriptions, sourcing candidates, or processing large volumes of applications, there is no doubt that AI can make the hiring process more efficient. AI technologies can also be used to identify areas for improvement, helping companies make positive changes to each stage of their hiring process.
There are several ways AI is currently being utilised by hiring companies:
During CV screening
Automated Parsing: AI-powered systems can parse CVs and resumes to extract relevant information such as work experience, skills, and education to make screening much faster and more efficient for hiring managers.
Keyword Matching: AI tools are able to match resumes to job descriptions based on keywords and context, they can then use bespoke ruling to rank candidates according to their suitability for the role.
When sourcing candidates
Talent Pool Search: AI software can search through large databases of potential candidates, (including social media platforms like LinkedIn) to identify individuals who meet specified search criteria.
Predictive Analytics: AI is able to predict which candidates are more likely to be interested in, and fit for, roles based on past behaviours and other data points.
When interacting with candidates
Initial Interaction: AI-driven chatbots can handle initial candidate interactions, answer common questions, and guide candidates through the application process using pre programmed responses.
Scheduling Interviews: Virtual assistants can automate the scheduling of interviews, coordinating between candidates and interviewers seamlessly to save time.
When assessing candidates
Skill Tests: AI platforms can administer and evaluate skill-based tests, providing insights into a candidate’s abilities and recording scorings.
Behavioural Analysis: AI tools can analyse video interviews to assess a candidate’s soft skills, such as communication, confidence, and body language.
Diverse Sourcing: AI systems use standardised criteria to evaluate candidates, potentially reducing unconscious bias and can help identify and source candidates from a wider range of backgrounds, promoting diversity.
When evaluating processes to improve retention
Fit and Retention Prediction: AI analyses various data points to predict a candidate's fit within the company culture and their likelihood of staying long-term.
Performance Prediction: By analysing historical data, AI can predict which candidates are more likely to succeed in a given role.
During employee onboarding
Personalised Onboarding: AI can customise onboarding programs based on the new hire’s background and role, ensuring a smoother transition into the company.
Market Insights and Trends:
Labour Market Analysis: AI can provide insights into market trends, salary benchmarks, and the competitive landscape, helping companies make informed hiring decisions and stay competitive within their industry.
Sentiment Analysis: AI tools can analyse social media and other online content to gauge the reputation of the company as an employer, helping to attract top talent.
By leveraging AI tools and methods, companies can streamline their recruitment processes, reduce time-to-hire and make more data-driven hiring decisions. This is fantastic for hiring managers looking to improve on efficiencies, but how will AI improve hiring from a candidates’ perspective?
We have discussed before how important a positive Candidate Experience can be to businesses who are wanting to compete with competitors to secure top talent. It is much more important in a modern business landscape than it ever has been previously.
That said, we wanted to delve further into how AI can be used to improve the hiring journey for candidates.
How can AI be used to improve Candidate Experience?
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AI can help to eliminate bias in the workplace at all stages
Job seekers expect more from organisations, and this includes the opportunity to work in a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace environment. A study from Linkedin has some incredible stats on this; one being that 80% of people in the workforce actively seek employment with organisations that have a focus and commitment towards DEI.
AI tools can help reduce unconscious biases, especially when screening candidates. Unlike humans, AI doesn’t harbour any implicit biases and assesses candidates purely on their skills and qualifications. AI mitigates bias by creating blind resumes and focusing on skill sets, experiences, and qualifications versus demographic details. This promotes a more diverse and inclusive workplace, which studies show drives innovation and business growth.
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AI can create a more personalised candidate journey throughout the recruitment process
AI allows Hiring Managers to personalise their Candidate Journey more efficiently with high level automated touchpoints with customised fields. This is another tick in the box for potential employees, who have come to expect more than a rudimentary level of personalisation, viewing it as a sign of respect and investment the prospective employer is making in them.
According to Harvard Business Review, personalisation in marketing can reduce acquisition costs by as much as 50%, lift revenues by 5-15% percent, and increase the efficiency of marketing spend by 10-30%. Similarly, recruiting software Gem’s benchmark report found that just personalising a subject line in an email can improve open rates by 5%.
Increasing engagement from potential employees through the hiring stages will make them more likely to stay in the process and lessen the chances of them dropping out or losing interest in a role.
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AI improves can automate communications, generating touchpoints to keep candidates in the loop
Job seekers are becoming less patient and tend to apply for multiple roles simultaneously, as job board websites and platforms like LinkedIn make it easier to find similar positions. Using AI, recruiters don’t have to worry about sending follow-up messages to applicants – notifications are automatically sent to candidates when their application is reviewed or moved to the next recruitment phase.
This means businesses that invest in AI-powered recruiting tools to respond in real time will have candidates who are kept informed and engaged throughout the process, creating a more positive experience.
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AI Chatbots can give candidates around the clock availability and support
For hiring companies, making a good impression on candidates is an absolute necessity, and being available to answer their questions is a simple way to make a candidate’s experience more positive.
AI chatbots can be set up to assist hiring managers to be able to provide valuable support to candidates by responding to their queries at all times of the day or evening. This boosts engagement and also creates a really user-friendly feel for those who might be in the hiring process already, or are about to enter into it.
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AI is reducing the hiring timeframe by automating tasks
One (of the many) downsides of a long recruitment cycle is that candidates might drop out in the middle of the process if they become disinterested or enthusiasm wavers. They can also get snapped up by another company during the decision making process. According to research, cutting away the needless steps of a long recruitment process reduces costs and improves hiring quality because you have a higher chance of selecting a high level candidate. This said, it's clear that reducing the hiring timeframe is a positive step for both recruiter and potential employee and can go a long way in improving a hiring journey.
AI can automate a whole range of tasks which allows recruiters to focus on more strategic and high-value activities such as interviewing and meeting to make final hiring decisions which all contribute to a more streamlined hiring process.
How should AI be implemented into a business Talent Strategy?
Love it or loath it, it is clear that AI is fast becoming a huge part of the world around us and will be utilised more and more in almost all sectors, including recruitment. Businesses that adopt AI-supported talent acquisition software have a much better chance of keeping candidates engaged and supported during their hiring processes and will fare better than their competitors when candidate experiences are compared side by side.
In time, those who don’t embrace artificial intelligence will likely face talent-sourcing challenges that could irreparably damage their performance and significantly lessen their chances of securing top talent.
Using AI in the recruitment process has many benefits, but before incorporating it into talent acquisition strategies, businesses need to carefully consider how and where it should be used to make sure the human touch isn’t lost. AI won't replace recruiters, but it will enable them to do more ‘human’ tasks such as having better conversations, offering support and advice and discussing solutions with both hiring managers and candidates.
Automation and canned responses certainly have their place, but a fine balance is required to truly make AI work alongside a team of professionals to offer candidates a truly comprehensive candidate experience.
Which AI software is best for recruitment?
Workable uses automated, AI-powered tools that help recruiting teams source candidates, simplify decision-making, and improve the talent acquisition process. Workable also offers capabilities past the point of hiring, including onboarding and talent talent management.
Manatal is an AI-powered applicant tracking system (ATS) and recruitment platform that enables HR departments and recruitment agencies to effectively source, engage, and hire the best candidates. The software was designed to democratise recruitment, expand candidate reach, accelerate candidate screening, and improve recruitment team collaboration.
Gem is an all-in-one recruiting platform using generative artificial intelligence with its proprietary data to help recruiters find the best candidates, personalise communication at scale, and hire talent faster.
For further reading, visit Best AI Recruiting Tools in 2024: Top Software for Hiring
At Carrot Recruitment, we are passionate about client and candidate experience, and this is the backbone of everything we do. We hope this article has been helpful and helps you to understand how AI can be used to create a transformative and exhaustive recruitment process. If you are looking to grow your team or need to speak to us about our staffing solutions, please get in touch. We offer a range of permanent and contract recruitment services and can adapt our approach easily to fit with your resourcing requirements.
If you’d like to find out more about anything we’ve discussed, more information can be found in our references below.
https://stewarttownsend.com/how-ai-is-transforming-the-candidate-experience-in-recruitment/
https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/research/future-of-work-report-ai
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