Gone are the days when you could simply hang a “help wanted” sign on the door and just wait for the perfect candidate to stroll by and fill the open spot. Instead, we now rely on a whole lot of Artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of popular job search sites such as Indeed and LinkedIn to post jobs, screen candidates, and even make decisions about which job seekers you ultimately hire.
But does an algorithm, no matter how fine-tuned, still have our best interests at heart? Below, we outline some of the pros and cons of using these platforms and what you can do to make sure it’s really working for you.
The Pros:
Talent scout:
One of the biggest benefits of AI is that it uses algorithms that send your help wanted ad to the folks that are uniquely qualified to fill the role. Rather than spending time to find potential candidates to lure in, only to be met with job seekers that aren’t qualified or aren’t interested in leaving their current roles, the algorithm identifies already interested folks who fit the bill.
Selective screening:
If you’re working in a sector where job demand is high, any one single job posting could garner thousands of applications. In the past, your HR pro would have been tasked with sifting through all of those resumes to find that one qualified candidate. However, with AI, you can inform the algorithm so that they can screen hundreds or even thousands of resumes based on education, past experience, years of service, or even just important buzzwords and pass along only those candidates most qualified for the position for your final review. Another perk? The algorithm can do this in seconds, versus the hours it would take your poor HR rep, so you can engage candidates more quickly and fill the spot when you need help the most.
Convenient communication:
Finding and hiring new talent takes an astronomical amount of time, due in large part to all the communication and coordination that has to occur in order to get them through the door! Whereas before it meant days or even weeks of phone or email tag to set up a meeting, AI can use automated prompts or even chatbots to gage interest, gather more information about credentials and qualifications, and even set up time to speak or schedule an in-person interview. Further, some platforms are using “personality AI” that can cater communication to fit the unique personality and communication preferences of the individual candidate and make for a tailored hiring experience.
Cons:
Cancel candidates:
When you engage with AI to help identify candidates, the platform builds an algorithm that ranks candidates based on the number of their attributes that align with those you highlighted in your job description or instructions. As we touched on above, this is great for sifting through a high volume of resumes, but it can mean that you sometimes pass on someone whose skills or years of experience might not exactly hit on the algorithm but would still be great for the job. You can address this “con” by casting a wide net on your search terms and being realistic about the minimum level of experience you might be willing to accept for that “diamond in the rough” candidate.
Biased basis:
While AI is often touted as being devoid of bias, when you create that algorithm, you’re asking the system to search for certain experiences (or even years of experience), levels of education, credentialing and other attributes. Since AI works on trends, over time, you may find that biases are being passed through, with the system beginning to rule out those with too much experience (read: older candidates) or only include those with prestigious degrees (simply because you’ve preferred these candidates in the past!) However, this is a problem that can be easily addressed by again, casting a wide net, and making changes to the algorithm to remove these patterns.
Impersonal interactions:
The biggest problem with AI is that it can often feel impersonal when you’re a candidate interacting with a chat bot. You might struggle to get a feel for the company or just simply make a connection. On the flip side, employers miss out on learning about candidates as they interact during the process, which can even lead those making the hiring decisions to feel less connected to the candidates and the process in general. After all, there is a real sense of satisfaction in finding, and hiring, that needle in a haystack! In this case, we suggest that you only let AI be your guide early in the process to handle the logistics, such as setting up that first phone screen or simply reaching out to gauge interest. That way, you have plenty of additional opportunities to make a human connection as you both navigate through the hiring process.
Overall, we here at Abel HR believe that there is definitely a place for AI in the hiring process. We believe that AI is best leveraged during the early phases of the recruiting process, including in getting your job description into the hands of qualified candidates and then screening said candidates for interest and to handle the logistics of that first meet. However, with that being said, you’ll want to make sure that you are working your algorithm so that it best meets your needs and will capture the kind of candidates that you want without letting others fall through the cracks (be it due to a lack of qualifications or, perhaps worse, due to an implicit bias). In addition, if you are handing over some of the communication aspects of the hiring process, you’ll want to make sure that the chat bot or automated communication otherwise reflects the content, tone, and frequency of communication that you would use if you were speaking “in person.” In short, be sure that the AI that you select is going to best represent your company as if said robot was part of the team!
