People have being using the term AI as a mere buzzword for some time now; throwing it into every other conversation they can chuck it into.
So really, it shouldn’t be a surprise when I say that the time of AI is here – right here, right now, and in our industry.
It’s no longer just a buzzword. Instead, Artificial Intelligence in recruitment is a game changer.
The Bane of a Recruiter’s Existence
Everyone knows that the bane of a recruiter’s existence is the administration work that comes with the job. I’m almost certain that one would be hard-pressed to find a recruiter that will put their hand up to do administration tasks over actual recruitment.
When it comes down to really taking time to audit the work of your recruiters – the biggest downfall is in compliance and administration.
And fair enough.
How many times have you had to hire a temp to come on board and chase up on compliance and administration misses? And how many times have you had to extend those temps to give them more time to get to the bottom of the task?
Now think about this – how many times have you had to bring those temps back to start on a new pile of non-compliant documentation?
I thought so.
Artificial Intelligence in HR and Recruitment
Let’s talk about AI in Recruitment and what it really means, shall we?
You see, recruitment is a people job. I think we all know that.
The best recruiters are those who can easily engage with others; whether it is over an informal coffee meeting, upfront interviewing, relationship building, or serious negotiating.
A simple, but very true way of looking at it is this: AI in recruitment alleviates your staff of the burden that is administration. It allows them to do what they are best at – Recruitment.
The Benefits of Using AI in HR and Recruitment
1. Workload Balance for Recruiters and HR Staff
Looking within your business, the first and most obvious benefit to using AI in HR and Recruitment is that, it promotes a healthier and more balanced workload for your staff.
We all know that up to 75% of applications – even more – are unqualified, and do not fit the job brief. And yet, the majority of a recruiter’s time is spent manually reviewing CVs and screening candidates.
Instead of wasting precious time on mundane and repetitive administration tasks; AI recruiting lets your team focus on what’s important – the people; your customers.
AI has the capacity to relieve your staff of the following tasks:
- Candidate screening
- Scheduling interviews
- Post offer and acceptance activities
- HR Relations – Leave balance, payroll, compliance, rostering
- Post on-boarding engagement
2. Improved Candidate Experience
AI in recruitment has the power to improve candidate experience through the simple act of immediate engagement.
The top two reasons that a candidate dislikes or puts down their experience with a recruitment company:
- Delayed engagement
- No engagement
Not much difference between the two, really.
Nobody likes playing the waiting game, and that includes candidates. The moment they send their application through, candidates feel the pressure and stress of waiting.
AI-powered bots are capable of engaging with multiple candidates at any one time; thus relieving them of unnecessary pressure and stress.
3. Unbiased Quality over Quantity
When manually screening resumes, and during the shortlisting process; recruiters have a tendency to keep adding to their yes pile. Why? Because we humans are both uncertain and biased beings.
AI takes the uncertainty and bias away from the recruitment process.
Intelligently programmed bots can aid the process by providing an unbiased shortlist of however many necessary, based on a set of predefined conditions and criteria. This leaves recruiters to engage with only those candidates who are qualified.
4. Speed to Market
Due to the fact that AI-powered bots can help us by screening hundreds of candidates and shortlisting only the top who meet the criteria, recruiters can cut to the chase and get down to the nitty gritty pretty quickly.
5. Improved Client Experience
Let’s face it. Our clients don’t come to us with plenty of time up their sleeves. They come to us because they’ve exhausted all their resources; and they are at the point when every need is an urgent need.
Just like a candidate’s experience, a successful client experience is often measured by how quickly we turn things around and deliver what they need.
With the benefit of speed to market and delivering quickly, clients enjoy an improved recruitment experience.
6. Accurate Data Analytics
Everyone is talking about how AI in recruitment and HR will make recruiters and HR professionals obsolete.
But let’s talk about something else for a moment. Let’s talk about the accurate and very valuable data that AI offers.
Even beyond helping recruiters in the initial stages of a recruitment process; AI allows recruiters and HR professionals to make informed and strategic decisions which are data driven.
Decisions such as when to hire, what kind of person to hire, or whether there is even a need to hire; can greatly impact any business.
7. Minimised Financial Risks
We all know that the cost of a bad hire hurts.
Not only do bad hires cost businesses financially; bad hires can reap their effects on the wider team across performance, engagement, morale, workload, and productivity.
When business and hiring decisions are made in a strategic and data driven manner, the financial risks are greatly minimised.
AI Make Us More Human
Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a storybook concept. It’s not a sci-fi film produced by the likes of Stephen Spielberg; or robots being hunted by Will Smith.
Artificial Intelligence is real. It’s here, and it’s in our industry!
If embraced and strategically put to work, AI will completely overhaul the traditional landscape of recruitment.
AI in Recruitment and HR represents progress for our industry. It allows us to put our focus and efforts into the human aspect of our roles.
AI allows us to be even more human than we already are. It’s a game changer.
