We recently showcased at HR Technologies in the UK, an event where solution providers and thought leaders come together to discuss the latest innovations and trends surrounding industry tech. Not only did we come equipped with our bright pink stand and merch, but we also did a talk on how using AI in recruitment can actually increase the human aspect, not hinder it.

Below, we’ve outlined some of the key takeaways from our talk!

What comes to mind when we think of AI? 

For some, it can feel like a scary unknown, with technology on the cusp of world domination. While that’s not quite true, there are still some concerns when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence. 

In recruitment, some view using AI as dehumanizing candidates’ interactions and experiences, while others think it could cause highly skilled candidates to be overlooked. Despite this, a recent report we created shows that 85% of HR leaders either already use AI or are planning to start using it this year. 

If AI is used correctly (by not being a direct replacement for recruiters) it can actually improve the candidate experience and ease the recruiter workload.

The challenges with the recruiter workload

Recruitment can be a tough job with the workload alone. Imagine your company is posting 100 jobs a year and receiving 150 applications for each job. This amounts to 15,000 applicants annually. 

While your team’s working overtime to try and get through all of these applications, conducting interviews you’re struggling to focus on because of all the other tasks demanding your attention, you're unable to fully focus on your candidates.

All of this means you’re potentially losing out on the best people, possibly even getting low NPS scores from candidates who spent hours prepping for their interviews, only to get a generic rejection email with no feedback, because you didn’t have the time.

In fact, 40% of candidates will lose interest if they don’t hear back from the employer within 48 hours. Because of all this, by not utilizing AI, you’re actually at risk of dehumanizing the recruitment process.

How can AI be used to humanize the recruitment process?

Artificial intelligence can be used throughout the entire process to not only make the workload easier on recruiters, but to improve your candidate experience.

Sourcing candidates and creating jobs

AI can help you get prepared and save time before your candidates even enter the recruitment process in the following ways:

• Generate refinable job descriptions based on the job title and your tone of voice
• Get suggested application questions to ask based on the job title and similar roles you've posted in the past
• Get suggested skills and traits you should be looking out for in your ideal candidates.

It’s important to note that for all of this, AI isn’t taking over your role but simply making some of the manual tasks less tedious for you. You should still review and edit every suggestion, to make sure it’s honest and consistent.

Screening and evaluation

With hundreds or even thousands of applications to go through, AI can make the job easier by scanning resumes and summarizing the most important parts. It can show you the top applicants based on criteria pre-determined by you. It can even take it a step further and suggest candidates that already exist in your talent pool that could be a great fit for the role. 

What it’s not doing is filtering out any candidates or stopping them from getting through the application stage. You’re still able to view any and all candidates that apply, which is important. But, it will highlight the candidates who better match the criteria for the job description, so you can prioritize those first.

Interview process and follow-up

The interview stage is one of the most important for delivering exceptional candidate experience, especially when those interviews are conducted via video, which can already come across as less personal. 

Instead of having your head down writing notes or trying to pick up key words, let AI transcribe the interview for you. It will then summarize everything, so you don’t miss a thing. That way, you can focus 100% of your attention on your candidate during the interview.

If it turns out that they’re not the right fit, because of the transcription, you have all the feedback you need. AI can draft a rejection email for you, based on the notes from the interview, which you can then refine before sending. 

Even if they’ve been rejected, the candidate has had a much more human, personal experience and has walked away with good feedback and a much better view of your company.

AI should work with you, not instead of you

A recent study has shown that 70% of recruiters believe that AI is improving their hiring decisions. Despite some of the apprehension surrounding AI, recruiters can be confident in the knowledge that AI is not here to take their jobs. Instead, when used in the right way, it can help reach relevant candidates faster, provide a positive candidate experience and ensure that their time is spent interviewing and screening relevant candidates.