How Is AI Impacting Talent Acquisition?

Finding and hiring the right person for a role is never an easy task. For recruiters, it’s spending hours sifting through CVs and conducting back-to-back interviews. Of course, the pressure is on to not only find someone qualified but also someone who is a good fit.

And with AI already creeping into almost every aspect of our lives, talent acquisition is no different. Now, keep in mind that talent acquisition is not purely about just hiring somebody. It’s a very strategic pipeline that starts with finding candidates, interviewing them and eventually, onboarding them.

So how would a future with AI look for hiring managers and teams?

 

What Is AI’s Role In Talent Acquisition?

 

In talent acquisition specifically, AI is used as software to help the hiring process along. This can include things like automating certain aspects and streamlining the process in its entirety.

A hiring team may use chatbots to answer routine candidate questions and write job descriptions or analyse CVs for specific keywords. In fact, some are already using AI to conduct the first rounds of interviews.

 

The Benefits Of Using AI For Hiring Employees

 

While some may still have their reservations about the use of AI, it’s proving to be pretty useful when it comes to talent acquisition. Here are a few of the ways that its helping recruiters in the search for new additions to their teams.

 

It Can Save A Ton Of Time

 

The hiring process is not a quick undertaking and finding the right fit for a role can take weeks or even months. Usually the reason for it taking so long is having to read through each applicant’s CV. 

Fortunately, AI can screen thousands of them literally in a matter of minutes and recommend who is likely to be a good candidate. Not only does it make this part of the process more efficient, but it also makes sure that the top talent doesn’t slip through the cracks between the hundreds of applications.

 

The Candidate’s Experience Is Also Improved

 

From an applicant’s perspective, they may need some guidance on the application process or have questions especially if they are from different countries or time zones.

As recruiters implement AI-powered chatbots, these can answer questions round the clock. Moreover, they can even guide the candidate through the whole process from start to finish.

 

 

It Removes Bias To An Extent

 

People are naturally biased even if they don’t mean to be which can affect the hiring process. When AI models are trained correctly, the playing field between candidates can be levelled quite significantly.

So instead of any unintentional bias towards names, genders or those factors, AI will focus on what really matters like skills and relevant experience.

 

Improved Job Ads To Attract The Right Talent

 

A recruiter could post a job ad and get loads of applicants. They could post a different ad and get nothing, just crickets. The difference between those that get traction and those that don’t is that AI is usually writing and optimising the job descriptions of the ads that do well.

By doing this, the ads will immediately attract and engage the right potential candidates instead of just time-wasters.

 

Does Recruiting Even Need A Human Element?

 

The short answer is yes, absolutely. As impressive as AI’s capabilities are, they aren’t perfect and can be prone to mistakes or inaccuracies. Talent acquisition is such a critical part of a company’s longevity so a human element is still very much needed. Here’s why AI shouldn’t be solely relied on.

Overly-focused on keywords: AI can sometimes home in too much on certain keywords or phrases. So even if you have a great candidate but they use different wording, they could be missed entirely and an opportunity is lost.

It can feel too robotic: When companies use automation too much, especially in cases like recruiting where they are engaging with people for the first time, it can feel a bit cold. Candidates want to feel seen by the business instead of only talking to a chatbot.

Bias can creep in: AI is trained on data so if that data is biased, the AI will be too. If it has been taught to favour certain skills or experiences, other fantastic candidates could fall to the wayside.

 

Things AI Can’t Replace Just Yet

 

In addition to potential errors or misjudgement from AI, there are a couple of things that still very much require a human which AI can’t spot.

When hiring teams sit in interviews, it’s easy to gauge the candidate’s emotional intelligence. Not only that, but they can usually tell pretty quickly if the candidate will fit in with their existing team and the company culture. 

Essentially, it’s a gut feeling from the recruiter to know that that candidate is the right one. This is something AI hasn’t mastered just yet.

So what will the future of AI in talent acquisition look like?

Most likely a hybrid approach where human hiring teams take the lead but are supported by AI tools. Instead of AI taking centre stage, it will be seen as more of a sidekick. Because at the end of the day, hiring is about people. Sure, AI can identify good candidates and rank them, but it’s up to the recruiter to form a real connection.