SAP, Microsoft Join on AI Capabilities for Talent Acquisition

SAP and Microsoft are collaborating to bring more AI tools to enterprise talent acquisition teams. The companies plan to integrate SAP SuccessFactors solutions with Microsoft 365’s new Copilot and Copilot in Viva Learning, as well as Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service.

The integrations will allow SAP to develop “new experiences” designed to improve how organizations attract, retain and skill their workforce, the companies said.

“SAP has long embedded AI into our solutions, and we’re very excited about the opportunities generative AI unfolds for our industry and our customers,” said SAP CEO Christian Klein.

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said the companies are pulling their solutions together “to transform how organizations attract and develop” their workforces. “We have an incredible opportunity to deliver next-generation AI that will unlock productivity growth for every individual, organization and industry, including the Human Resources function,” he said.

One area that’s in the companies’ eyes: Helping businesses face the growing challenge of managing the gap between their workforce’s current skills and those they’ll need in the future.

Closing that gap, said SAP, means the processes companies use to recruit and hire new workers must be optimized. For example, each time employers create a new position, they have to, in essence, reinvent the wheel, updating skills requirements, ensuring job descriptions are market-competitive and developing interview questions that can identify each candidate’s potential.

Streamlining Recruitment and Employee Learning

In addition, SAP will use the Azure OpenAI Service API and data from SuccessFactors to create highly targeted job descriptions. Through an integration between SuccessFactors Recruiting and Microsoft 365, employers will be able to fine-tune job descriptions using Microsoft Copilot. SAP will also leverage the Azure OpenAI Service API to offer prompts to interviewers within Microsoft Teams, suggesting questions based on a candidate’s resume, the job description and similar jobs.

In terms of learning, integration between SuccessFactors and Microsoft Viva Learning will allow employees to use Copilot in Viva Learning to conduct natural language queries and create personalized learning recommendations. As learning is completed, SuccessFactors will update automatically to provide companies with an up-to-date view of their organization’s skills landscape.

Image: SAP

By Mark Feffer

Mark Feffer is executive editor of RecruitingDaily and the HCM Technology Report. He’s written for TechTarget, HR Magazine, SHRM, Dice Insights, TLNT.com and TalentCulture, as well as Dow Jones, Bloomberg and Staffing Industry Analysts. He likes schnauzers, sailing and Kentucky-distilled beverages.