What’s Next for AI Recruiting?
Over the last few years, the growing presence of AI in recruiting has been hotly debated. Almost everyone in the talent acquisition space has an opinion on the technology, its seemingly rapid development, and what AI might do for candidates and employers alike.
Then, COVID-19 showed up. The hiring landscape changed overnight. Now, as businesses begin to reopen, many are wondering how recruiting will function on the other side of the pandemic – and where AI will factor into the process.
In Conversation with Benjamin Gillman of myInterview
Benjamin Gillman, co-founder of myInterview, is taking a pragmatic stance. Explaining the technology’s use thus far, “We typically see AI used at the top of the recruitment funnel, because this is the point when the quantity of data can be overwhelming. The role of the tools is to gather and distill candidate information against the job description to surface the most appropriate talent.”
Here, Gillman’s thinking echoes much of what was said and written about pre-COVID-19. The application of AI near the top of the funnel leads to increased efficiency and time savings for recruiters. Able to spend less energy on administrative tasks and more on building relationships with candidates. A logical rationale based on where the world was coming into 2020. But what about now?
AI In the Short Term
Gillman continues, “I think that AI, at least in the next few years, is going to be assisting us more than it’s going to be disrupting us. The tasks that we were going to be doing are going to look similar, except that we will get a lot more information, a lot more data than we had previously. We’re also going to be doing this work in a different format than we’re used to. Instead of picking up the phone, we’re going to have virtual calls, which will be automated. Instead of face-to-face interviews, it’s going to be video. Then instead of us analyzing what we’re hearing, we’re going to receive a transcript of what the candidate said.”
Even so, Gillman doesn’t believe that final selection can be replaced entirely by AI, especially in this new job market, noting that “this is a people business and it’s run by people-people.” Instead, he stays firm that the next few years will be spent refining AI more than anything else.
Candidate Heavy Market
He shares, “We’re moving towards a very candidates-heavy market. Unfortunately, we have high unemployment. That means that employers need to find a way to find talent. And candidates need a way to be able to get in front of employers efficiently. We’re going to be seeing technology coming through in this regard to assist both parties on both sides of the table to bring the process forward. Video is the obvious move here because it’s so accessible now with mobile technology. This is a very simple way that people are comfortable with, and it also brings that human element into the process instead of it just being fully data-centric.”
That’s not to say that Gillman doesn’t see the value in the data. He certainly does, particularly for companies operating with limited staff in place. In these instances, Gillman points to candidate engagement and time to hire as key metrics to measure. Especially given the number of qualified candidates on the market. Who might otherwise still be employed if not for COVID-19.
In fact, he feels this is the time to be investing more in long-term strategic adoptions to ensure companies are enticing the best candidates.
The Future of AI Recruiting
As for the future. Gillman seems sure that AI will continue to play a critical role in the recruiting process. Albeit one that might remain top of the funnel for the time being. In that capacity, AI will support the needs of talent acquisition teams, managing an influx of candidates during recovery.
Doing so might even help improve technology’s reputation. One that Gillman says remains misunderstood, “This isn’t some magic that is going to be matching candidates with jobs. Our approach is to take as much information as possible from video and display it in the right way.”
He concludes, “No algorithm is currently mature enough to replace the human mind. It can only learn from data that’s been collected along the way. It’s very important that we take AI for what it is, and position it for what it is, and embrace it, because it can create efficiencies and help us to be making better hiring decisions. With the correct AI tools, the impact will be positive and we will see steady growth, especially in the near term.”
Authors
Katie Achille
Katie Achille is a contributing writer for RecruitingDaily and PR professional, marketer, and serial freelancer with 15 years of experience supporting organizations from startups to Fortune 500 corporations, specializing in HR and recruiting technology. Her career highlights include launching a massive employer brand project at Verizon, writing a book with a former presidential cabinet member, promoting top lecturers such as Fareed Zakaria and Thomas Friedman, penning entries in an encyclopedia of military science, and teaching Pilates. Over the years, her work has appeared in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Venture Beat, Business Insider, Human Resource Executive, Workspan, and many more. She holds a BA in Journalism and Media Studies from Rutgers University and an MA in Historical Studies from The New School. You can read her latest musings at katieachille.com or connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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