AI recruiters: Yay or nay?

Don’t fear the robots! It’s safe to say that ChatGPT and other AI can add value to the recruitment process. In fact, a third of Australian companies rely on artificial intelligence to help them hire the right person. The question is, how can AI technology be used to maximise productivity but avoid getting in the way of the most important part of recruitment: relationships.

ChatGPT is a beast for knowledge and can help employers with many recruitment-oriented tasks (as long as it has been programmed accordingly), but there are limitations. For example, it cannot provide real-time information and marketing insights because its knowledge cutoff is currently September 2021. It only knows what it has been told by programmers. 

The other downside to the famous ChatGPT is that it lacks banter! Genuine conversation and the ability to build strong, healthy relationships is the power we have as people, derived from lived experience. As recruitment thought leader Greg Savage says, ‘Develop your chat. You will be remembered for it.’

The best approach to using AI in recruitment is to work out which parts of the recruitment process are best served by AI and which are best left to people.

Here are some aspects of the Heart Talent recruitment process and how AI could be used. We’re all about creating connections, so we acknowledge that AI can help with some things, but using it sparingly!

1. Role analysis and assessment

A key reason recruitment projects are unsuccessful is failure to lead a thorough analysis. At Heart Talent, we begin with a deep dive. We speak to stakeholders to build a comprehensive picture of the skills and experience required, as well as personal attributes and the key challenges your potential team member is likely to face.

The role of AI

AI can’t do this without human support. This task is consulting-based and requires a conversation between multiple people. Ideas need to be explored, questions must be asked, and educated opinions must be provided based on lived experience and expertise. What AI can do is take notes and collate them in a document.

2. Recruitment marketing

We believe recruitment is marketing. Attracting the right person to join your team is about creating an emotional connection and inspiring action. We do this with compelling, authentic content. We help employers stand out and connect.

This is arguably the most important part of the recruitment process. It must be approached with a mindset of attraction. As an employer, you are selling a product (the job) to the consumer (the potential employee or candidate).

The role of AI

AI can use notes and turn them into the foundations of a compelling narrative but storytelling is a skill humans excel at. To create a valuable connection with human beings, you need authenticity and your narrative needs human input. 

3. Talent search

We take a comprehensive and proactive approach to finding the best talent. This means looking beyond applications and tapping into passive talent markets. People who are not actively looking on job boards may still be interested in the career opportunity you have on offer.

The role of AI

This might be one of the most valuable ways we can use AI because it’s the most time-consuming part of recruitment. There are many AI-powered talent recruitment platforms designed to source candidates. They use advanced algorithms, machine learning and natural language processing to analyse job descriptions, match people to jobs and recommend potential candidates who meet your requirements. 

You can also use AI techniques to search for potential candidates by using Boolean search operators. Experiment with different combinations of search criteria to find specific skills, job titles, locations or educational backgrounds. You can use AI in NLP (natural language processing) techniques. Algorithms can extract relevant information from unstructured data, like CVs or LinkedIn profiles, and match it to your candidate requirements. This can save time and help you identify strong matches quickly.

4. Candidate care and engagement

Candidate care and engagement are vital in creating a positive candidate experience. Customer service is often not done well within the recruitment sector. We believe all applications must be acknowledged. Recruiters should maintain regular communication with candidates throughout the entire hiring process. The Heart team (not a bot) respond to every application and take care to maintain a positive candidate experience and protect our clients’ employer brands.

The role of AI

AI-powered systems can help you with a commitment to acknowledging receipt of applications. This provides candidates with reassurance and a positive impression that their application is being considered. AI can also generate personalised responses to candidates based on predefined templates or by analysing candidate profiles. 

By using natural language processing techniques, AI could craft customised messages that address specific candidate questions or provide updates on the application status. AI can also be used to analyse candidate survey responses and perform analysis on candidate feedback. This allows recruiters to gauge the candidate experience, identify pain points and address any concerns quickly. AI can detect negativity in candidate communications, allowing hiring teams to proactively address any negative experiences and provide the necessary support.

6. Interviewing

At Heart Talent we value face-to-face interviews, whether that is in person or virtually, depending on where the job and candidate are located. We consider and assess the fit and alignment of each prospective employee’s values, attitudes and goals, comparing these to those of your organisation. This is human interaction. AI has no role to play here.

The role of AI

AI can take notes that hiring teams can use to cross-reference and report on. It also allows the person interviewing to engage fully with the candidate (rather than scribbling away on a notepad).

7. Interview facilitation and feedback

We carefully manage all candidate engagement throughout the interview process. This includes facilitating conversations between employers and candidates, as well as communicating feedback between both parties and protecting both the candidate’s experience and the employer’s reputation.

The role of AI

The practical elements of scheduling interviews and meetings are an easy task for AI. However, once this process reaches the interview stage, we say put AI away. Human decision-making is largely emotional, and effective recruitment is about creating a connection and inspiring action. If you want someone to engage with your organisation and job opportunity, and choose you, feedback, engagement and building trust through the interview process must be done by humans.

9. Interview question design

We help employers design interview questions to uncover the most useful insights to inform hiring decisions. We don’t use AI to design interview questions, but it is possible.

The role of AI

AI is only as good as its programmer or prompt engineer. The quality of output is based on the information you give it. You have to train AI to perform well. 

When designing interview questions, you must provide examples of quality interview questions from reputable sources and label them according to the topic. Then you can use a machine learning algorithm, such as a natural language processing (NLP) model, to train on the labelled dataset and fine-tune the process through repetition. AI can then provide a feedback loop where the AI-generated questions are continuously evaluated based on candidate feedback, interview outcomes, and evolving recruitment needs so you can keep improving on your interview performance.

10. Reference and right-to-work checks

This task is too human-centric to rely on AI. The conversation between a talent partner or hiring manager and a professional referee is an important data-gathering exercise. It’s possible that valuable insights may come from ad-hoc questions that AI is not programmed to use.

The role of AI

AI could be used to record and collate feedback.

11. Extending the offer

For both the hiring team and the candidate, this is the most exciting part of recruitment! Too important and exciting to be left to a bot! This is the beginning of a professional working relationship and first impressions count!

The role of AI

AI could follow up with a letter including the proposed offer and details of what to do next.

12. Feedback to the unsuccessful candidate pool

We give individual, detailed feedback to every candidate interviewed, ensuring they have a professional, transparent and positive experience. This needs to be done by a human for a genuine interaction that offers maximum value for the candidate.

The role of AI

AI could provide a written summary of feedback, although we think a human touch is better here.

Wrapping up, in the words of ChatGPT

AI has a role in the future of recruitment. In fact, 95% of talent professionals think AI could help in supporting the recruitment process. Over 70% of millennials believe some form of AI was used in their recruitment process, which shows that it is here to stay.

We asked ChatGPT how AI can be used in recruitment and here is the response. It summed up our thoughts quite well!

With the help of AI, you have the potential to automate many of the tasks that you do manually. You can streamline your recruitment process. Ultimately, this frees up your time so that you can focus on more important things, such as needs analysis, defining your EVP,  employee development and retention.

Looking for more insights about talent attraction and engagement? Check out our employer resources.