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The recruitment landscape is ripe for digital transformation, and the ongoing artificial intelligence boom promises to drive efficiency and accuracy on an unprecedented scale in sourcing and hiring candidates.
We’re in the midst of an AI revolution throughout many sectors, and recruiting is no different. The artificial intelligence recruitment software market is forecasted to be worth $890.51 million by 2028, and there’s a growing expectation that the technology will pave the way for a fairer and more time-efficient candidate selection process.
According to a Future of Recruiting report last year, as much as 62% of surveyed hirers said they were optimistic about the impact of AI on recruiting and its potential as a time-saving tool.
But which areas of the industry can artificial intelligence and generative AI tools enhance? And can technology really help recruiters overcome age-old unconscious biases throughout the candidate selection process? Let’s take a deeper look at five ways the AI revolution is changing HR management and fostering a fairer recruitment landscape:
Artificial intelligence is actively breaking down the boundaries of talent acquisition. Not only can AI tools take a hands-on approach to screening resumes, but they can also instantly whittle down applications based on factors like specified qualifications and cited skills in a way that helps to protect the privacy of the candidate while saving time for recruiters.
Crucially, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT possess the advanced language processing capabilities needed for recruiters to conduct more focused talent searches. By utilizing natural language queries, recruiters can discover candidates who may have otherwise failed to pass the screening process.
This approach can also provide far greater efficiency when recruiting contractors, and the best contractor management software should implement similar automation tools to help shape the selection process.
When used collaboratively, AI tools can complement manual searches, with algorithmic headhunting tools helping to underline the best candidates for roles without overlooking tangible and intangible qualities listed on resumes.
The rapid evolution of AI is already producing use cases in interview efficiency, with different organizations embracing automation technology to improve the candidate experience and improve their ability to make data-driven decisions.
Unilever, a UK consumer goods firm, uses a virtual interviewing tool from HireVue to accurately score the spoken words of candidates and compare their intangible qualities against the company’s best-performing employees.
Likewise, renowned makeup company L’Oreal utilizes an AI chatbot called Mya from StepStone, which communicates with candidates by asking specific questions taken from an internal analysis of the firm’s most efficient employees.
The system then assesses responses, the structure of sentences, and the vocabulary skills of candidates to relay the information back as actionable insights for HR managers.
With the help of machine learning (ML) algorithms, it’s becoming easier than ever to identify and source talented candidates online.
Artificial intelligence models have the power to comb social media channels and a number of different platforms to identify the best-skilled prospects for job roles.
In what had previously been a long-winded manual challenge for recruiters, AI tools like multi-platform outreach are helping to drive efficiency in the talent acquisition process by scanning online networks and job portals far more effectively. The tools also help recruiters to optimize the quality of their job postings by identifying the specific desirable qualities to list.
Thanks to advances in ML algorithms, businesses can learn from their past successful hires to identify candidates who possess the best possible tangible and intangible qualities to make them best suited for specific roles. This helps recruiters to broaden their talent pool and identify prospective hires far more efficiently.
In terms of direct benefits to HR management, the AI revolution will be a major time and money saver while improving accuracy and efficiency throughout many areas of the industry.
Artificial intelligence tools will empower more human recruiters to focus their time and energy on the more personal aspects of HR management, such as becoming a key point of contact during the onboarding process or screening candidates at advanced stages of hiring.
The ability to passively headhunt candidates who haven’t applied for the job but meet the specific needs of roles can also be a major time-saving tool.
Likewise, the seamless ability for AI tools to utilize predictive analytics to assess candidate data autonomously through resumes, social media profiles, online conduct, and other parts of their digital footprint means that recruiters can not only develop a more holistic picture of their prospective hires more efficiently but recruitment processes can be completed with unprecedented accuracy in terms of discovering the ideal culture fit for the team candidates will be joining.
According to Zippia data, 48% of HR managers admit that bias affects their candidate choice. This is a long-standing problem in the recruitment industry that can be difficult to tackle due to its largely unconscious nature.
Perhaps the most important element of the AI revolution in HR management is the technology’s ability to reduce bias by purely examining the qualifications and experience of candidates, as opposed to their demographics during the screening process.
By ignoring factors like gender, race, age, and disabilities, AI hiring tools can foster a more diverse and inclusive hiring process that not only enriches the working environment but also opens the door to a wider talent pool.
However, it’s important to note that AI algorithms are only ever as unbiased as the data it's trained on, and this means that tools should be regularly audited to ensure that the program is as fair as it pertains to be.
The relationship between AI and HR is growing on a daily basis and shows no signs of slowing. For HR managers, this will mean that a more collaborative and automated future awaits, with AI algorithms capable of automating monotonous tasks and delivering unprecedented efficiency throughout a vast number of industry processes.
However, the AI hiring revolution will still need to be monitored with an eagle eye, and that all-important human touch will be more valuable than ever for the later-stage screening processes. The data that AI can democratize for recruiters can change the hiring landscape forever, and it’s worth exploring ways to incorporate the technology into your HR team now to build a more sustainable strategy for the years ahead.
