Will Artificial Intelligence be a corner stone in the world of HR?
While we do not foresee taking the “Human” out of Human Resources, technology, Artificial Intelligence, in particular, has the ability to make this increasingly important discipline faster, more accurate and more effective. AI Recruitment is the way forward.
HR has become a challenging field. Workforce dynamics change rapidly, staff turnover rates are generally higher than ever and HR is a time-consuming yet critical challenge. It has always been part art part science but thanks to the power of AI in recruitment, the practice can become faster, more accurate and more effective.
While human experience, compassion and intellect is still the cornerstone of Human Resources, innovation, the right software and AI recruitment tools can improve the process and outcomes exponentially.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of many rapidly developing technologies that are changing the way we live, the way we work and indeed, most aspects of our lives. It makes sense to harness this power where it is able to make significant improvements. AI for recruitment is a prime example of this.
HR, by nature, is a labor intensive, often slow and is an ongoing process. Without effective HR, few companies will be able to remain relevant and profitable in this dynamic and highly competitive business environment we now face. Attracting, hiring and retaining quality talent has never been harder but AI recruiting can give you many great advantages.
Let’s explore a few areas where AI recruiting technology can enhance HR.
Finding and attracting quality talent
Gone are the days of posting “help wanted” ads in the local classifieds and hoping to find good people. Attracting talent has become a lot more scientific and most is done online. AI recruitment has been successfully used for a while to analyze online profiles and resumes in order to identify and attract candidates with the required skills, experience and characteristics. The very nature of AI recruiting technology means that the more it does this the better it becomes at the task.
It is also used effectively by online job sites and platforms such as Glassdoor, Seek and LinkedIn. The AI algorithms have access to a range of data to enable them to make an educated recommendation based on the recruiter’s requirements.
Start-ups, in particular, derive great benefit from using AI recruiting software. Even they work with a top recruitment agency, AI recruiting technology will greatly improve their speed and success while they have so many other issues to deal with. It is like having a team of assistants to help you with the recruitment process.
Shortlisting resumes
Anyone that has spent any time involved with HR will be aware of the massive influx of resumes and CVs that companies receive. Sifting through these can be a slow and tedious process. As painful as it can be, the perfect candidate could be somewhere in that massive pile so the job has to be done. Again, AI can be your assistant and streamline and simplify this process with astounding accuracy.
When the power of AI recruiting software is combined with a good applicant tracking systems (ATS) the entire process is significantly faster and easier.
Application feedback and question answering
Apart from working through a vast number of resumes, much time is also spent responding to candidates or answering questions. AI recruitment tools are highly effective at automating this process and is also able to do at much faster than would be possible without AI recruiting software. Millennial’s, a rapidly growing segment of the workforce, expect a rapid response. Given that your company is an important brand it is in your interests to try to meet such expectations. AI and AI chatbots make this possible. Sought-after candidates that might be a great fit for the position could easily be lost due to poor or slow communication.
Again, AI technology can free up the time spent with these tedious but important functions allowing them more time to focus on those aspects that require a more human touch. It can do this while still giving other potential candidates a sense of engagement.
Initial candidate screening
While AI for recruitment helps to reduce the number of resumes, many face-to-face interviews will still turn out to be a waste of time. Some recruiting software utilizes Artificial Intelligence to reduce the number of irrelevant candidates. Reducing time-to-hire and help the recruiter focus on the right candidates.
Jenna is one of those innovative AI solutions. Empowering an effective initial screening process while still offering a great screening experience.
Identify attrition concerns
AI and machine learning can use attrition data points combined with the employee’s history, record, performance and a host of other factors to track trends, predict future problems and reduce attrition rates.
These valuable insights will enable the company to take steps to address the reasons behind these concern in order to have happier, more productive staff that are less likely to seek employment elsewhere. Staff turnover rates are a major challenge for HR practitioners and AI can help minimize the problem.
Improving diversity and reducing bias
This is a growing problem that is very much in the spotlight at the moment. All companies and organizations need to strive for good diversity and minimize bias. This can be a challenge. While some AI recruitment tools have been proved to demonstrate bias, this is usually the result of human input and is something that is being addressed urgently That being said, AI can still do much to help you with bias and diversity issues.
While machines are inherently less inclined to display bias, the systems are designed by humans and the data sources themselves could also lead to bias creeping in. One has to exercise caution and not rely blindly on AI recruiting software in this instance but is can certainly simplify the process, identify areas of concern and help you to address the problem. Just do not rely solely on AI recruitment tools for these issues.
There is AI recruiting technology that is very effective in applying specific filters and machine learning tools that will improve diversity and reduce bias. As the number of data points increases and the learning process improves, the AI recruiting process becomes more effective and accurate.
Those are just a few of the existing area in which AI recruitment tools are enhancing the HR function. Other areas where AI in recruitment can help include:
- Post-Offer acceptance and engagement
- Onboarding of new recruits
- Employee engagement
- Career development
- Recognition and rewards
- HR compliance
There are already many established and effective AI tools available to help with various aspects of HR. AI for recruitment and other HR functionality has really come under the spotlight in 2018 and continued into 2019 all for good reason.
AI in recruitment is here to stay. As AI recruitment software evolves and develops there will be even more applications. While the human element will always be important, AI can save a great deal of time, improve accuracy and enhance the overall performance of Human Resources.