What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recruitment?
Artificial Intelligence or AI essentially means the simulation of human-like intelligence using machines. In recruitment, it is essentially used to perform tasks that are very monotonous or require a high amount of repetition. These tasks can include the auto screening of applicants based on certain parameters or judging job descriptions and postings for any apparent bias.
Benefits of using Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment
Saves time by automating tasks
As time passes, a company will often grow larger and hire new people. However, most recruitment teams will be stuck with the same number of personnel or even have their numbers decreased. This means that recruiters will often have to complete more demanding tasks with less manpower, resulting in lower efficiency.
Out of all the available tasks, manual screening of resumes takes the most time. This problem is exacerbated further as many of the resumes you receive will have nothing to do with the job requirements you have posted and screening through those takes a lot of time.
This is where the usefulness of Artificial Intelligence is apparent as it can automatically screen through resumes and even schedule interviews with shortlisted candidates. Chatbots can also function as round the clock support to answer any rudimentary and simple questions that candidates might have.
A good AI will also seamlessly integrate with your current recruitment stack to cause minimum disruption in workflow. Also, a faster recruitment management software will allow you to reduce time-to-hire, allowing you to recruit top talent before your competitors.
Eliminating recruiter bias
Even the most seasoned of recruiters are prone to a bias of some kind. After all, they are only human. This is where the advantage of having an Artificial Intelligence(AI) comes in. An AI will always select candidates based on the given criteria and disregard any attempts at manipulation during the process. As long the parameters defined are unbiased, the AI will also be unbiased.
Easier follow-ups
By automating tasks using an AI you can make the follow-up processes after the recruitment much easier. Functions like reminders about meetings, updating of target goals, answering rudimentary questions that the candidates may have, all can be taken care of by an AI
Challenges of using an AI
A large amount of data is required to properly use an AI, it requires a large number of samples to accurately mimic human-like behavior. This is especially noticeable while using an AI that relies on machine learning. Sometimes, an AI can require a sample size of hundreds or even thousands of resumes to accurately mimic a recruiter’s behavior.
Learned biases
An AI is essentially a blank slate and will pick up bits depending on the material used to train it for a task. Theoretically, an AI is unbiased as it makes no distinction between candidates other than the assigned parameters. However, when programming the artificial intelligence using machine learning, the AI may pick up the biasness of the recruiter used to train that particular AI. To avoid this situation, make sure that your AI vendor is aware of such biasness and has taken steps to solve this issue.
Skepticism and distrust of technology
As with any new technology, artificial intelligence has its detractors. Anyone who works in HR is aware of the “Next best thing” that pops up often and disappears just as quickly. Also, recruitment is a very important process, and professionals will rightly be skeptical of letting a machine handle a task that is historically performed best by humans.
Conclusion
As machine learning evolves and tasks keep getting more complex, artificial intelligence will be an invaluable tool in the hands of an HR department. It has its flaws, but that can be solved with proper precautions. The era of Artificial intelligence is coming soon, and in time, they will be able to accomplish tasks just as well as their human counterparts.
Also Read: What is Recruitment management software?
