Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword in almost every industry, and talent acquisition is no exception. As companies and individuals explore AI's capabilities, the technology is poised to change (for the better, most say) how we attract, screen, and engage with job candidates.
According to February 2024 research from SHRM, only about one in four employers currently use AI in the hiring process or to support other HR functionalities. This means a significant opportunity for those willing to learn and get ahead of the curve. It can be overwhelming to get started with AI, but the best approach is to:
As for where or how to apply AI in the hiring process, CareerBuilder’s ‘2024 AI in Hiring’ report reveals the following most common applications of AI in recruiting, and the percentage of respondents who are using it in that way:
Let’s explore some of these applications in more detail!
AI can quickly generate and refine job descriptions by analyzing successful examples and tailoring them to specific roles. This can help ensure consistency while incorporating relevant keywords to attract the right candidates.
Primary benefit: Save time writing from scratch. A task that used to take hours can now be completed in minutes using AI.
Do it yourself: Use whatever AI tool you like (i.e. ChatGPT, Gemini, etc) to generate job descriptions. Give the AI context of the job description and the perspective it should take, such as “You are an expert recruiter for a manufacturing company looking to hire for a {job title} role.” Give it factual information about your company it can work with to create job responsibilities and benefits that you offer. Lastly, remind the AI tool not to make up benefits your organization does not actually provide for the role.
You are an expert recruiter for a manufacturing company looking to hire a 3rd shift team leader. The position involves being responsible for 6-8 team members and overseeing their work. The position offers a 401k savings plan, paid uniforms, and health insurance. Generate a job description for this role with the objective of attracting the most applicants while accurately describing the job. Do not falsely advertise this position with information you are not given in the following prompt:
[insert specific company information here]
Do it with software: Our partners at Team Engine help eliminate the need for you to perfect an AI prompt. With a single click, the software makes instant suggestions for improving job descriptions, saving HR professionals time, and ensuring high-quality postings.
AI algorithms can quickly sort through resumes and applications to identify key qualifications, experiences, and skills that match specific job requirements. Using AI in the hiring process to sort resumes helps reduce manual workload, minimizes human error, and helps mitigate unconscious bias in the screening process.
Primary benefit: Resume review is a highly time-consuming and cognitive process. AI can help your HR team review resumes and job applications faster, with more accuracy, and with less bias.
Do it yourself: Copy and paste the contents of applicant resumes into an AI tool and ask it to analyze it for the specific criteria or experience you are looking for, then rank the candidates in order of most least qualified. Here’s a sample prompt:
You are an internal recruiter at an HVAC company. You want to hire 3 new technicians out of the 25 that applied. Review and analyze the resumes, compare them against the job description, and then rank the candidates from most to least qualified with a short explanation of what makes each one qualified.
[insert job description]
[insert resumes]
Do it with software: There are countless Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) available on the market, most of which utilize AI to review resumes and rank candidates. Team Engine goes further by automatically pre-screening qualified candidates via text message by asking clarifying questions about their application or gauging their level of interest in the job.
AI chatbots and automated messaging systems can handle initial applicant inquiries, provide updates, and schedule interviews. Automating with these tools helps guarantee timely responses and keeps candidates engaged throughout the hiring process. It also alleviates the administrative burden of replying to such inquiries, freeing HR to focus on high-priority tasks like supporting team members and filling vacancies.
Primary benefit: Using AI in the hiring process to communicate with applicants helps them move through the hiring funnel faster by answering their questions instantly, ultimately contributing to a positive candidate experience.
Do it yourself: It’s hard to replicate the experience that an AI chatbot can provide manually. Your best option, without investing in software, would be to set up an automated email reply or voicemail message that instructs applicants on where or how to get an answer to their question — be that on your FAQ page, by logging into a self-service portal, or by waiting for you to reply via phone or email. (If the latter is your only option, set an expectation for how long it will take you to get back to them.)
Do it with software: There are various software programs on the market (like Paradox and Humanly) with an HR chatbot that allows applicants to self-schedule interviews and ask questions about where they are in the hiring pipeline. The downside is, those programs can take a lot of time to learn, set up, and optimize.
Consider a solution that features candidate texting or customized and automated candidate communication. For an out-of-the-box solution with no training or setup required, our partners at Team Engine automate applicant communication where it can confidently do so, and allow you to step in with personalized replies when necessary.
Posting jobs in different languages is a good DE&I practice that helps appeal to non-English speaking candidates, but that’s only the beginning. By conducting initial communications with non-English speaking applicants in their preferred language, you’re leaps and bounds ahead of your competition in terms of providing a positive and inclusive candidate experience.
Primary benefit: The ability to communicate clearly with non-English speakers broadens the hiring pool, allowing you to attract more candidates, and provide a great hiring experience, making them more likely to choose you over your competition.
Do it yourself: Google Translate and ChatGPT are good, free options for translating text messages and emails into other languages.
Do it with software: Eliminate the hassle of switching back and forth between applications when translating with Team Engine’s built-in communication translator. Different from traditional AI-based tools, it does more than just translate words verbatim; its AI-powered intelligence also maintains tone and dialect when translating incoming and outgoing messages between languages.
AI tools can help generate tailored interview questions based on a job description and candidate profile. This helps create a focused and relevant interview process, allowing recruiters to determine a candidate's qualifications quickly and efficiently.
Primary benefit: Just like writing a job description, AI can quickly compile a list of job interview questions, saving you tons of time researching the right questions to ask for that specific role.
Do it yourself: Experiment with different prompts for your chosen AI tool. Here’s one to get you started:
You are an expert recruiter for a manufacturing company looking to hire a production shift supervisor. Here is the job description for the role: [insert job description]. Generate a list of interview questions to help better understand the candidate’s technical and leadership skills.
Do it with software: Recooty’s interview question generator doesn’t give you the same level of flexibility and customization that you can achieve with other AI tools, but it does streamline the process and removes the AI interface, which can be intimidating for those just starting their AI journey.
The use of automation in the hiring process can rapidly transform background screening, and offer your business significant speed and efficiency advantages. An automated screening program can also reduce human error while reducing bias. By utilizing automated tools and processes, your organization can offer a better candidate experience, save time and money, and improve your bottom line.
Primary benefit: Improve your time-to-hire and overall candidate experience, without compromising speed, efficiency, or accuracy. By reducing manual tasks, your HR team has more time to focus on people-centric and strategic initiatives that benefit the entire company.
How we can help: Verified First integrates with 130+ leading HR and talent acquisition platforms to help automate and streamline your hiring process from start to finish. Our patented browser extension offers a better way to experience and connect your web-based solutions. In a matter of seconds, you can order background checks, drug screens, verifications, and more from your selected HR platform.
The use of AI in the hiring process is reshaping talent acquisition by streamlining processes, enhancing decision-making, and improving candidate experiences. As AI continues to evolve, its implications for the future of HR are profound. However, its adoption requires careful consideration of ethical implications, data privacy concerns, and a need for ongoing human oversight — another topic for a whole different blog post.
Ultimately, responsibly integrating AI into talent acquisition strategies empowers HR professionals to nurture talent effectively and drive organizational growth in an ever-competitive marketplace. As AI technology advances, so too will its role in shaping the future of HR into a more data-driven, responsive, and inclusive field.
Verified First and Team Engine can help your organization automate the hiring process from start to finish. Verified First integrates with Team Engine via browser extension. With this one-click integration, Team Engine users can easily order and manage Verified First's background screening services all within the Team Engine platform.
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