According to an article in Forbes late 2018, AI is expected to replace 16% of HR jobs within the next decade.
In theory, AI can free up HR professionals’ time and allow you to do more of what you really enjoy doing (which probably isn’t wading through stacks of CV applications which aren’t anywhere near your ideal applicant specs).
Here are 10 of the top ways Forbes’ Coaches Council expect AI to make a positive impact on the way HR professionals work, together with what I think could be the downside of this.
#1 – Best Fit
Presumably, ‘best fit’ means that AI will be able to scan all incoming CVs for the key words you’ve identified as being ideal and dump all the rest.
In theory, this is all well and good, but it also increases the risk of not getting to interview someone who’s a perfect fit for your organisation because (say) they’ve used a different descriptor to what you’ve instructed your bots to look for.
#2 – Skills to engage with recruitment platforms
According to Dr Terri Horton of TLT Consulting, One way that AI will revolutionise candidate search is because job seekers will need to upskill their skills to use these front end recruitment platforms.
Similarly, they’ll also need to be comfortable with the entire gamut of “digital”.
Now, here’s where I think this fails (to a degree). What if the absolute best candidate for the position you’re advertising is one of those people (like most of us) who just is not comfortable in front of a video camera? Because that’s what could happen if you rely solely and exclusively on AI to eliminate unsuitable candidates based on their digital performance.
Also, you run the risk of shortlisting people who know how to game the psychometric testing system. Because that is possible. It’s called “priming” – this is where the brain becomes competent at answering psychometric questions.
I’m not advocating against psychometric profiling – I’m suggesting it’s used further down the track – when you’ve identified your best two or three candidates; not at the beginning of the search process.
#3 – Improved online applications
According to Mr Scott Singer of Insider Career Strategies, he expects the firms that monetise tracking systems to repurpose them for tracking CVs and job applications. He predicts this will be done using keywords, work flows and other data points to analyse and prioritise the hundreds of resumes and applications recruitment companies and HR professionals receive daily.
I believe this can be a good thing, provided this isn’t the sole method for creating a short list of applicants.
I still believe (because we’re talking about people) that the personal touch is still required.
For example, once upon a time there was an engineering graduate (First Class Hons from Canterbury) who applied for a position at one of NZs largest privately-owned companies.
It was her inside information of knowing how this particular company set up its recruitment platform (because she had a holiday job there) that she was able to realise her application wouldn’t get short-listed because she’d missed out specific key words in her original application.
She quickly set up a second email address and reapplied, with a few keyword tweaks to her original application. Her second application made the cut and she’s now been employed with this company coming up three years.
It was only because she knew how to ‘game’ the system the HR manager got to see her CV. Without this knowledge this company would have missed out on this amazing employee.
#4 – Faster initial selection process
Tracy Repchuk of InnerSurf Online Brand and Web Services sees AI as protecting the one resource we are all limited by: time.
She’s looking forward to AI taking care of the time-consuming task of getting the best candidates selected for a tier one interview by sifting through hundreds of possible candidates. Repchuk is excited by AI searching to find matching candidates, making the initial contact, conducting preliminary interviews, assessing resumes and presenting the best for an interview.
#5 – More highly targeted candidates
AI is already able to target more qualified candidates than ever before (for a fee). For example, it’s possible to target searches by job title, industry, location, household income, salary, education, age, spending habits and a whole bunch more (especially for those candidates who are extremely active online using social media).
I tend to agree with Tammy Homegardner of Linked Into Jobs that the downside of this is (as I’ve previously stated) this can be done without ever talking with a candidate.
As an aside, in case you didn’t realise, here at EVP Recruitment, we’re both people people. We both believe in respecting people (on both sides of the recruitment table). We believe it’s important that people talk to each other.
#6 – Vetting for character
I’m not sure I completely agree with Mr Billy Williams of Archegos who believes AI will determine whether someone is going to be honest and ethical. Here at EVP Recruitment we use police and criminal records checks to help us get a pretty good handle on that.
#7 – A level playing field
This is the heading used in the original Forbes article, which I think can be worded in another way.
Jill Hauwiller of Leadership Refinery believes that AI will mean it is even more important that people develop their professional and personal networks in an authentic and credible way.
This is something we do agree with!
It’s because of the very sound professional and personal networks the team at EVP Recruitment has, that we’re able to be successful in our clients’ placements.
Networking is vital. Again, it comes down to talking with real people.
#8 – More effective sourcing and outreach
According to Scott Swedberg of The Job Sauce, AI will be able to start creating shortlists before a position is even vacant!
The AI bots will be forming their own list of suitable candidates from information available online (think LinkedIn, Facebook and other chat forums).
All you’ll need to do as a recruiter is buy such a list and whammo! ‘you’re hired!’.
I can see the benefits of starting with a list of hot suitable candidates, but again, I stress the requirement for personal interaction along the way.
#9 – AI led interview process
Jean Ali Muhlbauer of People At Work is already familiar with the video-type interview where questions are asked by interview bots.
The questions are pre-loaded and allow very little room to pick up on a conversation thread (other than by pre-loaded keyword prompts).
Yes, this will free up an interviewer’s time, but I wonder how many excellent (maybe ideal) candidates won’t make the short list because a robot interviewed them and missed out on visual and verbal cues?
#10 – Automation, advanced data analytics
I agree with Terry Hoffmann of Hoffmann Consulting in that both employers and employees are looking for a mutually great fit.
Mr Hoffmann believes that as automation advances, and highly relevant analytics are leveraged, employers and candidates will increasingly focus on what matters most – a mutually great fit
I think it will be a few years away before robots are able to replace humans in the interview process.
Remember – finding the best person for our clients’ companies is what the team at EVP Recruitment does best. We’re all about people! Finding the best fit by doing what it takes – even if this means actually talking to people and not relying on robots!
If you’re looking for our next new hire and aren’t sure where to start, please get in touch – a chat costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.
You can read the original of this article here