The recruitment industry is ready for the change that AI will bring. The potential of AI can be seen at different stages of the recruitment process, such as candidate communication and content production for job advertisements. Only a few years ago, the future of AI and recruitment together could cause concern among HR professionals. However, fears about the large-scale automation of tasks or the impact of AI on the human element of recruitment have proved to be false concerns.
At Avila, we have explored and embraced the possibilities that AI and automation can bring to processes. This allows us to use data more effectively to guide our operations and bring certainty to decision-making. In this publication, we explore what AI and recruitment collaboration could mean in practice for HR teams in organisations in the future.
Implementing AI can start with automating steps in the recruitment process
According to LinkedIn’s Future of Recruiting 2023 survey, 74% of recruitment professionals expect AI to automate tasks to prioritise more strategic work. Indeed, prioritising strategic work appears to be one of the clearest benefits of automation today.
Over the past few years, AI has become part of the work processes of recruitment teams, perhaps even unnoticed. Chatbots, automated messages or appointment booking systems, for example, are improving work routines every day, reducing manual repetitive work. AI helps with basic recruitment tasks such as writing job advertisements, generating interview questions or identifying potential profiles, while leaving more time for the more demanding recruitment tasks where the real skills of recruitment professionals are required and needed.
These steps in the recruitment process can therefore be tested with a low threshold in the organisation’s own HR processes. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the key to successful AI adoption lies in testing.
A/B testing behind successful deployment
A/B testing is a well-established practice in areas such as marketing and advertising. With the rise of AI, HR professionals should also be able to look at process changes with a critical eye and compare the data objectively.
A/B testing is used to determine whether AI actually improves results in the desired way. The timeframe for comparing tests can range from a few weeks to years, depending on the target. Quick results can be obtained, for example in terms of candidate response rates, but the use of automation as part of candidate communication and its impact on, for example, the candidate experience, is clearly a longer-term comparison.
Other considerations could of course be cost savings, recruitment lead times or, for example, the number of applicants or interested candidates. Results need to be actively monitored from a variety of different target perspectives.
The impact of AI in the coming years
Among recruitment professionals, 67% also expect AI to speed up candidate sourcing and 59% expect AI to make it easier to engage candidates.
Advanced technology meets these very objectives. Automation helps screen large pools of candidates and profiles of employees quickly and efficiently, comparing job requirements with candidates’ qualifications and experience. It can also help identify potential candidates who may not have applied for the job but who have the skills and qualifications required. We have also found that, for example, in certain difficult direct searches, AI can help identify a broader pool of candidates from very different perspectives and identify new potential candidates.
“We can expect technology to play a more prominent role in enabling us to streamline the recruitment process and enable new approaches to finding potential candidates. However, it is important to note that while AI brings many benefits, the role of professional skills, judgement and validation will remain an invaluable factor in ensuring the final decision in candidate selection and organisational success.” – Mikko Savusalo.
Humanity is needed, with or without AI in the process
However, while the benefits of automation are clear, it cannot replace all stages of the process or most of the skills of recruitment professionals. Therefore, the benefits of AI in recruitment may be limited if the data obtained is not analysed and further developed by a professional. It is certain that recruitment professionals are needed specifically to focus at least on validation work and strategic decision making.
The soft skills and human contact of professionals are required throughout the different stages of recruitment, whether AI is part of the processes or not. There is no substitute for an understanding of, for example, candidate motivation, the needs of the organisation and the ability to read and interpret things even between the lines. Providing strategic support to the organisation and the recruiting executive up to the recruitment decision are invaluable examples of work that automation cannot replace.
We encourage experimentation with AI, and the next step is to find the right tools and solutions for your business to make the work of HR and recruiters easier.
Avainsanat
- AI, automation
Julkaistu
Ota yhteyttä
Mikko Savusalo
mikko.savusalo[at]avila.fi