Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been one of the fastest growing tools for employers to weed out potential employees from other applicants. This has been one of the fastest growing modernizations in the talent management industry in the last decade. Though this comes with substantial improvements, there is still a lot to learn regarding this.
The use of AI has decreased the loads of work for those in Human Resources (HR) by using data which uses intel from previous hires and keywords which the company is looking for. On average, for one corporate job opening, a company will receive 250 resumes. The database works through various resumes by selecting those with the proper credentials and removing those without the proper credentials. This way, when it is sent to the recruiting team, they can sort through the candidates and slowly narrow down the process.
According to recent statistics, around 67% of HR officials believe that AI has many benefits regarding the human resources field, and 44% of HR workers believe it will free up time in their day. This will give them more time to focus on the other important aspects of their careers such as company culture, understanding the needs of their colleagues and becoming involved in the strategy for the business. All these things are extremely important and being free from going through 250 applications per job opening could help them advance these other required parts of their job.
There are also plenty of downsides to the use of AI in the hiring process. One of the biggest criticisms of AI is that it learns human biases and may not give the most diverse options of possible applicants. The one thing that AI does very well is the detection of key words and phrases which will automatically put the resume through to the next round. Most of these phrases that these programs detect are more masculine terminology. This in turn can put women at a disadvantage since on average they use different terms than men.
Another attribute that many HR professionals have discussed is the lack of gut instinct. Anyone in the business field understands that most business is gut instinct and the assessing of one’s other qualities to make proper choices in employees. Soft skills have become the forefront of what most employers look for in a possible candidate like engagement, communication and overall attitude. These attributes can not be found in data but by observing the individual and how they conduct themselves. This is one area where businesses are not allowed to mess up because their employees are the face of their company and their culture. Replacing them is even harder if they do not do well in the business.
Many companies have taken on the process of having their AI system give them recommendations on applicants, but they still do the interviewing process in-person. This allows them time to develop the company’s strategies, which bolsters the rest of the business, while encouraging the old business way of looking at the person holistically. It is suggested, to anyone applying for any job to look up the top words and phrases which businesses are looking for while still developing those interview skills. Today, 85% of positions are still filled by networking.
