How do you use AI to streamline your recruitment and selection process?

AI helps build human connections. Unexpected, right? Most of the recruiters I talk to, admit that sourcing + screening candidates takes ~80% of their time. For genuine communication with candidates, there's often less than 5% of the time remaining. Companies that use even basic AI-driven screening tools share that now the process takes just a fraction of the time. Now, instead of reviewing resumes, scheduling and rescheduling interviews, recruiters can ensure genuine connections and guide candidates through the process, which is often very alienating.

Using AI in recruitment can offer numerous benefits however, it also comes with several challenges that organizations should be aware of and address. These include: bias and fairness (e.g. algorithms can inherit biases present in historical data, perpetuating existing inequalities); data privacy (handling sensitive data requires strict adherence to data protection regulations like GDPR); technical limitations (algorithms may not fully understand the nuance of human communication, leading to misinterpretation of responses in interviews or assessments); loss of human touch (which can lead to lower engagement). The responsible use of AI in recruitment requires a thoughtful approach and a balance between automation and human involvement.

AI is a disruptive technology. What that means is that we cannot simply integrate it into an existing process. Some dangers of a poorly planned integration: - Alienating recruiters from their jobs. Instead of reshaping the recruiter's job to be more creative and focus on relationship building, poor integration can result in recruiters becoming machines checking AI's decisions rather than creative individuals. - Expectation of efficiency. With the use of AI, there's going to be a higher output expectation from recruiters. However, it is not at all guaranteed that recrutiers are going to benefit from that. Profit-sharing structures have to be rethought as the efficiency of workers increases by using AI.

There are three main opportunities where to implement AI: 1. AI-based screening (can be either resume or video interview screening). I prefer video interviews as they show more of candidates' qualifications rather than credentials (e.g., degree). 2. Candidate sourcing 3. Communication (crafting emails etc.) Most of the time it doesn't make sense to build an in-house. solution as it requires a lot of experimentation and iteration. I suggest selecting an existing provider but ensuring that they can assist you with transforming the whole recruitment process to ensure that AI helps recruiters and candidates be more connected, authentic, and creative rather than making the process AI-centric.

In using AI for recruitment, consider ethical aspects and bias risks. Unconscious bias in AI can lead to unfair hiring practices. Ensure fairness by using diverse training datasets and regularly reviewing AI's performance. Transparency about AI usage builds candidate trust. Laws such as GDPR mandate that organizations inform individuals of automated processing such as AI and explain and review AI-based decisions. Continuous auditing of AI outcomes helps identify unintentional biases, promoting fair recruitment and boosting your reputation.

I think the first question to ask is why you want to keep up with the news. They can quickly become overwhelming. Most of the people, in my experience, who religiously follow AI news do so out of fear of missing out. Thus, I'd start with a need. For example, if you feel that your applicant screening process could use some help or you'd like to get promoted by introducing efficiency in your processes, start looking up specific tools and topics of interest. Try to avoid generic AI podcasts, newsletters, or social media channels -- they will likely distract you from your goals and overwhelm you. If you have a desire for a newsletter/podcast, try to find something that is very tailored to your industry.