3 Key Differentiators of Using AI in Recruitment and Selection

Artificial intelligence aids recruiters in two broad ways: First, by creating efficiencies including time and money savings, and second, by enabling improvements in quality and effectiveness like more precise targeting, more positive candidate experience, and better fit hires. Here are 3 key differentiators of using AI from our Essential Guide to AI Recruitment:

“AI is going to revolutionize recruiting. We have begun down the road, but we have a long way to go still,” explains Kevin Wheeler, President of Future of Talent Institute.

1. Saves a Company Time and Money

AI is especially helpful in high-volume hiring. AI can take over many repetitive tasks such as screening resumes, which many recruiters say is the most time-consuming aspect of their job when done manually. This automation speeds up hiring, and recruiters can use saved time to focus on activities that people are uniquely suited for, such as cultivating relationships.

AI can handle workforce planning — predicting how many new workers a company will need and in what roles. Within a recruiting team, AI software can intelligently balance the workload among recruiters or reallocate staff resources to higher priority hires. Efficiency translates into financial gains in the form of labor savings and reducing or shortening vacancies that impair a business.

2. Higher Quality and Consistency of Applicants 

Another AI advantage is its ability to find a better quality of hire and company fit. These draw on AI’s ability to gather information, analyze lots of data quickly and objectively, and make predictions or recommendations.

For example, AI applications can supplement resumes with data from public sources and social media, offering a more-in-depth candidate view. AI recruiting tools can make connections in data that might not be apparent on the surface and find strong candidates that traditional screening techniques would skip. AI recruiting solutions can also improve the candidate experience. These tools are available 24/7 to answer questions, follow up, send reminders, and provide personalized service.

Moreover, AI solutions enable recruiters to standardize the matching of candidate skills and experience to roles. A team of human recruiters is naturally a bit inconsistent from one individual to another. Even the same person might assess applicants differently from one day to the next, depending on their mood or stress level. Staffing a better fit leads to happier employees and managers, higher productivity, and lower turnover.

3. Reduces Bias in Hiring 

Ben Eubanks, Principal Analyst, Lighthouse Research & Advisory, says that AI is the best hope for eliminating bias — if trained with unbiased data.

While it is not foolproof, “AI can minimize bias beyond what humans are capable of,” given their unavoidable unconscious bias. “Personal interviews are no better than a flip of a coin at predicting who will be successful,” he notes.

Diversity is an important goal for most companies, and recruiters are turning to AI to combat bias. AI tools can analyze job ads or descriptions to make sure the language is non-discriminatory. Engineers can design these solutions to be blind to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, or disability, avoiding even unconscious bias that affects people.

Companies can build a more inclusive hiring funnel and a more diverse workforce. There is one important caveat, however: AI-driven technology is only as good as its programming. So, if bias is baked into the design, the software will worsen discrimination. 

To learn more about AI in recruiting, read our Essential Guide to AI Recruitment