How AI is Revolutionizing HR and Helping Create Better Job Descriptions

As the CEO of JDXpert , I believe that AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach HR, especially when it comes to writing job descriptions. With the help of AI, we can develop more accurate and effective job descriptions that can better match the skills of job seekers to the jobs that we offer. This automation technology can help us remove unconscious biases that can affect the language we use in writing and eliminate gendered language that may discourage women from applying.

Furthermore, AI can also help us analyze the language in past successful job descriptions and extract keywords, which can be useful in creating new job descriptions that fit the company culture and values while attracting a diverse pool of candidates. With the power of AI-driven job description management, I am confident that JDXpert can lead the way in helping businesses of all sizes to hire the best talent for their needs.

The first two paragraphs above are an AI output from Jasper . We briefly told it what we wanted it to write, and that’s what we got. Not bad, if a little dry! The AI engine seems to have a pretty good understanding of what we do and our authority in the job description management space. What is even more interesting is how we can apply the same Generative AI technology to a daily HR task like writing a job description.

Can Generative AI Make Something Easier?

The recent rise of AI solutions, such as OpenAI 's ChatGPT, has prompted questions about how this technology will impact the future of work. Many of the tasks professionals complete today are driven by human work, but according to the recent 德勤 2023 Global Human Capital Trends survey, more than 90% of surveyed business leaders believe that using AI to improve work outcomes is important or very important to their organizations, but only 22% felt that their organization was ready. We at JDXpert believe this includes the HR function, more specifically the task of writing and managing job descriptions.

Most HR professionals will attest that the most challenging part of writing a job description is getting started. The proverbial blank page can be daunting and often results in HR resorting to copying and pasting information from online job descriptions. This approach leads to a less accurate job description that can put compliance, recruiting, compensation, and performance management efforts at risk.

Creating an accurate job description is not a simple task, nor is it the only task HR is faced with on a daily basis. Therefore, anything that can shorten HR's timelines is incredibly valuable. This is where efficient and effective processes and/or tools come into play. While JDXpert has been a trusted partner to large organizations for providing quality job description content, generative AI has the potential to provide HR professionals with another excellent starting point for crafting job descriptions and, more importantly, help them avoid the dreaded blank page.

How AI Helps HR

Artificial intelligence is not new. In fact, according to a 2017 美国哈佛大学 blog about the History of Artificial Intelligence, AI programs in their simplest form have existed since the early 1950’s. This was most notably documented by mathematician Alan Turing in his paper Computing Machinery & Intelligence. What is different today is that we have increased computing power combined with the ability to store and manage massive amounts of data. Furthermore, we all use this technology in many ways across our daily lives. If you browse the internet, use an app, buy something online, or simply access a company’s support feature you are using AI.

The 麦肯锡 Global Survey on AI shows that the usage of AI more than doubled from 20% of companies in 2017 to 58% of companies in 2019. The HR function within an organization is no exception. For instance, AI has been used heavily in recruiting to screen candidates through Applicant Tracking Systems. In fact, according to the Eightfold 2022 Talent Survey, the majority of HR leaders surveyed already used AI in some capacity and most (90%+) planned on increasing their use of AI in the near future. One such area could be in the writing and management of job descriptions.

Creating Job Descriptions With AI

As we stated before, the typical process for writing a job description begins with a blank page. From here, a hiring manager or department head typically writes a job description based on what they believe the job entails, adding company standards, technical skills, and legal requirements, if applicable.

Based on known qualities, you could easily command an AI generator to write you a decent job description, see below for an example:

Example of an AI-Written JD

We asked Jasper to write a job description for an office manager at a healthcare organization. Here’s what we got:

Office Manager - Healthcare

The Office Manager is responsible for overseeing the administrative operations of a healthcare organization. This includes managing staff, scheduling appointments, and ensuring that all office operations are running smoothly. The successful candidate will be organized, detail-oriented, and have excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities:

• Manage staff and ensure that all tasks are completed in a timely manner
• Schedule appointments and manage patient records
• Ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the office, including ordering supplies, filing paperwork, etc.
• Handle customer inquiries in a professional manner
• Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure efficiency
• Maintain accurate financial records and prepare reports as needed
• Monitor budgets to ensure cost effectiveness

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in health care administration or related field
• At least five years of experience in an office management role
• Knowledge of applicable laws and regulations related to healthcare organizations
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail
• Strong communication skills both verbal and written

This took about ten seconds to complete. However, it tells us nothing about the company, the working environment, how the role interacts with other roles, the physical aspects of the job, or where the job is to be performed. Additionally, there is a mention of a degree, which may not be a standard requirement to fulfill the duties of the job. If all of that detail were present in the job posting, it would likely cause candidates to self-eliminate (a good reason why companies should have both a job posting and a job description).

The AI-written job description also misses key elements that most candidates feel strongly about, such as the company’s mission, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitment, and whether the job has flexible hours or can be performed remotely.

Finally, this job description adheres to a form and function that has historically catered to a certain audience by emphasizing the importance of pedigree information like education and years of experience. While education and years of experience may help recruiters gauge applicants’ potential success in some positions, other positions may benefit from using a skills-based approach. Skills-based job postings emphasize skills rather than degrees as the most important determinant of job success. According to a 麦肯锡 article entitled Taking a skills-based approach to building the future workforce, a skills-based approach to hiring expands the talent pool, improves retention, and ultimately builds a better-equipped workforce.

So, while it’s a good start, you need to supplement the output with strategic analysis to improve the content, ensure that it complies with your organization's guidelines, and illustrate what it’s like to work for your company in order to create a great job description/postings.

Final thoughts

Generative AI is an amazing tool that will forever change how we work. The technology can greatly reduce the time required to complete many tasks including the writing of job descriptions. However, generative AI can only take us so far, and tools like ChatGPT should be used alongside an experienced HR professional and a well-controlled internal process to ensure compliance and the creation of an effective job description.

As we have mentioned in a previous post, generic job descriptions pose an outstanding threat to corporate compliance, recruiting, compensation, and effective people management.

JDXpert has been leveraging the power of AI for years, incorporating Natural Language Processing (NLP) alongside a curated content library to help our customers more quickly and effectively write job descriptions. We view generative AI as another valuable tool we can offer our customers and we are currently developing a feature that will do just that. This exciting addition, slated for release later this year, will provide customers with high-quality job descriptions faster and more effectively. By combining generative AI with a curated content library and controlled processes, JDXpert can simplify and speed up the job description management process for its customers.

In today's fast-paced business environment, HR professionals face increasing pressure to attract and retain top talent, provide competitive compensation packages, conduct effective performance evaluations, and fulfill various social and legal responsibilities. At JDXpert , we recognize these challenges and are committed to developing innovative solutions to simplify and speed up the job description management process and provide our customers the control they need to succeed.