I, Recruiter
What's going to be the impact of AI for job-seekers, hiring companies and recruiters?
Newsflash: I could be out of a job.
Sophisticated AI software will screen and contact perfect candidates removing the need for Recruiters when you hire. "Hallelujah", some of you might say if you were feeling particularly unkind.?
AI can write job specs and job adverts. It can screen CVs. It can also even write articles and blogs!
Without getting too techy - because I'm not that knowledgeable on this plus you'll probably get bored - it's important to understand some key distinctions: Artificial intelligence (AI) is the idea that machines can mimic human intelligence. Machine learning, a subset of AI, aims to teach a machine to perform specific tasks by identifying patterns. So, machine learning is a form of AI that, for example, ChatGPT uses to create written content.
Maybe I should head to the pub while this thing writes all my jobs ads, content and blogs...
From a hiring perspective, the possibilities with AI might seem endless - job adverts, content, outreach, in-process communication between parties; with bots there's so much that can be done. ? ?
From a jobseeker's perspective, you can use AI to write your CV, cover letter and even create sample interview questions to practice with.
?I guess that's that then! We've cracked it - the art of recruitment has been completely mastered.?
Although, on second thoughts I'm not so sure.
"...human input in recruitment will still be impossible to replace."?
I've got no doubt that many mundane tasks such as scheduling, sifting and screening will either be drastically sped up or no longer reliant on human oversight. That said, human input in recruitment will still be impossible to fully replace.?Tone, empathy and tenacity on a phone call cannot yet be seamlessly mimicked by a machine.
And let's think about inputs and outputs for a moment - as they say: if you put rubbish in, you get rubbish out. A strong (human) recruiter is needed to ask a client the right questions when taking a job brief so that their business can be marketed in a compelling way, otherwise, companies are running the risk of poor job briefs and even worse job ads. ??
For job-seekers writing a CV, not thinking about career achievements in pounds and pence and merchandising them against peers is something AI won't be able to do, meaning that CV won't stand out.??
Remember, whilst AI is getting better, programmes like ChatGPT do get things wrong.
The elephant in the room here is how indistinguishable AI could become from the human touch. If it does reach this point, it might be preferred given many of us have been complaining about the lack of quality personal interaction in recruitment long before the advent of AI. So much has been written recently - and rightly so - about respect for candidates and their experience of the recruitment process. That being said, are candidates going to feel invigorated by lots of bot-automated communication vs. a great recruiter who manages their contacts with consideration? I can't say for certain but I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this.
The biggest issue anyone faces in hiring or looking for a job in the modern world is to get people to pay attention. We're already drowning in various forms of communication, which AI will inevitably add to.?
In my experience what gets that cut-through is....
?
In summary, recruitment is changing and will continue to do so. Third-party agency recruiting has survived many events that were predicted to cause its demise. From the advent of job boards, to a trend toward internal recruiting, to social media.
Each shiny new thing was supposed to be the end of the profession but what has actually happened is that Recruiters just became better than the new tool or better than everyone else at using it.?
My strong suspicion is AI will be no different. I still think my job is safe for a few more years yet.