Posted on 17th March 2020 by Pia Cruz
With the rapid growth of AI technology before us now, the HR and Recruitment industries are experiencing operational disruption at an unprecedented rate – so much so that many businesses are uncertain on how to keep up.
People are talking about the many ways that AI-powered bots are disrupting the recruitment industry, but are they really?
6 Ways Chatbots and AI are Disrupting Recruitment Businesses
1- Automated Workflow Gives Recruiters Their Time Back
AI technology, powered with intelligent algorithms, allows us to enjoy an automated recruitment process. Chatbots are programmed to understand the meanings of words in different contexts, and so they are able to act on different kinds of information which range in complexity.
With the help of chatbots and AI, businesses can automate a range of HR and recruitment activities, saving recruiters precious time.
- Candidate screening
- Candidate engagement – end to end
- Shortlisting
- On-boarding
- HR/Employee Relations
- Compliance
- Scheduling
The possibilities are endless!
2- Enhanced Candidate Experience
One of the most talked about pain points of candidates in a recruitment process is their overall experience. From the moment they send their applications in, candidates often have to endure a stressful period waiting to hear back from recruiters.
There is only so much that recruiters can do in a 24-hour period, much less an 8-hour working day; so it’s no surprise that many candidates experience a less than satisfactory process.
Chatbots on the other hand, have the capacity to provide real-time interaction to an unlimited number of candidates at any given moment.
3- Quality Over Quantity
Recruiters and HR Professionals can easily have over 200 resumes for every job they are recruiting, giving them a very limited amount of time to genuinely review each one. Bots are able to simultaneously process these applications, providing recruiters with only quality applications that match predetermined criteria.
Its intelligence is such that bots are able to keep an eye on any and all applications that come through. They can identify if applications are missing information, and automatically initiate contact with the candidate to obtain these.
Chatbots are able to add quality to any recruiter’s desk.
4- Speed to Market
As we so often hear – time is money. From a client perspective, every need is an urgent need. Consistent responsiveness leads to a considerable competitive advantage for recruiters.
Designed to engage with multiple candidates at any one time, chatbots give us the tremendous advantage of shorter recruitment processes and speed to market.
Chatbots can sift and mine through the valuable data sitting in our ATS and CRMs. Using this data; they can be programmed to deliver a shortlist against any set of predefined perimeters and without bias.
As the data is digitally recorded throughout the entire process, the ability to analyse and report valuable insights is enhanced over manual methods.
5- CRM/ATS Cleansing
It’s very common to hear businesses talk about their access to a rich database. While this is true – our databases can hold huge amounts of data – there is always the question of how current the information truly is.
Ask any recruiter, and you will learn that there are months – sometimes years – in which a large number of candidates are not spoken to or contacted at all.
Bots can mine through databases and identify candidates who have not been contact in a while. They will invite candidates to reconnect, chat, and collect relevant information; such as the candidates’ current status. Chatbots have the capability to fix this, making your databases all the more valuable.
6- Engaged Workforce
Bringing chatbots into your business can hugely impact your levels of staff engagement.
By reallocating the more mundane, repetitive, and administrative tasks to AI-powered chatbots, HR professionals and recruiters will be able to focus on more meaningful work.
AI and Chatbots Will Complement – Not Replace – Humans
Whether AI and Chatbots are disrupting businesses, it should be seen as a welcome disruption.
The fear that recruiters and HR professionals may one day be replaced is unfounded.
Efficient Human Resources is a two-way process between humans. Interaction and intervention is still needed to be able to make effective decisions. It is a simple fact that there are many human competencies that just cannot be replicated.
AI and chatbots are not here to replace people – they are here to complement and work alongside us.
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Cruz, Pia. “The Rise of the Chatbots: AI Disruption in HR & Recruitment" SmartAI, 27 Feb. 2018, https://smartai.com.au/blog/the-rise-of-the-chatbots-ai-disruption-in-hr-recruitment//.