Artificial Intelligence: A competitive advantage for recruiters

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a competitive advantage for recruiters and talent managers. A bold statement, perhaps. But let’s measure this claim and see if it is substantiated by evidence.

AI is not new

Some of the resistance to incorporating AI into normal business processes (like talent management and recruitment) comes from the erroneous belief that AI is a new technology.

But the reality is quite different. In fact, you probably have one of the longest-standing AI technologies in your pocket or carry-bag right now: Your smartphone. Smartphones have included artificially intelligent assistants like IBM Watson, Apple Siri and Google Assistant have been around since the early 2010s.

These applications use deep learning neural networks to respond to natural language requests from their users. And although such technologies started off somewhat slowly, they are now normal, everyday, and reliable components of our lives.

So, if AI is not new and in fact, a decade-old proven technology, why are we not seeing a more rapid and wide-spread adoption within the recruitment and talent management spheres?

Perhaps there still is a fear of losing employment to automation, a common theme of many critiques of AI in the workplace. But like any new technology, AI will re-shape the way we work rather than remove the need for work. In fact, the introduction of AI in business processes is certainly going to create brand new jobs for people to fulfil.

One of the most important reasons for this that AI is still a very particular kind of intelligence, with very particular applications.

AI takes care of the detail and routine

Although the AI revolution that is sweeping business right now seems all-encompassing, there are still tasks that are better (or less) suited to AI than others. For instance, AIs are very well adapted to routinized, yet complex work.

Tasks that demand consistent concentration on detail, the application of algorithmic judgements, and follow well-known, predictable workflows are ideal for AI application.

In the recruitment and talent management professions, AIs can assist with process flow, assessment and collation of data, and using algorithmic, mechanical judgement in talent decisions.

AI as a co-worker

The image that emerges from the preceding discussion is that AI will be a partner or co-worker in the recruitment sphere, rather than a replacement for recruitment and talent management professionals.

Indeed, an emerging competency that requires further research is the capability of individual workers to cooperate successfully with AI. In all likelihood, this competency (or cluster of competencies) will become an important and sought-after resource for organizations in the future.

If AIs are to become partners in recruitment and talent management, what will the new world-of-work be like?

For one, it will be a more efficient one that will be (relatively) free of unnecessary administrative burden. With AIs taking care of routinized tasks and helping to make more accurate talent predictions, recruiters and talent managers are free to concentrate on more human-related value-adds. Examples include improving candidate experiences, making sense of talent data for the larger organization, and consulting with key talent stakeholders.

Perhaps a more apt metaphor for the introduction of AI into recruitment is not the ominous robot that takes away people’s jobs, but rather the hyper-efficient personal assistant that enhances their work.

Current applications of AI in recruitment

The future of AI in recruitment points to AI as co-worker, but there are current applications of AI to the field that hints at what that might look like:

Video assessments.

The application of AI to video interviewing (known as video assessments), is fast becoming one of the most exciting and powerful applications of AI to recruitment.

Based on well-researched and robust predictive algorithms, AI is able to predict outcome variables like job fit and performance based on deep learning and analysis of interview data points (e.g. voice tone, answer content, expressions).

Using AI in this way has the potential to reduce bias in interviewing, dramatically reduce time-to-hire, and improve both the experience of recruiters and candidates throughout the talent selection process.

At TTS, we have partnered with international best-of-breed product providers in this space to help our talent management and recruitment clients realize the massive benefits of this technology.

Final thoughts

In this article, we reviewed the claim that artificial intelligence is a competitive advantage for recruiters and talent management professionals. Based on the preceding points, it seems to be a warranted conclusion: AI will continue to shape and influence how recruiters and talent professionals do their jobs, from the processes they follow to the judgements they make.

If you’d like to know more about how AI is going to change the way recruitment as well as IOP functions, you can read more in this article.

We look forward to engaging with you on this topic in the future! Drop us a line at info@tts-talent.com?