A Balancing Act: AI and Humans in Recruitment

By: Felix Ho

The need to find strong talent for businesses have never changed. The only thing that has changed is the way we source and recruit candidates.  With the introduction of AI, it has been making the biggest impact to this process since the early days of the internet.

As such, businesses jumped on the AI train to ensure they don’t get left behind in the race for talent. Today, we’ll take a look at what benefits AI brings to recruitment, what advantages humans have over AI still, and how to create a harmony between human and AI for the best results.

AI:

Automation and Streamlining

Tedious and time-consuming manual tasks including sourcing candidates, reviewing resume, communication and providing feedback, scheduling for interviews, and more can be handled by AI and automation. With streamlined processes that re repeatable and automated, this ensures that each candidate is treated the same way, the approach will be the same no matter what the job opening may be, as well as fast and efficient results.

Reducing Hiring Bias

With algorithms to remove data that might create bias based on a candidate’s gender, race, age or socioeconomic status, this gives all candidates the same evaluation methods based on technical skills and experiences.

Reduced Cost and Time to Hire

AI allows for faster processing time and can review thousands of applications and resumes in mere seconds.  This leads to quicker responses and feedback to the candidates.  Without long delays in communication, this allows for a much quicker recruitment and interview process so that jobs are filled quicker and reducing the cost that vacant positions have on businesses.  And with better hires resulting in less turnover and less cost.

Human:

Empathy and Understanding

When it comes to grasping a candidate’s aspirations, motivations, and concerns, recruiters can empathize with the job seeker based on their situations.  There are situations that are not black and white and requires further investigation and understanding that are just not reflected in data and analytics.

Personality and Cultural Fit

Picking up on subtle cues and assessing whether a candidate’s values, work style, and personality align with the organization’s culture is important to ensuring the right hire for any business. Sometimes the best candidate on paper isn’t the best fit for the company due to such differences and requires a balance of technical ability and personality / cultural fit.

Personal Interactions and Relationship Building

The whole interview process is full of interactions and candidates have shared that they use interviews to gauge how they will get along with the team, as well as the culture and work environment.  Emotional connection helps build trust and rapport with candidates, making them feel valued and understood, and gives them a preview of what it may possibly be like working for the company.

AI and human efforts should not be viewed as opposing forces, but complimentary to one another to find the perfect balance between efficiencies that AI brings and the understanding in humans that only we have. Leveraging AI and automation for repetitive tasks and data analysis allows recruiters to focus on understanding candidates and building rapport and trust. Together, the Human-AI approach will improve the overall candidate experience with more empathy and personalized approached, better and quicker communication, and greater engagement throughout the process.

Contact Us today to speak with one of our Account Executives and let us help you build your team with the right talent this year!

Photo Credit: Image by freepik

Link to Original Blog Post: https://www.expandreach.ca/2024/09/03/a-balancing-act-ai-and-humans-in-recruitment/