The use of technology in people–facing jobs like Human Resources and recruitment has been met with both optimism and scepticism. Some practitioners delight in the existence of tools such as applicant tracking systems, automated email responders and chatbots as they provide structural support to the recruitment process. Others feel that using technology is simply hard to roll with and that it diminishes recruitment from being a vocation into a highly impersonal and transactional job.
Regardless of how one feels about marrying technology with recruitment, we can all agree that technology, in some way or another, plays a crucial role in the attainment of individual, team and organizational goals. The crucible lies on how we leverage technology to make these goals achievable.
Most technologies that we use now are powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), meaning these tools can mimic human intelligence and exhibit human capabilities (e.g. facial and voice recognition, adaptation, learning, memory). If built and used correctly, AI can help recruitment professionals address various challenges related to screening of candidates. Certain tasks can be offloaded to the AI, which leads to re-allocation of manpower time to more important deliverables. It can assume tasks done during the first phase of candidate assessment such as sourcing, initial interviewing and job matching. This enables the recruitment professional to dedicate one’s time and effort to second – level interviewing, stakeholders management and job offer negotiations.
So, what specific recruitment goals are we hoping to achieve by using technology? Below are a few examples:
Tactical / Short–Term Goals
- Quick broadcasting of vacancies and sourcing of candidates – Get hiring announcements delivered across several job boards and to your target candidates in less than an hour.
- Provide fair and equal chance to all applicants vying for the same role – All applicants are given the opportunity to showcase their capabilities and potential contributions to the company.
- Quick identification of qualified candidates – Identify and prioritize the most suitable candidates for interviews without having to sift through scores of submitted resumes.
- Short turn-around time for candidate screening – Ensure that the candidate is “right” and “safe”.
Strategic / Long–Term Goals:
- Improve overall candidate experience – All candidates, regardless of their application status, will remember the company with fondness because of great application experience.
- Improve employer brand – Become the “employer of choice” of many job seekers and effectively communicate employer value proposition (EVP). Company does not have to proactively seek out candidates during the hiring season as they will just come organically.
- Improve recruitment process efficiencies – Perform other recruitment – related responsibilities without compromising the quality and integrity of the hiring process. Recruiters can do away with menial administrative jobs and focus their efforts to more important tasks.
- Diminish security risks due to wrong hires – Safety of the company is guaranteed because thorough screening has been carried out on all hires.
Truth is there is no cookie–cutter approach when it comes to dealing with processes involving people as we are complex beings with volatile emotions and behaviours. Thus, there will always be changes in the manner we recruit people to continuously keep up with this volatility. However, we should comfort ourselves in the idea that technology is our ally in meeting the demands of these said changes.
This article is written by Kristine Policarpio is a seasoned recruitment professional with over 10 years’ experience. She was Recruitment Leader in one of Asia’s biggest broadcasting and media companies. She also used to consult for Avvanz which offers AI-powered Recruitment and Background Screening solutions
