Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has developed significantly during the past few years, with some experts predicting that it will surpass human intelligence. With AI in recruitment, the role of a recruiter is changing. Instead of just looking over CVs and conducting interviews, they now have to analyse data from many different sources. It sounds like a great idea on paper— but what are the tangible benefits and negative consequences of using artificial intelligence for recruitment?

This blog will explore how AI affects recruiters and candidates, both good and bad. We'll also try to answer: How can companies employ AI without affecting their employees' job prospects? What are some of the pitfalls when it comes to using AI in recruitment?

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of machines to perform tasks that require human intelligence. AI is being used more and more in recruitment.

"Recruitment has been a longstanding profession, with most roles requiring people to manually review CVs, organise interviews, and make decisions based on experience and gut instinct."

AI in recruitment is considered as a piece of software that can scan through a CV and identify the top candidates. It can also be used to find information about an individual without their input.

How AI affects the recruiter's job

So, what are the tangible benefits and negative consequences of using AI for recruitment?

The role of a recruiter is changing, but there are benefits to using AI in recruitment. One benefit is that it can help them identify qualified candidates much more quickly than before, making recruiters more efficient by removing mundane tasks like sourcing resumes and cross-referencing them with available jobs. It also helps companies know whether or not a candidate is a good fit for the current position or company culture. Plus, the time spent reading CVs and conducting interviews can now be allocated to other tasks.

AI can also lead to a decrease in bias and discrimination in the hiring process. This could be caused by less reliance on subjective criteria such as "gut feelings" or personal preferences. Another way AI decreases bias is with its ability to analyse data from many different sources. An AI system can look at everything from a candidate's education to their LinkedIn profile, which makes it easier for recruiters to make better decisions about who they should contact next for an interview.

On the other hand, some recruiters are concerned that artificial intelligence will eventually replace them, but when it comes down to it, the benefits of using AI, such as the decrease in bias and discrimination mentioned earlier, are useful to the recruiter and will benefit them when making a selection.

Employers should look into how they can employ AI without affecting their employees' job prospects. While some argue that AI is a no-brainer for companies, it could have an adverse effect on hiring costs and employee engagement levels. As such, it might be worth taking these points into consideration before you invest in hiring AI software.

How AI affects the candidate's job prospects

One of the most prevalent issues with AI in recruitment is its effect on job prospects. With the recruiting process changing, recruiters are now using data sets to analyse prospective employees rather than relying on their gut feeling or interviewing them personally. This leaves candidates who have not gone through the digital process at a disadvantage. Some experts predict that this could lead to a shortage of qualified candidates and an increase in unemployment rates as companies are unable to find applicants who meet their criteria.

In order to avoid these negative consequences, companies need to think about how they can employ AI without affecting their employees' job prospects. There are many strategies they can use: The company can train their existing employees to get up-to-speed on the new technology and do trial runs before implementing it fully; They can offer incentives for candidates who complete the digital interview process before losing out on job opportunities, or they can hire new staff with relevant skillsets who understand how AI works and how it affects the recruitment process.

The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

The future of artificial intelligence in recruitment is bright, but it's not without its drawbacks. The specific effects of AI in recruitment depend on how far it progresses and what types of data are used.

AI is good at automating tasks, which has the potential to make recruiters more productive., and it can certainly help with some of the most tedious aspects of recruitment, but as AI becomes smarter, there may be concerns about whether companies are taking a risk by making decisions based on information that can be manipulated or misinterpreted.

There's also the possibility that companies will use AI just to reduce costs instead of investing in their employees and amplifying their value proposition. There's already been an increase in the number of jobs being outsourced to cheaper countries with lower standards of living. If this trend continues, we could see large numbers of jobs being outsourced to AI-powered machines - or even replaced outright by them - and with fewer jobs available for humans, unemployment could rise rapidly.

Conclusion

Artificial Intelligence in recruitment is the use of software programs to help companies find the most qualified candidates for open positions. If you're a recruiter - and you use technology like email, Google Docs, and Skype - you can benefit from artificial intelligence by using AI software that helps you identify, contact, and screen candidates who are most likely to be successful in your specific industry. If you're a job-seeker, you should also be aware of AI in recruitment as it might affect your chances of landing the job you want. It will take time for AI software to become more developed and accessible to the general public, but you can use the information above to help you decide how to stay informed about this important topic.

If you're using AI in recruitment now or thinking of implementing it soon, make sure your recruiter is still involved in the process; otherwise, your employees' job prospects could be affected.

If we can help you with any aspect of your recruitment process, please get in touch.