Embracing AI: How Automation Enhances Your Talent Acquisition Role

Oh no…not another AI blog post!  But wait, this one is written to give some insight into what I learned about the world of artificial intelligence and talent acquisition as I attended both the TATech conference and SHRM National in Chicago.  A week with those who develop talent acquisition technology followed by a week with human resource and talent acquisition professionals trying to figure out all these new artificial intelligence products.  One thing is sure: AI was the main topic at both conferences.

 

Johnny C. Taylor (President of SHRM) sums AI up with this quote,  "AI is not going to replace your job, but someone who knows AI will."   Will AI one day replace talent acquisition professionals?  If you talk to the people who develop TA technology, the answer is a resounding yes.  If you speak to anyone who actually hires people, most know that AI will help with many tasks, but also know that it will take a human to work with future talent and create a genuine, exciting path to get them hired, onboarded, trained, and retained. 

 

The big disconnect right now is that AI for TA is still in the flip phone stage.  You probably are being inundated with emails as sales calls for AI products that will find and hire anyone.  There is no such thing, but here are a few AI products companies are using today to help them save time and find more candidates:

 

-          Resume Screening.  Many AI products have been developed that will be able to dig into any resume and analyze it against the job the job seeker desires.  If you get 100 resumes an hour, it will screen these in seconds and rank them based on keywords.  AI takes this a step further.  It can take those 100 resumes, look into all previous jobs, internships, volunteer work, and other things, and score them based on how others with similar backgrounds perform in similar jobs.  Very powerful.

-          Chatbots.  Chatbots are a game changer for employers who hire a lot of people. Chatbots can be used in many ways.  Today, you can have a chatbot set up in the career section of your site or any job posting you have.  It can answer any question, help guide the job seeker through the application process, and provide real-time reporting.  Chatbots can also take those 100 resumes, reach out to everyone, and ask them qualifying questions.  It allows the job seeker to make their case as to why they are a good candidate.  The chatbot can set an interview if the candidate is a fit.  If the job seekers don't qualify, they will know immediately and never wonder if the employer will ever contact them.

-          Candidate Sourcing.  Companies like hireEZ build databases using AI.  It finds your LinkedIn profile and then enhances it with anything else it can discover about you on the web from your digital presence.  It also can add your cell phone and personal email address to your profile.   As an employer, all you have to do is upload your job to hire EZ, and it will automatically create a recruiting campaign in seconds.  This is just scratching the service.

          Predictive Analytics for Candidate Matching. AI can take historical data, candidate information, and digital presence and predict with some proven accuracy if this person fits your company. IBM Watson is a big player in this area.

-          Onboarding Process Automation.  Companies are using AI to help automate the onboarding process.  Setting training schedules, automating documentation, and allowing real-time feedback are critical to keeping new hires involved and involved in a great experience.

AI will give you a great chance to find and recruit talent that you never even knew existed.  This part is great but you will always be needed to sell and convince great talent your company is the best place ever.