With the average time to hire in Australia reaching 44 days, it’s not surprising a growing number of businesses are investing in AI for their Talent Acquisition teams in an effort to streamline their recruitment processes.
KMPG recently announced that the addition of AI chatbots into their recruitment process has cut down time to hire by 20% and reduced employee turnover in the process.
But are you considering adopting AI? Or are you prepared to be (potentially) filtered out of the process by a bot?
Whilst, the investment for companies is significant, a report conducted by Aptitude Research found that 73% of companies have invested in technologies to support their recruitment processes in the last year!
What are the Pros and Cons of introducing AI chatbots to the recruitment process?
Pros
Efficiency and Accelerated Processes: Prompt responses facilitate a more streamlined recruitment process.
Chatbots never sleep, so candidates get responses anytime: 24/7 accessibility accommodates candidates across different time zones and schedules.
No bias, just facts, when screening candidates: Consistent application of predefined criteria should mitigate unconscious biases.
Cost Efficiency: Automated tasks reduce operational costs and expedite the hiring timeline.
Scalability: Efficiently manages large application volumes, particularly during recruitment drives.
Create a less arduous experience for candidates: Interactive conversations contribute to a more engaging and positive candidate experience.
Cons
Lack of Personal Connection: The absence of a personal rapport or nuanced emotional understanding can deter candidates.
Complex Query Challenges: Bots can have difficulty comprehending complex queries, which leads to candidate frustration.
Language Limitations: Bots may struggle with understanding colloquial expressions, slang, or inferred language.
Implementation Costs: Initial setup is costly and involves significant investment in development, training, and integration.
Risk of Bias: Meticulous programming and ongoing monitoring is required to prevent biases in decision-making.
Candidates Prefer Human Interaction: Some candidates may prefer traditional human interaction over AI engagement in the recruitment process.
What is the Sweet Spot?
Whilst there are clearly positives and drawbacks to using chatbots in recruitment, the major opportunities lie in the early stages of the recruitment process, particularly in large organisations with volume applications. Chatbots can reduce much of the administrative work that is involved in manually assessing the suitability of initial applications.
The secret to success with AI in recruitment is to ensure it is used to complement human interactions and not replace them. By automating some of the top-funnel processes, AI can allow talent aquisition teams more time to focus on what matters, interviewing, building relationships and sourcing for cultural fit. The end goal afterall, should always be a positive candidate experience.
