Finding top talent is not only one of the most critical aspects of a company’s success, it’s also one of the toughest things to do. When unemployment rates are down at 3.9%, (as they were as of April 2018), it becomes especially challenging. Couple this with changes in how job seekers are approaching employment, and recruiters are finding themselves having to chart new territory.
We hear about how AI is changing software like marketing automation and customer success, but many industries being disrupted by artificial intelligence (AI). Not to be outpaced, recruiters are looking at ways to use this technology to work smarter. A new way of looking at recruiting is emerging, and with it, the entire process is changing.
Less Searching, More Recruiting
While LinkedIn and networking events are still good resources, the playing field is seriously levelling up when it comes to how the game is played. AI makes it possible to search for qualified talent more quickly, leaving more time for connecting with candidates, and spending less time searching. This frees up recruiters to do what they do best. Tools that employ unstructured data parsing to understand resumes, social posts, and other online text can help recruiters identify qualified and best-fit candidates.
Finding a Broader Range of Candidates
AI is identifying candidates beyond LinkedIn and traditional job boards. By scraping the internet for qualified talent, this technology is able to identify candidates you may have overlooked because of a rigid job description. AI will help you challenge your own parameters by presenting candidates with soft skills or a different degree you hadn’t considered. Not only is this disruption great for finding strong talent you wouldn’t have otherwise found, but it may be adding the diversity of thought or experience to your talent pool that your organization needs.
Identifying Passive Candidates Faster
Every recruiter wishes they could land a great candidate before anyone else even finds out they’re available. The problem is that it’s impossible to know when someone may be thinking about leaving their job. Well, that is until now. AI is able to predict when someone may be likely to change jobs based upon algorithms that look at things like how long someone’s been in their position, how often they usually change jobs, and whether their company is downsizing. Then, they match those candidates with your job search criteria, providing recruiters with people who have a strong likelihood of being in a position to consider making a job change.
Providing an Accurate Picture of the Talent Pool
One of the most frustrating things for a recruiter to go through is trying to explain to a hiring manager that the talent simply isn’t there for specific positions in a particular region of the country. Oftentimes recruiters are blamed for not doing their job, when in reality the talent pool simply isn’t there.
AI is able to produce accurate reporting that shows specific regions and what talent would realistically be available there based upon the required skill sets of the job. This helps managers know if they need to change their expectations, provide additional training to existing staff, or relocate the position to another area.
Making Faster Hires
What recruiters do well is identify talent and get those people in the door. What managers need is to have that talent ready for real work as quickly as possible. When less time is spent on searching for candidates, the rest of the recruiting and interviewing process can move along quickly, meaning requisitions are filled in a lot less time than through more traditional search methods.
AI is making its way into onboarding as well, with chatbots running training and employee self-service tools. Look for software that offers content discovery and delivery to help employees better understand your company, and make use of self-service tools that hold conversations with employees instead of making them search through documentation in vain.
Changing from Reactive to Proactive
With so many requisitions to fill, recruiters are oftentimes in reactive mode, looking for talent when a position opens up, and scrambling to fill it as soon as possible. AI can change all that when you’re able to identify talent before you’re desperate to fill a role. Recruiters can begin to cultivate relationships and fill the pipeline with potential candidates well in advance of an opportunity being available.
While it may feel like a disruption, AI isn’t here to eliminate the human element of recruiting. In fact, it’s here to do just the opposite. When recruiters are spending less time searching, and more time recruiting, organizations will begin to see their positions filling faster, and with candidates who are better suited for their roles and the cultures they join.