Whilst Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be the next big thing in the world of technology; it has, up to now, made a limited splash in the staffing industry. However, there is no doubt; AI is the future of staffing. However, although the possibility might appear daunting at first, with increased fears of job losses due to automation, the good news is that it could actually be a very positive advancement.
Today’s staffing market is one of the most difficult in history; low unemployment, increases in job growth and the need for a bespoke and ongoing candidate experience requires recruiters to invest more time, be more strategic about how they attract, source and retain candidates and ultimately become marketeers.
AI in the staffing industry can lead to key improvements and ultimately making the life of a recruiter easier. Recruiters who use AI can speed up the whole recruiting process, remove so many of the administrative repetitive jobs and focus their energies on the strategic and crucial ‘human’ tasks that make for a better candidate experience.
So what are the areas of staffing that AI will impact most?
- Automation of repetitive jobs
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is about to do the repetitive, boring tasks quicker and more accurately. AI can sort through resumes, identifying the best candidates and can then build and maintain relationships with candidates, ensuring the candidate experience is a positive one. Automation of these tasks will allow recruiters to utilise their skills for ‘human’ tasks that require emotional intelligence, reasoning and judgement
- Allows the whole recruiting process to be improved
By utilising AI to handle the early stages of the recruitment process and AI’s ‘human’ communication abilities, it offers help to recruiters competing for talent by raising candidate communication and engagement standards without adding extra burdens.
The use of AI Smart Visual Assistants such as the chatbots allows candidates to have a ‘human’ conversation as soon as they land on a website. A chatbot can guide the candidate to the right place to apply for a job and even take a look at their CV and guide them on which job is a best fit for their skills.
- Improve diversity
AI is unbiased on disability, gender and race unlike humans who have unconscious bias.
AI tools such as the new generation of games are informed by behavioural and neuro sciences and select candidates based on what is key for the employer. Most importantly, they will avoid any human bias.
- Improve candidate communication and engagement
As AI has the ability to learn and adapt its algorithms so it gets better and smarter at providing the candidates with what they want and allows recruiters to improve how they communicate with candidates. Intelligent algorithms will increase the likelihood that any message sent to a candidate is received and opened as it ‘learns’ when is the best time of day and technique is most likely to get a response. If not, it will automate the process of trying a different form of communication until it learns the best method and time to communicate with each, individual candidate.
- Analysing big data
One of the most important functions that AI can fulfil is analysing big data. Intelligent analysis of big data can answer many questions and use a candidate’s past work history to predict future actions, such as: which candidates are most likely to come to an interview or their first day of work; perform well at work and accomplish company goals. This in turn can allow recruiters to source and retain the best candidates without wasting time, effort or money.
What is very clear is that AI is certain to become more and more the norm within the staffing industry. Resisting the change will be futile; however news of a move towards AI in the staffing industry can in fact be a very good thing.Allows the whole recruiting process to be improved
