AI in Recruitment

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a sci-fi fantasy – its starting to show itself in many parts of  daily life, including job searching and recruitment.

“The recruitment sector is certainly buzzing with innovation and the growth of AI is just one example of the ways we are increasingly using technology to enhance the recruitment process for candidates and employers,” explains Sam Holt of Norwich accountancy recruitment company, Big Sky Additions.

A growing range of recruitment software makes use of AI and there are many fascinating ways in which the technology can be incorporated into the recruitment process to benefit employers and candidates. “There are a number of good reasons why recruitment companies are embracing AI, to reduce bias and improve the candidate experience during the recruitment process,” says Sam, who recruits for part time and full time accountancy jobs in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Here are some great ways that AI can add value to the recruitment process:

  1. Chatbots

Many companies are using chatbots (also known as AI—powered assistants) to engage with website visitors through a pop-up help message window. “In some roles we can see the value of using chatbots to reduce the time to hire and increase candidate numbers by guiding website visitors through an online application process,” suggests Sam. “Chatbots can also be used effectively to streamline processes such as booking appointments and keeping candidates updated about the progress of their application or to send out automated deadline reminders.” More advanced chatbots know as “Mya” and “Olivia” are powered by machine learning and use natural language processing to pick up on details that emerge in their chatbot conversations, which means they could even be used to shortlist candidates. Very smart!

  1. AI for building relationships with candidates

Beamery is an example of a candidate relationship platform which can be used to proactively build relationships with passive candidates. “This kind of technology can use data analysis to identify passive candidates on our system and even suggest the best time to reach out to them,” explains Sam. “Its a great example of how AI can complement our more traditional customer service skills to create better relationships with our candidates.”

  1. Writing the perfect job advert

Competition to attract the best talent is fierce, and the job ad is where an applicant’s journey begins. “A high quality job advert is important for a company’s image, and its also key to the quality and diversity of candidates that will apply as a result,” explains Sam. Textio uses data and predictive analytics to analyse the meaningful language patterns that cause some posts to succeed where others don’t. As a growing number of documents are analysed, the accuracy of the predictions increases, moving closer to producing the “perfect” job ad.

  1. No more cheating on video

Video interviews are growing in popularity as part of the recruitment process because they allow recruiters to get a feel for someone’s personality and the way they present themselves. Panna is an AI-driven platform which specialises in technical hiring. It can use machine learning to verify video interviews for signs of unusual behaviour. “The technology can detect if a candidate is regularly looking away from the screen, which might suggest they are using cue cards, or if there is another voice on the recording, which could be a sign that the applicant has someone on the phone helping them maybe,” explains Sam.

 

For support and advice on recruiting for accountancy jobs in Norfolk and Suffolk contact Sam Holt on 01603 516254