Making friends (or enemies) of AI in hiring
An uncertain first impression
When Artificial Intelligence burst onto the hiring stage, the first line of thought was employees’ fear that it might eliminate too many jobs; as well as the flip side employer anticipation that it could be used to run a business more efficiently and save money (sometimes by replacing functions or jobs). The reality so far is that we aren’t seeing a noticeable trend in AI taking the place of a human in the office; and its biggest use by employers in hiring appears to be for screening incoming resumes. In fact, while AI is most certainly here to stay, only 27% of managers in one recent survey said they regularly use AI at work; and surprisingly, another report showed GenZ employees to be least interested in using AI in any fashion.
Why the haters?
A generation that literally grew up with technology is the most skeptical of this version of it. (See full article.) While nearly half of millennials are in favor of AI if it boosts their productivity, only 25% of GenZ workers said the same. In a world where social media overuse damages mental health and algorithms are designed to generate profit from internet use, GenZ is understandably concerned that technology in general is designed to exploit them. It’s not such much that they are anti-technology as it is a concern for who is really benefitting from their use of AI. It follows that some of the most prevalent use of AI by these job seekers is to pump up their resumes and interviews (more on that later).
When it comes to avoidance of AI by hiring managers, that’s a more obvious explanation. With so many other priorities, the challenge of learning to properly integrate AI in one’s own work (let alone others’) has been simply overwhelming. There is also an understandable hesitation to implement something that might replace personal judgment in hiring; as well as much talk about the dangers of unconsciously putting bias into the process by trusting AI to always do the right thing. And it can be a little frightening to rely on your chosen AI to always use the latest data and updates.
So what is working?
For better or worse, what’s working for job seekers is the application of AI to writing a resume, searching the internet to find possible job openings, and using AI to bulk-apply to those openings. If you need real-time coaching, you can even find AI applications to prompt you with answers to interview questions asked during your phone or video interview. In fact, 29% of job seekers in a survey by Capterra also admitted to using AI to help boost their scores on skills assessments.
In turn, hiring managers are countering by using AI to screen the multitudes of resumes that are flooding their Inboxes. The availability of chatbots to communicate during the application process has been helpful for keeping candidates engaged so the good ones don’t give up when they don’t hear something right away. There have also been some uses of AI during onboarding to make personalized training available; to answer common questions; or to map out ongoing development paths for new employees.
How to make friends with AI
Of all the suggestions we’ve heard, and the reports on the possibilities for AI in hiring, these are the ones that make the most sense to us today:
Train yourself on how to use AI to make your own job (and your workplace) more efficient, one task at a time. It’s a necessary skill for the future and makes you a quality hire or employee. However, while you’re doing that, remember that 6 of the top 10 skills employers want to see are still human ones: emotional intelligence, relationship building, communication, active listening, critical thinking, and conflict resolution. Here is an excellent starter video if you would like an overview of the key things you should know about AI.
If you are doing the hiring, don’t let AI replace personal judgment and experience. The best way for you to exercise that personal judgment is in a one-on-one meeting, so remember the value of face-to-face interviews (and eliminate the possibility of scripted answers).
AI used on a resume sounds like generic language, repeats common phrases, and gives uniform descriptions. Don’t let AI speak for you in your resume and cover letter without personalizing its suggestions. On the hiring manager end, it’s not difficult to spot purely-AI content, and there are even AI options that can be used to identify common AI phrasing.
Reference checks are not a thing of the past. These are still one of the best ways to legitimize your skills and experience, or to verify what a candidate is presenting.
Using real live humans properly in the hiring process
To date, no one anywhere expects AI to replace the need for human beings in hiring. While we all learn how to best include AI in a job search or in our recruiting, we are still in control of those tools rather than letting them control the process. In Personnel Partners’ offices, we have access to the same technology tools as any hiring manager, but we will never skip the personal screening or the one-on-one communication.
If you’d like the advantage of including human beings in your job search, try sending your resume to apply to be in our database of job seekers. If you are a hiring manager who could use a sidekick to apply professional judgment to your candidate selection, try asking our Certified Staffing Professionals to identify quality choices for you.
Let’s be friends who navigate the world of hiring with both AI and our own intelligence!