AI hiring tools are all the rage. But before we get into how you can use artificial intelligence (AI) for recruiting, let's look back at the history of AI so you understand its origins.

The Early Days of AI:

AI has been a topic of discussion since the 1950s, but it wasn't until the mid-1990s that it gained mainstream attention. In 1997, IBM's Deep Blue defeated chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in a highly publicized match, proving that machines were capable of defeating humans in strategic games. However, it wasn't until the 2010s that AI technology saw rapid growth and adoption in various industries, including recruiting.

The Role of AI in Recruiting:

AI has been integrated into various aspects of the hiring process, from resume screening to candidate assessment and interview intelligence. These tools are designed to help streamline and optimize the recruitment process, saving time and resources while improving the quality of hires. AI can also help reduce bias in hiring, as it focuses on objective data rather than subjective factors.

The Impact of AI on Hiring Bias:

One of the main benefits of using AI in recruiting is reducing unconscious bias. Studies have shown that human recruiters are prone to making biased decisions based on factors such as gender, race, and other personal traits. Things as simple as difficulty pronouncing a name can throw off even the most seasoned interviewers and lead to negative feedback on candidates. AI in the hiring process has been shown to decrease bias dramatically as AI hiring tools don't see personal traits the same way humans do.

For this reason the use of AI in recruiting can significantly enhance a company's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) impact. By reducing the impact of human bias, AI allows for a more fair and equitable candidate assessment process. It evaluates candidates based on their skills, qualifications, and experience, rather than personal traits or backgrounds. As a consequence, companies can build a more cohesive, diverse, and inclusive workforce, which has been proven to be beneficial not only for company culture but also for its bottom line.

Diverse teams bring a variety of perspectives to the table, driving innovation, and boosting problem-solving capabilities. Thus, utilizing AI in recruitment can be a powerful tool for any company striving to build diversity and promote inclusion in its workforce.

AI Recruitment Software

Let's shift our attention to how to use artificial intelligence in the recruitment process. First, AI can help you find candidates faster and in an automated way. AI recruitment solutions like HireEZ use AI to help you find the best candidates for your jobs by automating candidate sourcing and screening.

Another way AI can help is by improving the job-matching process. With AI, recruiters can identify relevant skills, experience, and qualifications from a high volume of resumes and applications. This not only saves time but also ensures that the best-fit candidates are identified for each role.

AI recruitment software can also assist in candidate assessment. Pillar's interview intelligence software uses AI to analyze candidate responses in real time, providing recruiters with valuable insights into a candidate's communication skills, personality traits, and overall fit for the role. This can help streamline the interview process and improve the accuracy of candidate evaluation.

Next, AI can enhance the candidate experience by providing personalized communication and updates throughout the hiring process. AI-powered chatbots can handle routine queries and provide quick responses, keeping candidates informed and engaged. This leads to a more positive candidate experience (CX) and can help improve employer branding and reviews on sites like Glassdoor.

Lastly, AI recruitment software can provide valuable data and analytics for measuring the effectiveness of your hiring process. By tracking metrics such as time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and quality of hire, recruiters can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize their hiring strategy.

Overall, AI has become a pivotal tool for modern recruiters, helping them streamline their processes. If you look at just one of the many features offered by Pillar, automated interview scheduling and candidate/ interviewer introductions, HR teams and recruiters can save 1- 3 hours per candidate, per interview alone. That's a huge time saving and can add bandwidth and focus to other aspects of the recruitment process such as candidate engagement, employer branding, or diversity and inclusion initiatives.

AI In Recruitment Examples

AI in recruitment examples, like the ones we mentioned earlier offers many benefits, but what about the downsides? You may be thinking about examples of AI in HR at companies like Google and Amazon that have shown biases in the hiring process. However, it's important to note that these biases were a result of using biased data and algorithms, rather than the AI technology itself. Companies must be mindful of the data they use to train AI and ensure it is diverse, unbiased, and representative of their workforce.

A great example of using AI for recruiting in a positive way is Hilton's partnership with IBM Watson Talent. The hotel chain uses AI technology to screen resumes and identify the best candidates for their open positions, resulting in a 97% increase in the quality of hires. This not only saves time and resources for Hilton but also creates a more diverse workforce by reducing unconscious bias in the hiring process.

Another example is Unilever's use of AI-powered chatbots to engage with potential candidates and provide them with personalized and timely updates throughout the recruitment process. This has led to a significant increase in candidate satisfaction and improved employer branding for the company.

Yet another positive example is Pillar's interview intelligence. A local Head of DEI came to us with a challenge. Diversity hiring was at an all-time low and they needed help. After implementing Pillar into their hiring processes, they saw a huge shift in hiring metrics. I'll let the Head of DEI's own words showcase their results. "With Pillar, we've increased our hiring of diverse candidates by 59% in just two quarters. And we are seeing immediate impact on revenue." Two quarters and they increased diversity hiring by almost 60% - quite a turnaround.

Overall, AI for recruiting has shown tremendous potential for improving the efficiency, accuracy, and diversity of hiring processes. As long as companies are mindful of using unbiased data and algorithms, AI can be a powerful tool for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workforce. It's time for companies to embrace AI recruitment solutions and unlock their full potential for building diverse and high-performing teams.

So don't be afraid to incorporate AI into your recruitment process. Start small and experiment with different tools and solutions to see what works best for your company. With the right approach, AI can transform your recruiting efforts and help you build a more inclusive and innovative workforce.

Recruitment Strategy

Now, let's turn our attention to recruitment strategy. Specifically, the question we get more than almost any other - "How can I use AI for employee recruitment?" There are several key areas where AI can be incorporated into your recruitment strategy to drive results. Let's explore a few.

First, as mentioned earlier, look at your applicant pool like a funnel. A huge number of resumes go in the big end and a small number of screenings come out the small end. AI can automate this entire process for you, sourcing candidates by scanning job boards, social media platforms, and other databases for potential applicants that match the desired skills and qualifications. This not only saves time but also ensures a wider reach when searching for top talent.

Next, AI can assist with candidate screening and assessment. Through the use of interview intelligence and natural language processing (NLP), AI-powered software can analyze candidate resumes, cover letters, and even social media profiles to identify the best-fit candidates for each role. This not only improves the accuracy of candidate evaluation but also helps remove unconscious biases from the hiring process.

Additionally, AI can enhance the candidate experience by providing personalized communication and updates throughout the hiring process. AI-powered chatbots can handle routine queries and provide quick responses, keeping candidates informed and engaged. This leads to a more positive candidate experience (CX) and can help improve employer branding and reviews on sites- we talked about this in a previous section, so I won't belabor the point.

Lastly, AI recruitment software can provide valuable data and analytics for measuring the effectiveness of your hiring process. By tracking metrics such as time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and quality of hire, recruiters can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize their hiring strategy. This alone can lead to significant time and cost savings for companies.

Overall, incorporating AI into your recruitment strategy allows you to automate time-consuming tasks, improve the accuracy of candidate evaluation, enhance the candidate experience, and make data-driven decisions for continuous improvement. It's a win-win situation for both recruiters and candidates alike.

If you're currently in need of AI-powered recruitment tools, but you're not sure which one is right for you, book your demo of Pillar today. We'd love to show you how we can help transform your recruitment efforts and drive positive outcomes for your company.