Make a Chatbot Your Most Useful Assistant
When we talk about candidate assessment, we are trying to answer critical questions. These questions are often hard to answer, and the answers are open to interpretation.
These are probably some of the things you are seeking answers to.
Do they have the skills, knowledge, and experience to do the job?
Do they bring diversity of ethnicity, gender, or thought?
Are they honest?
Will they fit the hiring manager’s and the company’s culture?
We rely primarily on resumes and interviews to determine the answers. We study behavioral and structured interviewing and even add observation, at times, through assessment centers. However, the data suggests that even well-done interviews and observations are only accurate a quarter of the time. People who are hired often fail. Early turnover is almost always high.
Interviewing is open to all the foibles we humans have. We like people like us; when we like people, we find competencies where others don’t. We infer and interpret what we hear before we have collected anywhere near enough data. We can be influenced by flattery, humor, clothing, and physical appearance. In short, our human needs for friendship and to be liked often overshadow our objectivity.
So, how do recruiters become better at objectively screening candidates?
Here are five ways to improve your selection prowess:
Know what you are looking for. You should have a clear set of competencies defined for every job you are interviewing people for. Without these competencies, you cannot know who you are looking for. Spend time with the hiring manager to define the skills needed to get the job done. I like to ask managers to identify the one or two absolutely needed skills – no more. Verify those skills, if possible, by talking to those already working in those roles. Work with a hiring manager to reduce the requirements to the minimum and the most objective ones.
Let candidates select themselves in or out of the process. Provide all prospective candidates with thorough information about the company and the job so that they can decide if it is for them. Chatbots are great at this. They can deliver virtual tours and answer questions whenever it is convenient for the candidate. Many candidates will decide the job or the company is not what they seek.
AI has now entered the picture. AI can communicate with the candidate, ask and interpret the answers to questions, administer tests that objectively measure skills and abilities, and match the required skills to those the candidate has through their past working experience or education.
These are some ways AI can enhance and improve your selection process.
Efficient Screening: AI can quickly review and screen a large volume of resumes and applications. It can identify keywords, qualifications, and experience relevant to the job description, saving recruiters valuable time.
Automated Initial Interviews: Chatbots can conduct automated initial interviews with candidates, asking predefined questions to assess qualifications, skills, and cultural fit. This helps filter out unqualified candidates early in the process.
Personalized Candidate Interaction: AI chatbots can provide personalized responses to candidate inquiries, ensuring a positive candidate experience. They can answer common questions about the company, job role, and application process 24/7.
Skill Assessment: AI can assess candidates’ technical skills through automated tests or simulations. For example, in tech roles, candidates may be asked to solve coding challenges, which AI can evaluate.
Predictive Analytics: AI can use historical data to predict which candidates are more likely to succeed in specific roles based on their skills, experience, and past performance. This helps in making informed hiring decisions.
Diversity and Inclusion: AI can help reduce bias in the screening process by focusing solely on qualifications and skills. It can also flag potential bias in job descriptions and provide suggestions for more inclusive language.
Language Processing: AI can analyze candidates’ written communication skills and language proficiency, which is valuable for roles requiring strong written communication.
Candidate Ranking: AI can rank candidates based on their qualifications, fit, and interview performance, making it easier to prioritize top candidates.
Continuous Learning: AI systems can learn and improve over time. They can adapt to your specific hiring criteria and preferences, becoming more effective as they process more data.
Scalability: AI can handle a high volume of candidates simultaneously, allowing you to scale your recruitment efforts efficiently.
Data-Driven Insights: AI can provide valuable insights into your hiring process, helping you identify bottlenecks, areas for improvement, and trends in candidate behavior.
Automated Reference Checks: AI tools can assist in collecting and analyzing reference feedback efficiently.
When implementing AI in your recruiting process, it’s essential to strike a balance between automation and human touch. While AI can automate many tasks, human recruiters play a critical role in building relationships, understanding cultural fit, and making final hiring decisions.
Remember that AI should be used to augment your recruiting efforts, not replace them entirely. It can help you identify and shortlist candidates more efficiently, allowing you to focus on the essential human aspects of recruiting, such as interviewing, assessing cultural fit, and building relationships with candidates. Additionally, be mindful of ethical considerations, transparency, and potential bias in AI-based recruiting tools.
Using AI, you will find managers happier with the quality of candidates, candidates happier in their jobs, and you, as the recruiter, moving rapidly ahead in your career.
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