How Bots & A.I. Take the Heart of out Hiring and Candidate Engagement

A.I. and Bots

A.I. is in our daily headlines and how it’s impacting hiring and candidate engagement. How did YOU get hired for your current position?  Did you put out “feelers” within your network? Did you apply blindly through a talent acquisition platform?  Did you work with professional recruiters? In our current environment, bots and A.I. take the heart out of hiring and candidate engagement.

At what point along the way did you have direct contact with a human being?  Maybe it was after you muddled through postings, attached the right attachments, or figured out how to outsmart the bot screeners.  At some point along the way, you stood out to a hiring manager—you connected with a human being.

The human element is at the heart of job seeking—and recruiting.  It takes more than talent acquisition software sorting through keywords to get an entire picture.  And recruiters know– the best applicants may be the ones not actively searching at all.

Recruiters see what Talent Acquisition Platforms Cannot

Everyone can relate to this scenario: Enter your birthdate.  Two digits for month, two for day, and four for year.  Sorry, I didn’t get that.  Please enter two digits for month, two for day, and four for year.  Sorry, I didn’t get that.  Please press 1 to return to the main menu.  Click. You utter a few choice words.

Automation.  It can only be so intuitive. While no hiring manager wants to sort through hundreds of emails or stacks of resumes, we must be aware of the limits of automated talent acquisition platforms. And it’s affecting how employees find meaning at work. 

Applicant Tracking Uses A.I.

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are excellent tools, especially in providing a centralized location for applications, but many filter these applications using search engine optimization techniques.  The ATS is looking for keywords and may be missing out on valuable experiences that fall outside the mold.   Kayla Matthews, HR Technologist gives an example:  There may be some cases where the content of the person’s application doesn’t precisely match what the algorithms seek, making the system bypass it. Sometimes, that can happen due to the wording a person uses on an application or even acronyms. For example, maybe one of your preferences is that successful applications for a camp counselor position have at least two years of American Sign Language knowledge. If a person has a “Languages” subheading on their application and merely adds “ASL” to it, a human will likely grasp the meaning right away, but a machine may not.”

Research and Validation

Studies have shown that up to 75% of qualified applicants are rejected by ATS programs because they can’t be read, says Joe Konop of Forbes.  Some ATS systems require resumes to be in .doc or .txt form or do not work well with graphics.  Some platforms may reject resumes that list a date instead of an employer name first. Others may want resumes submitted as attachments instead of being typed in (Forbes).

After candidates submit applications, some companies rely on applicant tracking systems to also send out automated rejections.  This lack of personalized feedback can burn a bridge with applicants who may have invested hours filling out the application.  This can affect that candidate’s willingness to apply to a future posting.

Advantages of Using a Recruiting Firm

Using a recruiter bridges the gap between a candidate and employer or between a candidate—bot screener–employer.  A recruiter can:

  • Bring pre-screened, quality candidates- especially by pre-qualifying for specialized in industries like SaaS, B2B Tech, and Data Services
  • Provide a warm introduction vs. a cold one
  • Advise job seekers about open positions faster, often before they are publicly posted
  • Keep job searches confidential
  • Match candidates to employers based on their cultural fit as well as their qualifications
  • Save time with streamlining hiring process and personalizing feedback to candidates not chosen
  • Negotiate contracts

Hiring the wrong person can cost companies thousands in wasted time and wages.  Using a recruiting firm like Artemis Consultants helps businesses see the entire picture of a candidate.  We are in the business of connecting people to keep companies growing and advancing.  Please visit our website for a free talent search consultation.

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