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Using bots to better your recruitment practices
As the newest addition to the workforce RPA AI is still settling into its role, but does it also have the potential to help your HR team with recruiting new talent? Recent studies have shown that an astounding 65% of job applications are ignored by recruiters. There are a variety of reasons for this but the key issue is lack of time. With high volume applicant positions that number into the thousands it becomes virtually impossible for recruiters to go through each candidate application. With AI assistance, this problem could potentially be wiped out entirely with industry estimates predicting that bots can automate as much as 80% of the top-of-funnel recruiting activities.
As chatbots are easily integrated with various software programs and systems you can use them to communicate with potential candidates through various channels including:
- SMS
- Social media profiles like Facebook
- Messaging apps like Slack
- Specific software such as an Applicant Tracking Software (ATS)
Don’t call us, we’ll call you
The number one gripe job seekers have is a lack of communication from the companies they are applying to. Recruitment chatbots can easily fill this gap and research shows that individuals are becoming more and more comfortable interacting with bots in the early stages of recruiting, especially when dealing with the practical nuts and bolts around recruiting, like inputting data around years of experience and qualifications for example.
An even larger percentage of individuals are comfortable with bots the scheduling of and the preparation for interviews. Even though it is not human to human contact, being in contact with a bot also makes a candidates feel like ‘something’ is happening with their application as opposed to just waiting and wondering if their resume has been seen at all.
My right hand person
Chatbots are also able to help recruiters with all the administrative tasks that cost them time, that could be spent doing in-person interviews and candidate evaluation
Tasks like:
- Collecting candidate information including their CV and contact details
- Ranking candidates on metrics like qualifications, previous work experience and their current activity in the industry
- Asking screening questions in order to discount unqualified applicants early in the process
- Answering FAQs about both the application process and the job itself
- And, scheduling interviews with human recruiters
The beauty of chatbot aided recruitment is that all of these functions can happen concurrently saving a great deal of time and making the whole process that much more efficient. Current use cases show that all this information can be collected simultaneously from hundreds to even thousands of candidates. All this information can then be fed into your ATS or sent directly to human recruiters to follow up.
And, due to a chatbot’s intelligent nature, over time it will begin to understand specifically which metrics to look out for when recruiting for a specific position. Making it’s ‘search results’ more and more accurate. Cutting recruitment and time to employment down significantly.
How to use your new chief recruiter
Aside from what’s listed above you are also able to divvy up tasks for your bot in areas that many recruitment agencies have found themselves stumbling more and more frequently as data becomes more cumbersome to manage due to sheer volume.
1. Turn visitors into applicants
Many companies have noted that they have a low conversion rate when it comes to turning visitors on their jobs page to applicants. As we all know people just don’t enjoy having to fill out forms. By changing your application process to include a conversation with a recruitment bot you immediately engage potential new hires in the culture of your organisation while collecting the data needed to begin the screening process. Basic information like name, email, position and the upload of a resume can be asked for in matter of minutes.
2. Send job specs to the right applicants
Generally speaking, all recruitment agencies have massive databases of applicants and frequently, because of lack of time and resources, job offers are sent out on mass scale to the full database hoping for hits (not ideal and quite frankly worst practice). With a bot that is able to mine your data efficiently, pulling the details of candidates that actually match the job specifications for the position in question, you will be able to send out more pointed communication to the right individuals providing you with a better chance of filling a position quickly and with the best candidate.
3. Up-to-the-minute data
Keeping your database up-to-date with the correct information is difficult. It’s time consuming and it’s certainly not something recruitment agents do on a daily basis. But with the assistance of your recruitment bot you will be able to update your candidates on a daily basis, reply to client candidate requests quicker and you’ll even be able to facilitate long term relationships with your candidates more effectively. But how? Using personal and automated conversations you can get updates on candidate availability, current position and information around mobility and additional certifications. And as previously mentioned because bots integrate so easily with various messaging platforms you can contact your database through their preferred messaging service. This means, once again, you’ll be in a space to fill positions more quickly.
Transparency is key
Even though bots offer a route towards better recruiting practices it is important to still be aware that that bots are not there to replace humans, especially not in this field. The reality is you will still run into issues like bots not understanding all the ways that people text and the various ways individuals input data.
To combat candidate frustration make sure they are always aware they are speaking to a bot. Added to that providing clear instruction as to how candidates need to submit information will go a long way towards curbing said frustration and avoiding the classic AI response “Sorry, I don’t understand”
In the end, what it comes down to…
In the fields of HR and recruitment, humans are supposed to be in charge of creating connections and finding talent, not spending ridiculous amounts of time rifling through databases, setting up interviews and sending copy and paste rejection letters (which should never be done). Recruiting a bot into your recruitment team will free-up their human counterparts to do what they do best. Connecting with talent to find the perfect candidates with the right experience and culture fit for any organisation.
Mario Grunitz
Working Machines
An executive’s guide to AI and Intelligent Automation. Working Machines takes a look at how the renewed vigour for the development of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation technology has begun to change how businesses operate.
