With human interaction playing a major role in recruitment, one would think that it would be one of the few things that wouldn’t benefit much from technological advancements; but that is far from what is occurring these days. Many companies have streamlined their recruitment processes to include AI tools.
Technology is becoming part of the hiring process — from writing job postings to background checks and the actual hiring. And involving AI in the different workflows of the recruitment process has eased a lot of the burden from both the recruiters and the applicants. It has shortened certain parts of the process, like wading through hundreds of resumés, making the process a lot less tedious. Integrating automation into recruitment has changed the way recruitment is done, largely for the better.
How Technology Has Changed Recruitment :-
- Getting noticed (job postings and applicants)
There was a time only a few years back when people who were looking for jobs would hand in physical copies of their resumés to various offices and wait for them to call. And recruiters posted flyers and took out ads in newspapers to get the word out that they are looking to hire for a certain position.
Today we have job platforms and social media applications where recruiters can post their vacancies, whether they are recruiting newly-grads or seasoned veterans, and actually reach their target applicant pool. These same job platforms and websites have profiles of the applicants where recruiters can find their resumés and relevant background. There no longer is a need for applicants to go office door to office door, peddling their resumés, nor is there a need for recruiters to paste flyers around town to announce their job openings. Everything is all done online.
- Reduced time spent on repetitive and time-consuming tasks
Not too long ago, recruiters would have mountains of physical resumés to read through in order to find who they think is the right candidate for the job. This took a lot of time, which made for a nerve-wracking few weeks for the applicants who took a gamble and handed their resumés in, hoping to land that job.
Because we now have automated tools and AI technology like an applicant tracking system to do the actual wading through that mountain of candidates and their qualifications, that step in the process is taking up a lot less time than it used to. This way you get the right applicants and the rest that do not qualify can be put into your applicant pool for future job openings. These automated tools can process data from resumés faster than your favorite barista can make you your pick-me-up of choice. This saves a lot of time.
That same technology that can process things like customer data, shipping cost, revenue and other business odds and ends can also process applicant data. Forms can be auto-populated thereby reducing human error and saving recruiters from the time-consuming process of manual data entry.
- Better applicant experience
Because things get processed more quickly, your candidates can get feedback on their application in a more timely manner. There even are automated email messages that your system can send applicants to either tell them that you have received their application, and if they made it or not.
Setting up schedules for interviews, even signing contracts are faster and easier now because of technological advancements. Even with the pandemic forcing people back into their homes and business to look into remote work setups for their employees, the recruitment process was still able to go on. All because of technology.
Interviews can be done through video calls. Vetting and other background checks are easier to do with AI-powered tools that make sense of big data. Sending a contract to be signed by your new hires can be done online. All this means that your applicants can focus on getting through the interview without worrying so much about other external factors.
- Innovation and sustainability
Technology has a way of opening doors for further innovation. There are job openings for roles that did not even exist years ago.
Remote work is also now becoming more popular. Back then, businesses used to prefer their employees to be physically present at work, now more and more companies are discovering the benefits of allowing their employees to work remotely; which has changed the way companies hire people.
The basic principle is still there: look for the right people to fill the right jobs, but the way it is done and the tools used have changed drastically.
With these changes, companies are finding their way into sustainability. Technological advancements can be quite green and environmentally friendly in many ways. Companies big on carbon management can continue with their hiring process while reducing their carbon footprint by conducting nearly the whole hiring process remotely.
Human Interaction
Integrating technology in recruitment in no way takes for granted human interaction. In fact, it clears time and space that were once cluttered by unproductive, repetitive tasks, and makes more time for face-to-face interaction between recruiter and applicant. This gives more time for the interviewer or hiring manager to get to know potential new hires and to see whether they are a perfect match not just for the job but also for the team and the company.
