How AI can help your hiring

Momentum around artificial intelligence (AI) is at an all-time high. There’s been an explosion of AI-based solutions to augment all parts of the recruitment process, from writing job ads to reviewing resumés. 

With technology moving so fast, it can be tricky to make heads or tails of it all. So, what does AI mean for the hiring process? SEEK’s resident expert on AI, Simon Lusted, Group Executive, Product, shares his insights on AI’s impact, benefits and how employers can use it to improve recruitment.

AI has been around for some time. What’s new, says Lusted, is how it’s used and who is using it. “Previously, AI models were mostly used for pattern recognition,” he says. 

“Now, what we have is a very different type of AI, one that is semantic – it can generalise and take knowledge from one area to apply it to another.” This informs the generative AI products widely used today, like ChatGPT and Meta AI.

For recruiting, these tools are usually used to enhance existing processes rather than change them entirely. They typically solve very specific, high-value business needs (eg. evaluating candidates) or support people in their day-to-day tasks, like scheduling interviews.

This usage will likely change as AI evolves. “We’re still in the very early stages of AI,” says Lusted. “We can’t say what it’s all going to look like in 10 years.”

AI is already used in hiring by many businesses. Newer forms of AI are improving the recruitment process even further, completing some tasks much faster than a human can. Using AI for manual, time-consuming tasks frees up team members for more strategic work.

This adoption is driven by quality and efficiency gains, according to Lusted. This might include:

• Helping reaching higher-quality candidates.

• Removing bias from the selection process.

• Screening resumés faster.

• More accurate reference checks.

For example, some talent teams say their time to hire has dropped dramatically since using AI and that they can make quality, unbiased decisions around candidates. 

Lusted says AI can also improve overall quality of output and reduce the time it takes to reach competency. “AI doesn’t make your experts more expert, but it brings people up to the average, especially for lower performers and new starters.”

Despite these potential benefits, not everyone is on board with AI yet. “The broader population isn’t embracing it in the same way and some people are very wary,” says Lusted. According to SEEK data, 28% of Australians have used AI at work and this is expected to increase. Yet 28% say they don’t intend to ever use it and many are uncertain about the near-term impact on their work. 

When it comes to hiring, many are uncomfortable with AI being used to make substantive decisions. Almost half (47%) are comfortable using AI to schedule interviews but only 21% for candidate selection, SEEK data shows.

All technology goes through an adoption curve, says Lusted, with some people – and businesses – quick to get on board while others lag behind. “We can look to past technologies, like mobile phones, to see how this happens.” These days, no one thinks twice about using a smartphone.  

“In a few years, there’s gonna be very few people in an organisation that don't have access to powerful generative AI through tools like Microsoft Office, Excel and PowerPoint. These features are already being launched,” he adds.

“We’re only in the very early stages of how we might use AI over the coming years,” says Lusted. History shows, though, that AI will slowly become the norm like other powerful technologies.

To improve your AI maturity and help embrace it in your recruitment process, he suggests focusing on four key areas:

1. 1.

   Leadership. Adoption starts from the top. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise rolling out AI, the leaders of your organisation need to be on board. This means building out a strategic approach and linking it to your business goals, and making sure managers are well-versed in AI.

2. 2.

   Culture. You can foster a culture that embraces AI by helping all employees understand what it is, how to use it and how it helps them. Ongoing training and education play a big part in enabling this change. 

3. 3.

   Operations. Organisations that are mature in their use of AI integrate it throughout operations and use it to inform hiring decisions. This means building out internal policies and procedures for its use rather than just using AI on an ad-hoc basis..

4. 4.

   Ethics. Like other technologies, AI has the potential to be used unethically. Organisations can establish robust procedures to mitigate any ethical risks, and promote a culture of transparency alongside AI. 

Source: Independent research conducted by Nature on behalf of SEEK. Interviewing 4,800 Australians annually.