AI is changing how organizations hire. Or, at least it’s changing how organizations think they need to hire. Being on the positive side of candidate perception, fairness, and legal implications while hiring quality candidates is the goal. The complexity of executing this goal dramatically increases when we throw AI into the equation.
Put yourself in the shoes of a job applicant. Imagine applying to a job at a large manufacturing company who receives hundreds of applicants a week for their production roles. Shortly after applying, you get an automated response accepting your application. A few hours later, you are invited to complete a 30-minute online assessment. After completing the assessment, you receive a thank you message. Then nothing. No update, no feedback, and no explanation of what happens next. As days become weeks, you fear yet another application is sitting in cyberspace with no clear direction or timeline.
The organization’s application process is working exactly as it was designed. AI is screening applications, scoring assessments, and moving candidates through the process. Is it efficient? Yes. Is it clear to you, the candidate? Not so much. From your perspective, it feels like everything just disappeared into a black hole. All you want is to know if your application will be seen and what kind of timeframe to expect.
While capitalizing on the benefits of using AI in the workplace, organizations must consider the human aspect. Yes, faster screening, shorter time to hire, automated assessment feedback, and freeing up recruiters’ time is a great thing. The problem with using AI in hiring is that a smoother and more efficient process doesn’t always translate into a better candidate experience.
So, how can we humanize AI while prioritizing positive candidate relationship management?
How to humanize AI for a better candidate experience
AI is unlocking new ways to create the most effective onboarding experience. But adding AI into any process without proper investigation may be somewhat premature. The ability to streamline the application process while preserving HR resources is appealing to any business. But it’s important to consider the impact this will have on your candidates and the impression it will leave with them about their experience with your organization. In order to humanize AI while still reaping its benefits, keep these three tips in mind:
1. Build trust through transparency
Transparency in AI-driven hiring has been shown to increase trust and acceptance of the process. Therefore, it is vital that organizations be clear, specific, and disclose the use of AI early and repeatedly. For example, in a job posting, you can add a sentence explaining when and how you will incorporate AI into the hiring process. Then reiterate that in the screening process and assessment. It is no secret that there is a dark side of AI, so be very clear to candidates that you are leveraging it in a way that does not cause fairness concerns or legal issues.
Be sure to also emphasize where the human aspect still remains part of the process. If the interview will be conducted by a hiring manager, share their name and a short bio. If the candidate is coming on-site, take them on a tour of the office or facility where they can get a feel for the atmosphere and observe a typical day. When extending an offer, pick up the phone if you have the time before firing off an electronic offer letter. These may seem almost archaic in the modern workplace, but they can serve as a bridge to humanize AI in the midst of a candidate journey that can easily feel cold and disconnected.
From the candidate perspective, one way to open up a positive conversation is to use an honesty agreement for assessments. Research has shown positive results when asking candidates to show mutual respect and trust when it comes to using AI to apply to jobs. The findings proved that when asked to be honest in assessment participation and respect the agreement to not use generative AI during the assessment, external resistance was reduced. Reiterating the point that the best way to humanize AI and make both the organization and candidate happy is to answer assessment questions and other parts of the selection process with honesty and transparency. As an organization, you can commit to doing the same.
2. Design for fairness and equality
Candidates who perceive the hiring process as fair are more likely to accept offers and recommend the organization. Not only do organizations need to worry about the candidate’s perception, but they also need to be aware of various local laws and policies. In many cases, legislation is lagging behind the technology adoption and only now being created or even discussed. It can also vary by state, country, or region.
Some keys to staying ahead are to educate yourself, take a multi-layered approach to evaluating AI in your selection process, and examine AI’s impact across the full lifecycle. Repeat this exercise often, being sure to monitor for bias and performance changes, and always ensure rigorous documentation.
Additionally, use AI to your advantage to increase consistency in the process. For example, use AI-assisted interview guides to standardize job relevant questions. You can also use AI to research the latest legislation on this topic. Make sure you ask for sources and confirm the sources are legitimate legal or government sources. As always, HR should work closely with legal teams, if available, to confirm those sources.
Another example to increase accuracy and fairness is to simply run selection content (job posting, screening questionnaires, assessment content, interview questions, candidate communication) through a trusted AI tool and ask for feedback regarding errors, cohesiveness, and coverage of desired goals. While you don’t have to adopt all of the feedback, it can allow you to see gaps or new perspectives to then update in the content.
3. Personalize without losing the human touch
Lack of communication or ‘ghosting’ is consistently one of the top reasons for a negative candidate experience. I was recently with my little sister when she received a text message from a prospective employer saying they went in a different direction for a position for which she had applied. She laughed and said she had interviewed for that position four months ago and had forgotten about it.
The delayed communication was on par with the quality of her interview. She recalled the individual conducting the interview was driving and set the phone in a cup holder while speaking with her. We can see that the ‘human touch’ in the candidate journey is not always positive. The combination of a poor interview and lack of communication had all but cemented her negative view of their organization.
If we humanize AI and insert it properly into the selection process, it can be a major enhancement to the candidate journey. For example, you can use AI communication reminders and messages to compensate for busy hiring managers and recruiter schedules. My sister joked that a status update from a robot would have been better than nothing at all.
One example that Talogy is undertaking is to implement an ‘explainer,’ a tool used to generate participant reports from hiring assessments. It will allow candidates to ask a wide range of questions on their assessment report. Specifically, they can ask for developmental feedback and additional definitions of various competencies and constructs that were measured during the assessment. This initiative will provide useful, personalized recommendations to candidates to help in their job search – just one example of Talogy’s intentional effort to humanize AI into something beneficial beyond basic HR tasks.
The future of humanizing AI in the candidate journey
If organizations want to humanize AI and incorporate it successfully in the selection process, they will need to build trust through transparency. They must design an equitable process without losing the human touch.
AI is not going anywhere and will only become more prevalent as time goes on. As a result, organizations will and should invest in AI-driven personalization technology that helps make their people and business more efficient. Use this opportunity to build a transparent candidate journey that is fair, tailor-fit, and engaging.
Artificial intelligence in talent management
The potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to significantly enhance how we hire and develop talent is incredibly exciting.
But let’s be clear, the results to date haven’t always been positive.
In this whitepaper, we provide a balanced and transparent overview of the pros and cons of using AI in talent management – highlighting where our industry can benefit from its powerful analytical potential, and flagging areas where AI techniques should be approached with caution.