Beyond the Algorithm: Why Human-Centric Hiring Wins in the Age of AI

Whether you are a recruiter or an HR professional, an employer or a job seeker, there is no way you haven’t read or heard about the revolution that recruitment is currently undergoing. Artificial intelligence is omnipresent, and hiring processes are no exception. 

But just like any booming trend, it is important to exercise caution when reinventing strategies and action plans that you have previously set up. Organizations that jump head first into AI-centric recruitment processes risk losing a crucial component of hiring: the human touch. 

Not sold on the idea of hiring remaining human-centric in the foreseeable future? Let’s explore how and why recruiting should not (solely) rely on predictive analytics and automation. 

Key Reasons Why AI Is a Game Changer in Recruitment

Let’s give credit where credit is due: artificial intelligence can be a powerful hiring tool that saves recruiters dozens of hours of repetitive and excruciating work on a weekly basis. 

It can’t be denied that the perks of using AI in recruiting are tempting (to say the least). Here are a few examples of its benefits: 

• Avoiding administrative overloads: For instance, instead of spending hours scanning CVs, AI-powered résumé parsers can quickly surface the most relevant candidates and play matchmaker for any open positions.
• Reducing cost-per-hire: Less time spent on administrative tasks means more time-efficient processes and more manageable recruitment costs, which is crucial for companies dealing with tight budgets or multiple job openings.
• Identifying patterns and boosting retention: Predictive analytics can, among other things, show which sources bring the best candidates and the most successful hires, and build a detailed profile of the type of talent that has the most potential of long-term retention.
• Uncovering hidden talent: Overworked recruiters might not be able or willing to consider candidates with untraditional skills or career paths. AI can save the day in these situations by highlighting profiles which, despite first impressions, actually match the job requirements.
• Improving the candidate journey: Tech tools such as AI chatbots, automated communication and job interview scheduling software are great ways to provide quick answers to candidates and provide a smooth candidate experience.

All of these benefits sound great, right? However, artificial intelligence comes with many downsides, especially when it comes to hiring.

The Risks of Blind AI Automation

In concrete terms, what are the cons of blind and rushed AI automation in your recruitment process? These risks are often downplayed, but their impact can be brutal for your employer brand, and ultimately your business success. 

• Dealing with algorithmic bias: Let’s not forget that artificial intelligence learns from past data, and this also applies to your company information. If you have (consciously or not) favored certain demographics or profiles in past hiring decisions, your AI tool could replicate – or even worsen! – this tendency. The result may very well be a loss of fresh perspective and valuable talent that could have aligned with and contributed to your organizational goals.
• Focusing on keywords over everything else: AI-powered CV parsers rely on keywords to identify the “best fit”. In doing so, they often overlook everything else the candidate has to offer. And job seekers, having identified this trend, are now playing the keyword game, already resulting in a loss of strategic relevancy for AI-centric résumé analysis.
• Losing candidates’ trust: The most downplayed risk of blind AI automation in hiring is arguably the most harmful. In the current job market, job seekers are already stressed and jaded. Now, with the proliferation of CV keyword stuffing, impersonal rejection emails, and interviews led by AI, they feel dehumanized and downright angry… But more on that later on in the article!

As you can see, the risks of AI automation in recruitment mainly come from the overreliance on artificial intelligence, with no human input throughout the key stages of the hiring process.

The New Employer-Job Seeker Divide (And Why The Overuse of AI Is Partly to Blame)

The employer-job seeker divide has been a hot topic for the past few years. It refers to the gap between employers’ and talents’ vision of who should adapt to evolving job market needs, and the increasing difficulty to understand and satisfy expectations on both sides. For instance, 55% of employers think that new employees should adapt to their existing company culture, while 56% of job seekers believe that companies are the ones that should adapt to evolving employee needs.

The use of artificial intelligence has further widened this gap by expanding practices such as algorithmic-based hiring decisions, impersonal communication between applicants and recruiters, and even AI-led interviews that completely remove human exchanges from the recruiting process. 

By promoting efficiency and quickness above everything else, AI-centric recruitment has further alienated job seekers. In an already stressful job market, artificial intelligence seems to be applicants’ worst enemy, leading to AI fatigue and resentment towards businesses that overuse it in their hiring practices.

The thing is… Some of these applicants will ultimately become your employees. And they won’t trust you. In fact, they will actively dislike you. The result? Lower productivity, motivation, and decreased retention rates. In short, a greater divide between companies and job seekers that completely overshadows the supposedly competitive edge of AI hiring tools.

In Conclusion

There is no denying this: candidate experiences and recruitment processes are generally smoother when they rely on recruiting technology such as AI-powered tools. This is crucial for all generations of job seekers, every industry, and of course, recruiters’ overall efficiency. 

But a great candidate experience that translates into long-term retention is built first and foremost on your employer brand, your company culture, who your hiring manager is as a human and what they convey to other humans they meet, evaluate, and interview. If your hiring process completely foregoes this essential aspect, it becomes dehumanizing… and the opposite of competitive. 

There is no doubt that in order to stay on top of your recruiting game, you need to use the right recruiting technology. Modernizing your processes comes with numerous benefits, but your AI implementation plan needs to be well thought out. In the age of rushed artificial intelligence expansion, relying on AI automation where it helps while maintaining human-centric hiring practices where it matters most is the real competitive edge.

Article written by Morgane Lança, Team Lead of Content Marketing at Folks.