How are new technologies simplifying recruitment?

The way employers are hiring and the way job seekers are looking for jobs is rapidly changing.

The entry of the internet and the rise of job seeking websites has made job and candidate information more widely available.

But this abundance of information readily available for both recruiters and job seekers has made it harder for both parties to identify and find the right jobs or candidates.

SVP of Product at the recruitment site Indeed, Raj Mukherjee, explained to TechHQ how this can have unfavorable implications for job seekers.

“Workers continue to end up in the wrong field, at the wrong company, in the wrong level, or with salaries that do not fit their experience due to this overabundance of opportunities and other challenges, such as unconscious biases or inefficiencies due to old processes, that exist during a job seeker’s journey,” said Mukherjee.

And for employers looking to find the perfect candidate, they must now navigate additional obstacles created by a large pool of candidates, skills gaps, and low unemployment rates.

Over half of talent acquisition leaders say the most challenging part of recruitment is identifying the right candidates from a large applicant pool.

Unfortunately, this seems to be because much of this is done by hand. According to a 2018 recruitment trends report by Entelo, on average, talent acquisition professionals spend nearly one-third of their work week (about 13 hours) sourcing candidates for a single role.

The role of emerging technology

Fortunately, technology is being used to help streamline this task. The traditional hiring process is being disrupted by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

Such technologies are already making the recruitment process much more personalized, efficient, and effective.

“New technologies can help to better match job seekers and employers and free up the time needed for recruiters and hiring managers to make more genuine connections with candidates, which can be crucial in attracting and retaining talent,” explained Mukherjee.

The navigation of job descriptions

With such an extensive list of job advertisements available online, it can be difficult to find the right role to best suit your skills and requirements.

According to Mukherjee, job descriptions can be difficult for job seekers to navigate due to their often inadvertently biased language that can deter applicants.

AI technologies are helping to address this problem by improving job description categorization. For instance, AI can help extract keywords in postings such as job location and salary, which are then used to identify the most relevant jobs for a candidate.

Indeed has incorporated AI-powered algorithms into its job search engine to help job seekers find a better match.

The solution leverages over fourteen years of job seeker search behavior to learn and continuously improve the relevance of jobs that are displayed to job seekers.

“When the algorithm’s scoring shows a job seeker’s qualifications fit a role description, we encourage them to apply for the position,” explained Mukherjee.

Resume screening

Once a job seeker has found and applied for a position, the next typical stage is for employers to go through the resumes of the applicants.

The process of sifting through a mountain of resumes can be an incredibly time-consuming task for recruiters, and can even allow room for unconscious bias.

With the help of AI, employers can now add skills assessments to job postings so employers can screen candidates for skills specifically related to open jobs rather than relying on resumes.

Indeed has recently launched its Indeed Assessments platform, a solution which helps employers automate the screening process so they can make faster, more informed hiring decisions based on a job applicants skills and the role they are applying for.

Using the platform, employers are enabled to add pre-built or customized assessments to a job posting or send them directly to candidates to screen for skills related to a variety of roles and industries.

“These assessments help employers better identify and more efficiently evaluate job candidates while also reducing time-to-hire and eliminating human bias when sourcing candidates,” said Mukherjee.

While traditional job-hunting resources such as resumes, networking, and industry associations are still very much useful, the future of a skilled workforce truly lies in innovative recruitment.

Those recruiters and businesses that take a data-driven approach to hiring, leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, will be the winners in the competitive talent acquisition landscape.