What do candidates REALLY think about ‘faceless’ AI recruiting?

Ubiquitous in everyday life – AI is all around us

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a major talking point as technologies like ChatGPT and Bard have been making headlines. However, it’s not a recent trend – this type of technology has been steadily developing, exerting an ever greater influence on our everyday lives. Here are some examples:

• Social media – AI is used to personalise social media feeds and advertisements based on user behaviour and preferences.
• Online shopping – e-commerce websites use AI to suggest products based on a user’s search history and purchase history.
• Healthcare – AI is used to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.
• Transportation – AI is used in self-driving cars to detect obstacles and make decisions about speed and direction, and in traffic management systems to control traffic.
• Entertainment – AI is used to suggest songs, movies, and TV shows based on a user’s listening and viewing habits.

Great benefits for agencies and recruiters

However, it is in the workplace that we are most conscious of the deployment of AI and have the greatest awareness of its capabilities. For the recruitment sector, AI-enabled RecTech is a powerful tool that drives efficiency in a number of areas.

LLM (Large Language Model) technology that can understand the complexities of written and spoken communication can be used in various ways for search and selection recruitment. Here are three key examples:

• Resume screening – Recruiters are using LLM-enabled RecTech to screen resumes and cover letters to identify the most suitable candidates for a job. The technology analyses the text, extracting relevant information such as education, work experience, and skills to determine whether a candidate fits the job.
• Chatbot initial screening – AI RecTech chatbots enabled by LLM technology can be used to conduct initial screening interviews with candidates. The chatbot can ask relevant questions and assess the candidate’s responses, saving recruiters time and effort in identifying the most promising candidates for further consideration.
• Candidate engagement – LLM technology can also be used to engage candidates and build relationships with them. For example, recruiters can use AI LLM-enabled RecTech to send personalised emails to candidates, providing them with relevant job opportunities based on their interests and skills.

But what do candidates think about the use of AI?

Like in most other cases where the question is subjective, there is no right or wrong when it comes to what candidates think about the increasing role that AI is playing in the search and selection process. It often boils down to one thing – personal experience.

Consequently, there is a mix of reactions to ‘faceless’ AI recruiting. On the upside, some candidates feel that it brings greater objectivity and fairness to the recruitment process.

However, on the downside, others feel that it may bias the recruitment process away from candidates that are ‘perfect’, impacting diversity. Below are some generalised pros and cons of faceless AI recruiting.

The pros of faceless AI recruiting

• Maybe a fair and efficient way to identify candidates who are a good fit
• It can help to reduce bias in the recruitment process
• It can help to save time and money for recruiters

The cons of faceless AI recruiting

• Maybe dehumanising candidates, feeling like they are ‘just a number’
• It may lead to discrimination against candidates who don’t fit the ‘ideal’ profile
• It can be difficult to judge a candidate’s fit without human assessment

Whether or not faceless AI recruiting is a good thing is a matter of opinion. The field is fast moving and as the technology gets better, it’s likely that points of view will shift with them. Ultimately it is up to each recruiter to decide whether or not it is the right way to recruit for a particular role.

Boost efficiency in your agency back office with ETZ

The automation features of ETZ RecTech tools promote efficiency and have paved the way for the emergence of sophisticated AI NLP search and selection tools that are emerging to power the front side of agency operations.

ETZ’s leading timesheet and invoicing solution streamlines the back office processing of your recruitment agency. Our complementary solutions, ETZ Comply for onboarding and document management and Caspian for business intelligence give agencies further capability to streamline and uncover opportunities. To find out more, call us on 0800 311 2266 or book a demo.