The AI recruitment revolution is underway. A resume can be read, written, and evaluated in a matter of seconds. An automated email or text is sent to pre-screened candidates to set up first round interviews. The perceived efficiency and the tedious tasks taken off the TA team’s plate is alluring.
Yet, fundamentally, it lacks the core foundation of recruiting: human interaction. These tools can certainly help simplify the job hiring process, but they cannot replace the connections that agency or internal recruiters have with individual candidates. Without the human connection, AI has the green light to discard or promote resumes that don’t reflect the job seeker as a whole package.
Non-linear career paths are no longer uncommon. Time off to care for family members or new babies is becoming commonplace. Yet, AI doesn’t account for life experiences, culture fit, or a lack of keywords within a resume. While you might be tempted to look at the resume as the only primary screener, it lacks the ability to think critically by reading between the lines.
In fact, many of the tools that are slated to simplify the job hiring process are bogging it down and making it harder for job seekers and hiring managers to connect.
Why? Because the simplest way to fill a job is to ask questions directly; in-person, on the phone, or on a video call. Natural conversation and language reveal much more than a resume ever can. Some of the best engineers we have worked with are not master resume writers. But when they talk about their craft, you can feel their passion, gauge their experience, and understand how they will fit into a company’s culture.
Candidates with whom we speak to directly about their resumes are in a much better position than someone who is going to into an interview after an automated resume screening.
There will always be ways to streamline and improve the overall hiring process, but the foundation to making the process simple is the direct human connection. Keep it simple. Give your recruiters or agency team the ability to make those connections and reap the hiring results.
There is a time and a place for AI in recruitment, but it isn’t going to replace the critical thinking needed to get into the head of a job seeker. AI doesn’t recognize if someone has been on the market for months, whether they are interviewing for multiple positions, is truly interested in the position, or has relevant experience that isn’t listed on the resume.
Keep it simple: Start a conversation, build a connection, make the placement.
