How much and what can Artificial Intelligence do for recruiting? And in what way? When it comes to AI applied to the world of human resources, there are often those who turn up their noses. It is feared that it could steal the job from recruiters or make it worse. On the contrary, Artificial Intelligence can make a big contribution both in managing the search and selection process and in lightening the workload, especially those tedious and repetitive yet necessary tasks. This is why the challenges facing [Artificial Intelligence](../pros-and-cons-of-artificial-intelligence-in- recruiting/index.md) in the world of recruiting are not few. In this article, we look at what they are and then go on to suggest 8 aspects to consider when, as HR, you have to choose an AI technology.

SUMMARY

• The challenges of artificial intelligence applied to recruiting
• AI recruiting tools: how to choose the right one
• 8 factors to consider before choosing an AI technology for HR
• How the recruiter’s role changes with AI

The challenges of artificial intelligence applied to recruiting

That the first challenge is to overcome reticence on the part of HR people is clear from the numbers. Also because according to [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/03/16/how-to- scale-your-business-with-ai/?sh=829e2342bc6c), most CEOs consider the use of AI important and recognize its competitive advantage, but in fact only 24% of companies actually use it. There are those who feel threatened by AI software, but there are also those who fear that an investment in it may be too expensive.

The first challenge concerns the investment or, if we want to put it even more specifically, the return on investment. In fact, adopting Artificial Intelligence technology for recruitment significantly reduces the time to hire, i.e. the time to finalize recruitment.

While it is true that on average a recruiting process takes 27 days, the fact that AI software can help you reduce this time is definitely a challenge to be taken up. This happens in the application and sourcing phase, thanks to functionalities such as CV parsing or information extraction

Not to be overlooked is another important challenge: trying to understand not only the timing of a process but also what is not working and how to improve it. And thanks to data, it is possible to analyze on time and really adjust.

Again: with AI you can also meet the challenge of finding passive candidates who are of value and be able to establish a relationship with them based on more specific knowledge. Having a semantic engine, moreover, helps to identify, in the candidate, details corresponding with the words used to carry out the search. The advantage here is that this is possible even when the candidate has not entered that specific word or competence or has not done so in the way you would expect.

AI recruiting tools: how to choose the right one

Those just mentioned are some of the challenges to be faced when approaching artificial intelligence. What factors should one consider, however, if one wants to choose the right AI recruiting tool? Here are a few.

How it meets business needs

One of the things that often happens when choosing a tool is that you have not really analyzed your needs and therefore have not understood how a tool can meet them. That is why it is necessary to take a step back before choosing it.

You probably already use recruiting software to manage your selection processes, but you feel the need to automate and speed up certain tasks or improve your overall recruiting performance. In this sense, you may ask yourself: what are the most critical aspects of the way you do recruitment? What solutions have been proposed so far, why have they not worked, or what can be done to improve them?

To give an example: if you work for a large company and have to deal with so many applications every day, it may be important to speed up the initial phase of the recruiting process. Adopting a CV parsing system can be a good solution to easily extract and analyse the data contained in CVs and speed up the screening process. Similarly, if your company operates internationally and perhaps even in a full remote mode, it may be useful to have a cross-language search system that allows you to find candidates who meet your requirements, even if their CV is written in a different language from the one you used to carry out the search.

The potential it offers compared to other tools

Making a comparison before choosing is just as important: each tool has its own functionalities and may not necessarily be what you need or work the way you expect. Testing it with a free trial or asking to get to know the product better with an individual demo can be a way to steer you towards the best choice.

Ease of use

Whether a tool is easy to use is another thing to consider. Therefore, it is important to check that the technology chosen has an intuitive interface or that it integrates easily with the other software used and that, for example, the functionalities are easy to understand and use.

In short, when choosing a tool, ease of use is crucial.

That one needs to be familiar with it at the beginning is of course acceptable, but if one is not helped to understand it – with videos, demos, assistance, etc. – it is definitely not the right tool. Just as it isn’t if it continues to be obstructive and incomprehensible

8 factors to consider before choosing an AI technology for HR

So far so clear, but what other factors to consider before choosing an AI technology for HR? Here they are.

1. AI software is not perfect

Often the relationship with technology is not perfect because it is the technology that is not perfect. Why? Because everything is ‘always beta’, but also constantly evolving and therefore perfectible. This also happens with Artificial Intelligence software. To make it clearer: if one chooses such technology to avoid the impact of so-called cognitive bias on selection, this does not mean that one is completely safe from it.

Even software, because it is created by people using real-world data, may have biases existing at the time of creation. This could be the case, for example, for certain jobs that have hitherto been purely male or for which a certain seniority has always been demanded.

But if in both cases the job market has changed, it is not certain that the software has adapted because it may have been built in an earlier period and has not yet been optimized. Better to investigate with the software provider then and understand how diversity is handled. It should be remembered, however, that technology is not error-free either and that in any case, its support would help reduce the appearance and influence of bias.

2. Being available 24 hours a day

Working in a hybrid and target-based mode may also mean a recruiter having hours other than office hours. It is important to be available constantly, 24 hours a day and every day of the week, including holidays. This is also the case when working in international contexts, with different time zones and different ways of understanding office life. In this sense, an intelligent chatbot can provide initial assistance to candidates in any of the above-mentioned situations.

3. Be adaptable

It is better not to choose a technology that stands the test of time and whose creators feel they have ‘arrived’. In the field of Artificial Intelligence applied to recruiting and in a world of work that is continually evolving, it is important to opt for software that is able to adapt to the continuous demands of the market, but also to the new role of recruiters.

4. Improve process knowledge-with-data

It sounds obvious, but it is not, which is why software must focus on data, and its correct use and enable recruiters to make data-driven decisions that are targeted and grounded.

What data can help a recruiter? Of course, it is important to be able to know and analyze time to hire, cost per hire, the number of candidates who send their CVs for an open position, and so on… But it is also important to proceed with selection with those candidates who have shown a higher score than others following a search, or with those who have shown a better matching for a specific job advertisement.

5. Can it integrate with your ATS software

If you already use ATS software, it is important to check that the technology you are about to choose can easily integrate with what you already have. This is important because there is nothing worse than choosing a technology that increases work rather than decreases it.

6. Solves your problems

AI software should solve your problems not create new ones. That’s why you need to go deep into the functionalities and understand how they meet your needs and how they enable you to improve your work. Do you have a problem finding the right candidates for your ads? An AI solution could help you improve your search with a semantic engine or job-matching solutions.

7. Provide the best candidate experience

The choice of software should also be geared towards the candidate and the candidate experience, so that they feel comfortable during the recruitment process. That is why it is important to choose technology that helps people and makes them feel welcome during their candidate journey.

Choose technology that facilitates the application phase, for example, Inda allows the automatic filling in of forms after uploading the CV file, with a simple click by the candidate. Such a service definitely impacts the drop-out rate and contributes to a positive candidate experience.

8. Allows for proof of concept

Since the choice of AI software is an important one, it is good to request a proof of concept to see if it is the right technology for you and to test the described functionalities. Another important aspect is to check how the support will work and what the next development ideas are.

How the recruiter’s role changes with AI

What we have said above highlights how the role of the recruiter with AI changes significantly.

In addition to dealing with search and selection, HR recruiters are required to be able to handle data, understand trends and even test technologies to see if they are right for them. With marketer, analyst, and even HR tech skills, the recruiter today has an increasingly important role to play in choosing the technology that is right for him and understanding how to improve each step of the process.