Technophobic no longer, recruiters are embracing the potential of AI to positively impact their workflow.

Fairly or not, the recruiting industry is often branded as tech-averse. However, recent survey findings concerning the future of technology in HR are helping shed this negative stereotype, ushering in an era where TA becomes the poster child for early adoption.

According to Korn Ferry’s latest survey, 63 percent of TA professionals report AI having changed the way their organizations recruit. Not only that, but 87 percent say they’re excited about increasing their AI interaction in the future.

While these integrations are exciting sometimes it’s difficult to get past buzzwords to decipher the real concepts behind them.To gain a better understanding of the possibilities of tech when it comes to recruiting, we did the unpacking for you. Here are four main types of AI and automation technologies and how they’re being implemented in recruiting.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the ability of a machine or computer program to simulate human capacities such as learning, problem-solving, planning, and perception.

AI for recruiting is the application of artificial intelligence in recruitment designed to automate or streamline some part of the workflow, especially repetitive, high-volume tasks.

Let’s get specific.

In recruiting, there are three subdomains of AI techniques being applied:

• Machine learning is a type of algorithm that has the ability to teach itself by analyzing data and automatically improving its solutions through experience. Machine learning is being used to automate sourcing and resume screening as well as analyze candidate fit during digitized interviews.

An example of an innovative organization using AI for their screening is Indigo, a leading retailer that receives more than 2200 applications every week. Using AI to automate manual resume screening, Indigo has been able to reduce their cost per hire by 71 percent, triple their qualified candidates, and improve recruiter efficiency by 3.7x.

• Natural language processing is the ability of a computer program to understand spoken or written human language. One major way natural language processing is being used in recruitment is through chatbots that provide answers to FAQs and feedback to candidates in real time.
  
• Sentiment analysis is the ability of a computer program to determine the subjective opinion, emotional state, or intended emotional effect of spoken or written word. Sentiment analysis is being used to improve job descriptions by suggesting alternative adjectives, for example.

Recruitment chatbot

A chatbot is defined as ‘a computer program designed to stimulate conversation with human users.’

Randstad found that 82 percent of job seekers believe the ideal recruiting interaction is a mix between innovative technology and personal, human connection. According to Allegis, with 66 percent of candidates comfortable interacting with a chatbot, the market seems ready for mainstream adoption.

In recruiting, chatbots are being used to ask candidates qualifying questions, answer FAQs, and even schedule an interview with a human recruiter. A major advantage of using a chatbot in recruiting is its ability to answer thousands of candidates’ questions simultaneously in real time. Information collected by the chatbot is then fed into an ATS or sent directly to a human recruiter for follow up.

Robotic Process Automation

Hand in hand with AI is automation, or more specifically, robotic process automation (RPA).

The Institute of Robotic Process Automation defines robotic process automation as the application of technology that allows employees to use computer software or a machine to capture and interpret existing applications for processing transactions, analyzing data, triggering automatic responses, and communicating with other systems.

RPA is being applied in recruiting in two main ways:

• Candidate outreach such as automated emails or texts to maintain speedy and consistent contact. This outreach can be scheduled as a DRIP campaign for passive candidates, for example.
  
• Interview scheduling is being automated by software that offer time slots when a recruiter is free that candidates can then select without a back-and-forth email, text, or telephone exchange.

Blockchain technology

While blockchain is still in the beta stages, it’s gaining more and more attention this year.

A blockchain is a system of record keeping using an open, distributed digital ledger that records transactions between two parties. Each transaction in the ledger is verified and then recorded permanently across a peer-to-peer network of users. One advantage of blockchain technology is its speed of use — everyone has access to the most up-to-date information regardless of how many people are using it.

For recruiting, the main application of blockchain technology so far is candidate background checks; for example, on their educational or work history. For blockchain technology to work as a tamper-proof record of candidate history, it’s crucial that a credible and reliable source verifies the data in each block. For educational institutions, this is pretty straightforward, but it becomes more ambiguous when it comes to work history.

Even with all this technology making the recruiting process smarter, it remains to be seen how these elements will ultimately affect the business of managing human capital.

Ji-A Min is the Head Data Scientist at Ideal, AI recruiting software that automates time-consuming tasks such as sourcing, screening, and messaging. She has a Master’s in Industrial­-Organizational Psychology and her interests include data-based recruitment, HR tech, and diversity. Find out more about Ideal in the SmartRecruiters marketplace here.

Putting your best foot forward isn’t a platitude for these organizations doubling-down on attracting candidates through company websites that are intuitive and sleek!

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, career pages are the open door to a company’s moving parts. With 75 percent of job seekers researching company social media pages, Glassdoor reviews, and company branding before applying to jobs, it’s critical that your career page conveys your company values, principles, and mission statement.  Make sure your messaging speaks to your prospective talent.

Company career pages are now a point of pride for many businesses, and the effort put into the page layout, design, and messaging demonstrates how many organizations rely on their career page to attract the right talent to them. To that end, we scoured the internet to showcase 10 of the most compelling and attractive company career pages for 2018.

1. Oath

Flying under the Verizon banner, Oath’s mission is to “build brands people love”, including Yahoo! AOL TechCrunch, HuffPost, Tumblr, Makers, and #builtbygirls. Oath produces digital media content for consumers, as well as digital advertising solutions for brands across the globe.

The Oath career page boasts a slick, 360-degree video tour of their 80+ offices around the world, and features an interactive map that shows available jobs at each location, driving home the message that “opportunity is infinite.” The layout is clean and attractive, the messaging is clear, and the delivery is well-executed.

2. Spotify

Spotify wraps its product into the company career page without feeling shoehorned in. The bold declaration to “join the band” and links to “go backstage” to find out more about employee diversity statistics feel fun while staying on brand. Whether navigating by location or department, the site’s navigation is simple and enjoyable, and feels familiar to anyone who has used the music streaming platform.

3. PayScale

PayScale offers real-time salary, benefits, and market compensation information to employees across a variety of industries by comparing user-submitted job profiles and salary data.  

PayScale isn’t shy when it comes to its style, which feel playful and self aware, as evidenced by the photo of an office dog at the top of its career page. The colorful layout encourages candidates to keep scrolling down the page, where company perks, EVP, and available jobs are prominently featured alongside more photos of happy employees. A final, personal touch is the option to click on an employee photo, which opens a popup that breaks down their personality type into various “fun fact” categories.

4. Square

Square keeps things simple and clear, emphasizing that “entrepreneurial minds thrive” at the company. Each of the company departments are neatly organized by teams and broken down into specific skills to “see where you fit in” best, immediately followed up by the company’s mission statement and future goals. The organization feels deliberate and exacting, which convey a high level of professionalism alongside the company’s desire for “curious, hard-working leaders.”

5. Refinery29

This digital media and entertainment company knows its target audience, and Refinery29 reinforces its commitment to “inspire, entertain, and empower” with its media-heavy careers page. Flashy visuals of young women hammers home the brand’s attention to female empowerment and advice on “how to live a stylish and well-rounded life.”

Big and bold headlines immediately draw you into the company’s about us and available positions pages. R29 refuses to sacrifice attitude or style no matter where you are on the company career page. If that’s not confidence then we don’t know what is.

6. Airbnb

In the same way that Airbnb entices travelers with countless possibilities for their next vacation accommodations, the company’s career page lures you down the page with an attractive balance of cleverly worded values, company benefits, and a clean aesthetic. It isn’t until you reach the bottom of the site that you can apply for positions, but this format suggests a linear flow that feels like a cohesive narrative.  

7. Scality

Scality is the industry leader for secure and high-volume cloud storage that powers digital businesses. The company features its motto and mission front and center, and showcases employee interviews discussing their experience working at Scality, drawing a clear link to company values like transparency and social purpose—all from the main career page.

Clicking away to the about section offers a careful balance of useful company information as well as videos featuring current employees outlining different facets of the company structure departments, and locations.

8. Ubisoft

Ubisoft’s career page is everything you expect from a video game studio that brought the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, and Tom Clancy franchises into the upper echelon of entertainment. Like a video game, the company likens their employees to heroes, with behind-the-scenes video interviews that follow employees through their day-to-day lives with the company. An interactive map gives you a deeper look at Ubisoft’s international offices with photos, videos, and messages from company leadership that make each click on the company page feel like a quest.

9. Kickstarter

For a company that deploys a wide crowdsourcing approach to funding, Kickstarter’s career page feels much more intimate and personal in scope. The page is dominated by photos of the company’s bright NYC office and its employees, accompanied by conversational and friendly snippets of company information, values, and principles.

The open positions portion of the page is easy to navigate and continues the conversational motif with relevant information about where each role sits in the company structure, the key responsibilities for the role, and outlines what you as an ideal candidate could bring to the position.

10. Salesforce

Salesforce has its brand identity nailed down, from its color palette to the language used to describe the company’s family dynamic. Each department has its own page with employee testimonials alongside descriptions of what makes every team an invaluable part of the company.

Salesforce goes the extra mile by breaking down the nuts and bolts of their hiring process in a step-by-step chart. Clearly, the importance of transparency is not lost here, and establishing the company’s employer brand from the beginning is a feature not seen on most career pages.