The world of recruitment and HR is continually improving with technology, especially its impact on daily tasks, activities and – perhaps most significantly – the hiring process.
Human resources (HR) involves having responsibility for sorting employee payrolls, talent acquisition, performance management, administration and interviewing and hiring new employees. But how is technology working to enhance the performance and speed with which the hiring process is implemented? This is where the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) come in…
Here are three ways that you, as an HR professional, can work alongside technology and use it to your advantage:
1. Be prepared for Industry 5.0
Industry 4.0 is the integration of cyber-physical systems that communicate and co-operate with humans and other smart systems to improve day-to-day processes – and this includes the integration of IoT, AI, and smart technology.
However, Industry 5.0 is already on the way in, so how can we expect it to help improve the hiring process?
As soon as Industry 5.0 starts being introduced throughout the industry, there is no doubt that it will have the capacity to improve the recruitment and HR process and, according to some tech visionaries, it will bring the human touch back. The cognitive intelligence, the accuracy and the precision of smart tech will allow recruiters to screen prospective candidates and employees quicker and more efficiently than ever before, resulting in a faster hiring process.
We can already see Industry 5.0 on the horizon, but what’s to say it’s going to be any different to Industry 4.0?
Well, both recruiters and candidates should expect the combination of humans and smart systems to create more developed technology – such as the advancement of chatbot hybrids , that rely on human and AI collaborations to be successful.
2. Using AI as an everyday tool
Multiple recruitment companies and HR teams are already starting to introduce AI into their internal processes to improve many low-level, day-to-day tasks which can often consume a significant amount of time.
Further – and a big advantage for the hiring process – AI has the capacity to screen candidates and select the best interviewees without bias. The smart systems focus on the main candidate criteria, such as experience, qualifications, and skills, which reduces discrimination; they’re programmed to ensure that they don’t run the risk of having any unconscious bias that humans occasionally do.
As we touched on earlier, AI chatbots – such as Mya – are increasing in popularity due to their ability to help carry out daily tasks, such as arranging interviews and answering candidate questions. This allows for HR professionals to focus on the emotional and communicative aspect of hiring, which AI is unable to do, so it’s unsurprising that research has found chatbots to save 75 percent of recruiters’ time.
As well as improving the hiring system for you, AI can also enhance the job search and application process for candidates. Chatbots and AI systems have the ability to swiftly scan an application for the necessary criteria and alert the candidate if the position is suitable for them.
With the incoming arrival of generation Z, the workplace is soon going to be dominated by eager-to-learn and tech-savvy workers, so the hiring process should be speeding up as much as possible to prepare for their impact.
3.Social media should be used to your advantage
It’s said that 70 percent of employers check prospective candidates’ social media platforms to see if they’re posting regularly about industry-related topics, are interacting with well-known industry speakers and appear passionate about their job.
There’s a number of ways you could be using social media to improve your candidate screening process. Here’s a few things you should be looking out for on social media channels when screening candidates prior to the interview stage:
Is the candidate sharing industry related topics and current news on their Twitter or LinkedIn profiles? If so, it shows that they’re interested in the industry and want to remain up-to-date
Do they have a personal blog that highlights their portfolio and personal brand? This is a key indicator that your prospective candidate is interested in progression and a long career in your industry
Are they regularly active online? If you can see them liaising with industry peers and colleagues online, it shows that they have an interest in making a mark in their field and that can only be a good sign for you as a recruiter
Social media is just one element of technology that is improving the hiring process for HR professionals and it is a simple way for you to make sure you’re hiring the best candidates out there.
The advance of smart technology is helping recruitment agencies, in-house HR teams and talent acquisition teams all over the world to get ahead of the competition, so it’s key to stay updated on technological advancements and the development of Industry 5.0. If AI develops as professionals predict it to, then we should expect to see humans and technology working alongside one another in a variety of industries and not just HR – it’s only a matter of time.