Will Bots Replace Recruiters in the Digital Age?

You’ve probably heard a lot about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the news lately. About how Facebook using bots to remove terrorist content, and about Google’s DeepMind mastering the Chinese game of Go. AI is having a huge impact across industries worldwide, and the same can be said for recruitment.

But will artificial intelligence eventually take over the role of the recruiter? Let’s find out.

AI in recruitment

Artificial intelligence is already being used by recruiters to help match candidates with their perfect job. AI can apply algorithms and make predictions about jobs and candidates, for example, by estimating salaries when none are specified in job ads, or by classifying unusual job titles. When there is too much data for a human to sift through, AI is there to make life easier.

In a recent article, Raj Mukherjee of Indeed.com describes how recruiters used AI to help match candidates with jobs that involved speaking different languages. Rather than arranging for each candidate to undergo a test with a language specialist, an AI was used to assess that candidates language proficiency. Not only did this save the recruiter time and resources, but it also helped to eliminate unconscious bias from the process, by identifying which candidates did in fact have the strongest proficiency. But, it’s the recruiter’s job to look beyond the proficiency results to fit the right candidate with the role…

AI vs Recruiters

When a recruiter has successfully placed a candidate in a role that they are perfect for, both the candidate and the client are happy. The client gets the skilled labour they need, and the candidate will remain in that role rather than leave before the contract term is complete. The candidate may not have the best scores on their tests, but they fit the role for their unique blend of strengths and talents. In successful cases such as this, the recruiter has used their extensive network of contact, along with their deft people skills, to match client with candidate. And this is precisely what AI cannot do, and probably never will.

Despite the incredible advances that AI have made in recent years, they’re never going to replace a good recruiter at their job. AI will definitely assist recruiters in their jobs and even enhance their abilities to match great candidates with their perfect roles, but they will never be able to built the reputation, trust and loyalty within their given industry like recruiters are able to do. Instead of taking recruiters jobs away, AI will free up the recruiter’s time and allow them to do what they do best, focusing on human relationships.

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