Towers of paper resumes, background check delays, and lengthy interview scheduling chains have had their day in recruitment. While these traditional methods probably worked fine in the “job for life” era, modern recruiters must step up their game to fill an endless supply of open vacancies. 

Artificial intelligence offers a way to fast-track multiple aspects of the hiring process, enabling you to fill seats faster and predict a better quality of hire. This guide explores six key ways recruitment teams use AI to handle problematic or repetitive tasks throughout the hiring funnel. 

How can AI be used in recruitment? 

27% of talent professionals surveyed by LinkedIn admit they already use generative AI in their hiring cycles, and 62% are optimistic about AI's impact on recruitment. If you haven’t yet dipped your toe in, consider incorporating machine learning in the following ways to streamline your recruitment process:  

1. Crafting job descriptions 

A compelling job description posted on the right job board can persuade quality candidates to apply for your role. But coming up with the perfect wording can be time-consuming, requiring human recruiters to source role-specific information from relevant people and spin the details into an engaging ad.

Generative AI-based recruitment tools speed up this process, with Mike Smith, Chief Executive at Randstad Enterprise, reporting that their software saves them 19 to 27 minutes per job ad. Similarly, Kyle Stock, a recruiter from Ozinga, appeared on the Everyday AI podcast, where he described the importance of iteration when using generative AI in this way: 

“What we've been doing is taking these long job descriptions and throwing them into generative AI, whether ChatGPT or Bard (now Gemini.) Depending on the role, I usually say, "Give me a fun description that's pretty concise." I leave it general to see what it comes up with, and then it's kind of this give-and-take between the AI. This is not a tool where you can just hit enter and copy and paste what it gives you. If you put crap in, you're gonna get crap out. You have to talk with the AI and whittle it down to your desired response."

2. Sourcing skilled candidates 

While you could post a job ad or LinkedIn post and wait for the applications to flood in, candidate sourcing is a more targeted approach. Manual sourcing could involve combing social media profiles or contacting your professional network to find people with the relevant skills and experience for your roles. 

An AI-based tool like Juicebox significantly speeds up the process by returning a list of potential matches in seconds. Recruiters "speak" to PeopleGPT (the AI engine powering the platform) using natural language to describe the person they're looking for. For example, “Find senior engineers with experience building search infrastructure at top high-growth B2B software companies.”

You can apply filters or ask follow up questions to refine the results until you have a shortlist of relevant candidates. Finally, Juicebox’s generative AI tool crafts a message template to each potential applicant, which you may customize before sending. 

3. Screening candidates 

Filtering through piles of job applications is a slog, but an automated candidate screening process takes the weight off by using AI to sift through the data. Some options include:

• Automated resume parsing: This feature extracts vital information from job seekers’ resumes and ranks candidate profiles based on their skills and experience. 

• Background checking: Algorithms quickly scan public and private records to confirm candidate information or flag any inconsistencies. 

• Pre-screening: Generative AI creates a list of screening questions, generates model answers, and ranks candidate responses to them. Talent acquisition professionals may use this information to take a closer look at a candidate’s application or invite them to interview. 

4. Delivering an exceptional candidate experience 

Candidates jump through hoops throughout the entire hiring process. They fill out forms, provide work samples, and attend multiple interviews before being accepted, rejected, or flat-out ghosted by talent acquisition teams. Unsurprisingly, many job seekers are fed up. Here’s how AI can solve some of these common candidate pain points:

Repetitive processes 

Every organization requests different information from job applicants, but the overlap between what's provided in a resume, cover letter, and application can lead to frustration for candidates—37% report that providing this repetitive information is the most annoying part of applying for a job. AI simplifies the process here, reading candidate resumes to pinpoint key information rather than expecting applicants to be burdened by never-ending form filling. 

Interview scheduling 

If you’ve ever been locked in an email chain between a candidate, hiring manager, and members of an interview panel, you’ll understand the pain of trying to find a suitable interview time. Automated scheduling tools allow candidates to select an interview slot that works for them based on the recruiter's availability and automatically blocks out this time with all relevant parties. Say goodbye to back-and-forth communication and hello to a smooth and frictionless interview process.

Lack of communication

Not knowing where they stand is endlessly frustrating to candidates. Job seeker Vicki Bengtson, an Office Manager describes her experience,  

“I recently spoke to a recruiter about a position. I was told the next step was for him to confirm the time for the interview with the manager and he would get back to me. After a few days I reached out to him and was told the interviews were done and they had decided to go with someone else. Just a waste of my time.” 

Vicki is far from alone. Tidio's research suggests that 48% of people find not getting feedback the most frustrating part of applying for a new job. Yet, it's time-consuming for recruiters to provide timely updates to everyone they're considering, and essential updates can and do slip through the cracks. AI can support hirers by automating feedback at every stage of the recruiting process, so there’s less guesswork. 

Similarly, AI chatbots are an interactive feature that candidates rely on to ask simple questions about the role or the application process. While there should always be ample room for human interaction in recruitment, strategically deploying AI to deal with logistical updates like these can be a game-changer for the candidate experience.

5. Assessing and shortlisting qualified candidates

Depending on the role, applicants no longer need to hold formal college degrees in as many as 45% of hiring companies, including Walmart, Accenture, IBM, Dell, and Okta. Instead, the switch to skills-based hiring acknowledges that suitable candidates can acquire a wealth of skills from other sources, such as community colleges, military service, work experience, or natural aptitudes. 

But how do recruiters test these skills? AI-powered tools create cognitive, numerical, and behavioral skill assessments that unlock candidates' potential before ranking and shortlisting them according to their scores. 

6. Delivering equitable candidate interviews 

Standard recruitment interviews are riddled with bias as hiring panels make snap decisions about a candidate from the first second they meet them. There are 188 different types of unconscious bias the human brain relies on to process information more rapidly about the situation or person in front of us. 

In an interview context, affinity bias can strike when hirers favor people perceived as being “just like us,” for example, attending the same university or sharing mutual interests. Similarly, confirmation bias occurs where we only hear what reinforces our pre-existing beliefs about the candidate. 

(Image source) 

AI video interviewing technology aims to overcome these biases by providing a structured and consistent format for assessing candidates. Standardizing candidate questions and evaluating responses using predetermined criteria ensures everyone is considered according to the same benchmarks, regardless of their background, appearance, or mannerisms. AI analyzes verbal and non-verbal communication to focus on the content of the answers rather than the interviewer's subjective impression of their clothing, hair style, or facial expressions. 

Recruit top talent with Juicebox 

Ready to incorporate AI into your recruitment process? Juicebox will slip seamlessly into your recruitment tech stack and quickly become your go-to candidate sourcing tool. You can find specific people for your current job openings, or use our recruitment platform to source candidates for a talent pool of highly skilled professionals. 

We offer a free Juicebox trial to kickstart your recruitment drive, or you can also watch a product tour to learn how to use natural language processing to find potential candidates for your roles.