Flashback

It’s 1966. MIT created ELIZA as the first natural language processing computer program. Based on built-in scripts, ELIZA could “converse” with people based on their text input. While the term wasn’t coined until 1994, ELIZA was the first chatterbot, now chatbot.

Years later, by combining natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and internet connectedness, we have the current cadre of chatbots. While some are for fun and hobbies, there are numerous chatbots that benefit and accelerate business. One aspect of these benefits is in the world of contingent workforce recruitment.

Recruiting

Here are some ways chatbots help in recruiting the contingent workforce.

Enhanced candidate engagement

Chatbots can communicate with candidates in a conversational way, providing quick and personalized responses to questions. In addition to instant and personal replies, this helps keep candidates engaged throughout the recruitment process by:

Improved Communication

Chatbots can send automated messages to candidates, keeping them informed about the status of their application, scheduling interviews, and other updates. This reduces candidate anxiety about the recruitment process.

24/7 Availability

Available 24/7, chatbots provide constant support to candidates. This can help to increase accessibility (see more about Accessibility below) and convenience for candidates in different time zones and/or with different schedules.

Candidate Feedback

Chatbots gather feedback from candidates about the recruitment process. This helps recruiters understand candidate preferences and pain points, leading to improvements in the recruitment process.

Time and Cost Savings

Chatbots automate many repetitive and time-consuming tasks involved in the recruitment process, such as pre-screening candidates and scheduling interviews. This saves recruiters valuable time, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks. Chatbots do this by:

Answering Frequently Asked Questions

Chatbots can be programmed to answer FAQs, such as information about the company, job requirements, and benefits. This saves recruiters a lot of time by not having to respond to individual candidate inquiries.

Applicant Tracking

Recruiters save time by having the chatbots update candidate information, send follow-up messages, track the status of applications, and notify candidates about their application progress.

Data Analysis

Chatbots can analyze data from candidates’ applications and resumes, such as their education and work experience, to identify potential matches for open positions.

Improved accuracy

Chatbots help reduce errors and inconsistencies in the recruitment process, ensuring that all candidates are evaluated objectively and fairly. Ways they improve accuracy include:

Objective Evaluations

Candidate responses are evaluated in a more objective way, reducing bias or personal opinions. This helps ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly and consistently and can increase accessibility for candidates who may face discrimination based on factors such as race, gender, or age.

Standardized Questions

Standardized questions are asked of all candidates, ensuring that all evaluations are based on the same criteria.

Improved Data Management

Storing and managing candidate data in a structured way reduces the likelihood of errors in data entry, making it easier for recruiters to access and analyze candidate information.

Automated Scoring

Automatically scoring candidate responses based on predetermined criteria reduces the possibility of errors in manual scoring or evaluations.

Analysis of Big Data

As with data analysis for time savings, chatbots can analyze large volumes of candidate data to identify patterns and potential matches for open positions.

Increased Accessibility

Chatbots provide support and assistance to candidates 24/7, making the recruitment process more accessible and convenient for candidates in different time zones or with different schedules.

Increase accessibility is further provided via:

Virtual Recruitment      

AI has enabled virtual recruitment, making it possible for candidates to participate in recruitment activities from anywhere in the world. This increases accessibility for candidates who may be unable to attend in-person interviews or recruitment events.

Language Translation

AI can provide real-time language translation, allowing recruiters to communicate with candidates who speak different languages.

Assistive Technology

AI can provide assistive technology for candidates with disabilities, such as text-to-speech or speech-to-text translation. This can increase accessibility for candidates who may have difficulty with traditional recruitment processes.

Reduced Bias

AI can help to reduce bias in recruitment processes by using objective criteria to evaluate candidates.

Challenges

While chat technology brings great benefits, there are challenges to be aware of and be ready to address.

Chatbots:

• have the potential to create a negative impression by misunderstanding or getting confused.
• can be a drain on time and money by costing requiring a heavy upfront financial investment and many hours of setup, testing, and implementation.
• can’t assess human qualities because they can’t evaluate aspects such as personality traits, work ethic, or culture fit.

Moving Ahead at Light Speed

The remote workforce is here to stay and on the move. It’s easy to look at the challenges and obstacles and shy away from change (both procedural and technological), but the way forward is to accept those changes, adapt to them with a forward-thinking mindset, and adopt the latest relevant technologies (while not abandoning the hard and smart work that brought you this far).

Contact us to talk about how C.Solutions can help you overcome your recruitment challenges.