Let’s deep dive in 7 strategies to use AI for Candidate Experience. In the competitive landscape of today’s job market, attracting top talent is the key for the future. HR teams are in constant dedication of empowering companies to build successful teams. The term “candidate experience” encompasses every interaction a potential employee has with a company, from the initial job search to the final onboarding process.
However, the candidate experience has often been a journey filled with uncertainty and a lack of personalization. The good news is that technology, especially generative artificial intelligence (AI), is here to change this landscape and turn the job search into a more friendly and efficient experience.
7 Streams of AI Candidate Experience Improvement
New technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are playing a crucial role in transforming recruitment processes. AI enables a more human and personalized interaction, giving candidates the opportunity to showcase and explain their expertise in detail before facing employer filters.
1.
AI Guidance in Hiring Websites
Most of the times, job descriptions are incomplete. They are templates that indicate just few things about the position, but do not transmit the complete picture.
It often happens that Candidates would like indications about specific doubts when prospecting job openings. Candidates tend to reach the owners of the job description through Linked-in to ask for details, but hardly get any reply.
AI bots can guide through the details of every openings to those potential candidates that want to learn about the jobs and satisfy their information needs.
| Advantages for Companies | Benefits for Candidates |
|---|---|
| Enhances the effectiveness of job postings, attracting candidates with better alignment to job requirements. | Guides candidates through job details, ensuring they have a clear understanding of the position. |
| Optimizes the use of hiring platforms, improving the quality of the applicant pool. | Offers a personalized and informative job-searching experience. |
2
AI Interviews
Screening times are long and require a lot of manual work from Talent Acquisition specialists. Typically the screening time in a hiring process takes more than 10 days and delays significantly the whole hiring time.
AI recruiters can efficiently interview candidates minutes after applying to a position, identifying the most suitable candidates and allowing them to feel heard by their future employers.
| Advantages for Companies | Benefits for Candidates |
|---|---|
| Speeds up the hiring process, reducing time-to-fill positions. | Allows candidates to showcase their skills immediately after applying. |
| Provides a standardized interview process, minimizing biases in candidate evaluation. | Provides an efficient and fair assessment, ensuring candidates’ qualifications are accurately represented. |
3.
AI Soft Skills Detection:
80% of employers admit failure of candidate is related for not having the right skills.
Manual work when dealing with candidate profiling can be reduced through AI. Artificial Intelligence agents can perform tests and assessments to better profile candidates before recruiters take any decision to move forward with the hiring process.
| Advantages for Companies | Benefits for Candidates |
|---|---|
| Automates the assessment of soft skills, providing a more comprehensive candidate profile. | Showcases a more holistic view of candidates beyond technical skills. |
| Improves the accuracy of candidate evaluations, leading to better hiring decisions. | Offers a fair evaluation of candidates based on a broader range of attributes. |
4.
Communication channel with companies through AI agents:
In general, candidates wait up to 3 months before they get any response. This is extremely frustrating.
Enabling candidates to easily access the company through a whatsapp chatbot is a discrupting innovation. AI-conversation chatbots can provide instant responses to candidates at any time. Information about the process status, expected hiring decisions or interview feedback throughout the process.
| Advantages for Companies | Benefits for Candidates |
|---|---|
| Ensures consistent communication with candidates, enhancing the employer brand. | Provides instant responses to queries, keeping candidates engaged. |
| Frees up recruiters’ time, allowing them to focus on strategic aspects of the hiring process. | Creates a positive impression of the company’s commitment to communication. |
5.
Personalized AI Screening:
Talent Acquitision managers spend almost 10 hours to screen and organize all relevent information of 30 candidates. With positions that have more than 100 candiadates, it becomes a really challenging exercise.
Artificial intelligence software can analyze candidate profiles and interviews extremely fast. This helps recruiters getting better information about the suitability of candidates. The Job process becomes much more efficient and with less bias.
| Advantages for Companies | Benefits for Candidates |
|---|---|
| Improves the accuracy of candidate matching, leading to better hiring outcomes. | Increases the chances of being matched with positions that align with their skills and preferences. |
| Reduces unconscious biases, ensuring a fair and diverse selection process. | Promotes a fair and inclusive recruitment experience. |
6.
Automatic Email + Scheduling with AI:
After candidates move along the process, recruiters have to coordinate logistics with every candidate and takes a lot of manual work.
AI tools can automatically send emails and communicate with the candidates after they have been chosen to move on with the process. Schedule appointments and notifications, save recruiters time and streamlining the process.
| Advantages for Companies | Benefits for Candidates |
|---|---|
| Saves time by automating routine communication tasks. | Provides a seamless and convenient scheduling experience. |
| Improves the overall efficiency of the post-selection phase. | Reduces waiting time and enhances the overall candidate journey. |
7.
AI Feedback to Candidates
Most of the times, candidates do now know why they have not been chosen after applying. Sometimes this happens even without having been chosen for a prliminary interview.
AI can provide guidance on key elements that candidates can improve, offering feedback on elements that can make them successful in future job searches.
| Advantages for Companies | Benefits for Candidates |
|---|---|
| Promotes a positive employer brand by providing constructive feedback. | Offers guidance on areas for improvement, contributing to professional growth. |
| Supports ongoing improvement in the recruitment process. | Provides closure and valuable insights for future job searches. |
The Need for an enhanced AI candidate experience
Historically, submitting a resume was akin to casting a message in a bottle into the ocean. One never knew if anyone received it or what happened to it. The lack of feedback and opacity in the processes generated frustration for candidates.
- Studies show that over 60% of candidates have experienced negative situations in selection processes. Complaints about lengthy forms and lack of personalized interaction have been commonplace. Source of info: PwC
- At the same time, more than 70% of candidates who have had a bad experience share it with their acquaintances or close people. Source of info: CareerArc
Companies must strengthen their employer brand as serious, rigorous, and treating all candidates appropriately, both those who ultimately become part of their workforce and those who do not.
Why AI candidate experience matters to companies as a business priority
A seamless and positive AI candidate experience not only attracts the best candidates but also reflects positively on the employer brand. Some sources mention that the relevancy of costs of a bad candidate experience can become up to 40% of the Cost of Hire. This is an extremely relevant KPI for most Heads of Talent Acquisition or Heads of Recruitment. Companies that prioritize AI candidate experience are more likely to attract top-tier talent.
Elements of an Exceptional AI Candidate Experience:
- Clear and transparent communication: Providing timely and transparent communication throughout the hiring process is essential. AI-driven updates can keep candidates informed about their application status, interview feedback, and details about the overall recruitment timeline.
- User-friendly application process: Simplifying the application process and ensuring it’s user-friendly contributes significantly to a positive AI candidate experience. Lengthy and complicated applications can deter qualified candidates from completing the process.
- Personalized engagement: Tailoring communication and engagement to each candidate’s profile can create a more personalized AI candidate experience. Acknowledging specific skills and experiences in communication shows that the company values individual contributions.
- Answering candidate Requests: Most candidates ask questions and expect them to be answered promptly. Having an open and direct channel is crucial for a positive AI candidate experience.
- Extremely fast process: Candidates expect the hiring process to be less than 2 weeks, while the average time to hire often exceeds 30 or even 40 days. Source of information: SHRM
- Providing good feedback: Candidates expect the hiring process to be personal and provide feedback on why their profile has not been chosen.
Future of AI candidate experience
With all these capabilities, AI can improve the experience for candidates and recruiters alike. Candidates are eager for a fast-paced hiring process and not receiving an answer months after sending their CV. The AI candidate experience is leading the revolution in the hiring process.
By leveraging these technologies, companies not only improve their employer image but also obtain more accurate and rapid insights into candidates. In the future job market, personalization and efficiency go hand in hand, and artificial intelligence is the key to achieving it.
In conclusion, prioritizing AI candidate experience is vital for attracting top talent and enhancing the overall employer brand. By incorporating transparent communication, user-friendly processes, and leveraging AI, companies can set themselves apart in today’s competitive hiring landscape.
