From resume screening to chatbot interviews, artificial intelligence is transforming how employers hire — raising new questions about bias, privacy, and the candidate experience.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly impacting the way companies hire employees, and how job hunters find work.
For candidates who have not searched for a new opportunity in years or even months, how companies hire may feel dramatically different. Resume reviews, screening interviews, and even parts of the interview process are increasingly being handled by AI-powered tools instead of people.
With the goal of saving money and streamlining their internal processes, many employers are embracing AI. Some reports indicate that about 30% or more of employers are using AI in their hiring process.
When a role is posted on job boards, hiring professionals are often overwhelmed by the number of applications. Some candidates use the strategy of applying broadly hoping that one opportunity “sticks,” creating a flood of responses for hiring teams to sort through.
AI tools are designed to narrow that pool, so a recruiter can engage with fewer, more qualified candidates.
Most AI platforms use algorithms — step-by-step instructions with a specific goal, like a recipe — to solve the challenge of identifying qualified employees more efficiently.
A fast-growing tool is the use of chatbots during early-stage screening. Chatbots filter and remove unqualified candidates. Instead of a human evaluating a resume, interactive chatbots are used to ask questions, analyze responses, and even suggest who should advance in the hiring process.
AI can also screen resumes, assess qualifications, and identify which resumes are the best match for a position. A recruiter can search using keywords or a specific skill.
Video interviews are evolving as well.
Some companies now use AI-assisted interview platforms that resemble virtual video calls, sometimes featuring a human-like avatar that interacts with a candidate. Fraud detection software is typically built into these systems to flag suspicious behaviors like unusual pauses or eye tracking. Employers want to eliminate candidates who are using online tools to help them answer questions.
More advanced hiring software has had mixed results with analyzing facial expressions and tone of voice.
Hiring professionals worry if the algorithms are identifying the most qualified candidate, or is it the candidate with the best resume? Additionally, employers report that AI does not effectively assess “soft skills,” which are difficult to evaluate with many screening tools.
Some AI screening tools have also drawn legal scrutiny in Mass. because they resemble prohibited lie-detector tests. State law bars employers from requiring lie-detector tests as a condition of employment.
Bias is another area of growing concern.
Supporters argue that a consistent process can reduce biases. Some employers report that when AI is reviewing qualifications only, biases are less likely to impede the hiring process. Critics, however, contend that AI tools may disadvantage or even disqualify candidates who are non-native English speakers, candidates with disabilities, or applicants who are not tech savvy.
Job seekers are increasingly using AI themselves.
AI can assist candidates with writing resumes and cover letters, as well as generating relevant interview questions and answers. Employers may view this as deceptive, though candidates often argue that companies are relying on AI throughout the hiring process.
There are an increasing number of employers asking candidates to confirm that they have not used AI to build their resumes. If a company receives 20 resumes, all with the same format and with remarkably similar language, this may raise flags.
The use of AI in the hiring process will continue to grow and evolve, but experts encourage companies to use it as an enhancement to their selection process, not their only selection tool.
A common candidate complaint is being hired by a machine as opposed to being hired by a human. It can feel disingenuous when a company claims to be committed to the candidate experience while heavily relying on cold and impersonal AI tools to eliminate applicants.
Some job seekers worry whether employers will be scraping candidate data from their online presence. Will social media profiles, images, videos, be included as part of the hiring profile, along with a candidate’s resume? Candidates have expressed fears regarding data security.
Regularly critiquing how AI is being used is essential. Analyzing algorithms, assessing the quality of candidates, monitoring biases and evaluating the candidate experience are important considerations.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
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