2018 was undeniably the year of AI in recruiting.
And it looks like recruiters are embracing it: a recent survey from Jobvite finds that nearly 50% of recruiters feel positive about the effects of AI on their jobs while only 7% believe AI will have a negative effect.
In 2019? AI and automation are still going to be dominant themes in recruiting.
In 2018, most recruiting teams were familiarizing themselves with the concepts of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. In 2019, we’ll see the maturation and mainstreaming of AI functions across the recruiting lifecycle.
Here are my top 3 predictions for AI and recruiting in 2019.
1. “AI for…” specific recruiting functions become mainstream
As recruiters begin to understand how AI can be leveraged to solve specific pain points, we’ll see a move from the more general idea of “AI for recruiting” to more specific applications such as “AI for sourcing” or “AI for screening”.
In 2018, as AI products become more widely integrated and available in ATS, CRM, and HRM marketplaces, “AI for…” will become a best-of-breed add-on category that talent acquisition professionals purchase, similar to how they choose recruiting software tools currently.
2. Chatbots become the new “mobile-friendly” function
Recruiting has seen a lot of trends and fads, some of which become mainstream and entrenched. The last big trend that became mainstream was arguably “mobile-friendly” functionality for career sites and job applications.
That means if your job application process isn’t mobile-friendly for both candidates and recruiters, then your process is falling behind your peers and needs updating.
In 2018, having an AI-powered chatbot to help pre-screen and pre-qualify candidates will be the new “mobile-friendly” function.
Recruitiment chatbots are getting so much attention because of the massive efficiency gains and improvements in candidate experience they represent.
With 66% of candidates comfortable interacting with a chatbot according to a survey by Allegis, the market looks ready for mass adoption.
3. AI moves upstream in the recruiting process
Currently, AI functions are focused on the early part of recruiting: sourcing, screening, and initial candidate outreach.
In 2018, AI will become more common upstream in the recruiting process to improve activities such as onboarding and training.
AI uses large amounts of data to provide more accurate recommendations and suggestions. That means AI can be integrated into onboarding and learning management systems to provide customized programs based on a new hire’s skills, knowledge, and prior experience.