Technological disruption is an issue that has affected every industry, albeit for the best. Emerging technology such as AI, Automation, Database has played a pivotal role in the way businesses are operating. Going forward into IR 4.0, technological mastery and adoption need to be incorporated into business plans to stay competitive and relevant. 

As modern technology develops at stellar speed, it is fair to assume that even the recruitment process will be dependent on technologies shortly. As a long standing recruitment agency in Malaysia, here is how we view the whole situation.

The emergence of AI and new technologies

Talks of how artificial intelligence (AI) taking over the tasks of HR specialists and recruiters are nothing new. With a never ending pandemic that has spiked in Malaysia, COVID-19 has caused many organizations to rely on new technologies to adapt to the disruption. Stakeholders have begun to shift their attention to continuing operations with creative recruitment processes with AI.

AI promises to cut short the recruitment process by providing an algorithm that matches the perfect candidates with the right job while claiming to remove the need of having a middle man in the whole recruitment process. For example, one major feature that attracts users to consider AI in recruitment is that it enables candidates to undergo a screening process in real time. Candidates can submit their applications and go through an interview tailored to their specialities.

AI also promises to provide databases that can help store relevant information such as job posting or candidate information in one system which comes in the form of apps that are made available in smartphones and websites. 

With AI introduced to the process, it seems like it is possible to optimize the recruitment process by cutting the cost, improving the speed to hire and providing more diverse candidates to hiring employer while not having to go through a lengthy process of sourcing for talents. It sounds too good to be true right? Well, it probably is.

Why recruiting is a human task
In-depth profiling

While it is true that using technology does have its perks, some tasks can only be effectively executed by humans. Profiling candidates is an example of this. While AI uses data to calculate and match candidate profiles with vacancies, recruiters would rely on their interpersonal skills and heuristic guesses on top of their analytical skills to get a well rounded view of a candidate.

One thing to note from an AI recruitment module is that the process lacks depth. A recruiter would be able to identify candidates personalities, traits, preferences, motivations, goals, competencies & compatibility on a personal level, which machines could never interpret. This is because it is almost impossible for a machine to categorize candidates in an in depth manner because each individual is unique and their characteristics may branch differently from others.

Creative solutions to unprecedented hiring problems

Recruiters will be able to come up with solutions to any hiring problem in a creative fashion. In the midst of a crisis, any businesses must have a solid understanding of how their business should operate so that they can come up with contingencies to stay afloat. 

During such times of uncertainties, recruiters should be able to advise businesses on how the hiring plans should look like. For example, during the pandemic, although many tech companies are indeed looking to fill in vacancies in their businesses, they do not simply take long term risks. They instead consulted help from specialised IT recruitment agencies to find contract employees to fill up the gaps in their workforce. 

Recruiters are also able to advise organizations on the rapidly changing hiring needs and design effective hiring plans that will reflect positively on business strategies to ensure that businesses will be able to pivot quickly.

Recruiters Can Search For Niche Candidates Better Than AI

One fatal flaw that artificial intelligence has at the moment is that AI in HR is still immature. There are still many key features that AI can’t execute. An example of this is producing niche candidates. AI’s are programmed to screen through thousands of profiles in a matter of seconds. This has led the system to constantly miss out any niche candidates that simply do not belong in any categories. Over time though, AI may learn how to be better but employers who are looking to hire niche candidates will still rely on the help of AI.

What’s the most important task left for recruiters to do?

Recruiter becomes a value to employers for their ability to sell, convince and recruit high profile talents for employers.  Another human factor that machines could not fulfil at the moment is act as a trusted advisor for both brands and candidates. With a network of talents available under their belt, recruiters will be able to capture the attention of talents and act as a valuable advisor.

What Will The Future Of Recruitment Look Like In Malaysia?

While many would think that technological disruption may eliminate recruiters from the hiring ecosystem, we at BGC Malaysia believe that technologies and AI would improve the hiring process while complementing recruiters. Technologies will provide recruiters with effective hiring methods that could significantly improve the hiring process.

Automated Screening

AI’s can help recruiters get through the mundane tasks of screening over thousands of candidate profiles by automating the resume screening process for high volume jobs. This way, recruiters will be able to have more time to source for quality candidates by double screening them.  

ATS

Another value that technology brings to the recruitment climate is its contribution of big data. Recruiters will be able to access data that candidates have submitted onto their ATS platform. This allows recruiters to pull out any candidates instantly from the pool which could cut the hiring process significantly.

Optimized Job-postings

One of the issues that hiring managers face during a recruitment process is that many HR specialists were unable to target their job postings to their intended market. AI provides a solution to that. AI can predict and analyse suitable candidates by organizing job posts according to their structure and responses from the pool. This allows relevant job posts to be more visible to the relevant candidates. It also attracts a diverse pool of candidates from the system which would give employers more choice and flexibility in picking the suitable talent.

Conclusion

Implementing AI and automation the recruitment process provides important value to both the candidates and employers. However, the human part of the recruitment process such as in-depth profiling, providing creative solutions and screening for niche candidates is what makes recruiters relevant to the hiring process. What AI cannot provide that recruiters can – convincing the perfect candidate why they should take up your job offer. Can machines ever sell your company’s reputation and culture as well as the human? Well, this has to be human driven and very unlikely to be replaced any time soon. All great recruiters will have to master this aspect well to continue bringing value to employers. 

We hope that was helpful! Should you have any problems with sourcing for the right candidate, don’t be shy! Let us know how we can help you. Our experienced HR and talent recruitment specialists will strive to provide the best fit solutions to your HR needs.