5 Ways Technology Has Revolutionized the Recruitment Industry

Last Updated: December 16, 2021

The rise of artificial intelligence is an area that has continued to grow over the years. It is now theorized that it will affect many jobs as we move on into the future. One industry that could be particularly affected is HR and recruitment – an industry that has already been widely impacted by a spate of recent technological advancements, writes Annie Button, content creator, self-employed.

From dial-up internet and brick-like cell phones to superfast broadband and touchscreen smartphones, the rise of technology has been unprecedented throughout the years.

To put it in context, between 1833 and 1926, the basic wristwatch went from not being waterproof to, well, becoming more waterproof. Over the 93 years that followed, wristwatches not only became able to withstand depths of over 10,928 meters but they also now come available in forms that are, in effect, wrist-sized computers.

The level of technology we have available in today’s day and age is simply crazy – and I don’t just mean when it comes to watches. The rise of artificial intelligenceOpens a new window (AI) is an area that has continued to grow and grow over the years and is now theorized to affect many jobs as we move on into the future.

One such industry that could be particularly affected is HR and recruitment – an industry that has already been widely impacted by a spate of recent technological advancements. Below we discuss five of the key ways in which the recruitment industry has already been influenced by technology.

From newspapers to the internet.

Before the internet and social media took over, companies had little other choices than advertising job listings in the local newspapers. As a result of this, they had a very limited reach, often only attracting a low number of under-qualified candidates from around the local area.

Nowadays, that has all changed, and it is now possible to access hundreds of job postings at a few clicks of a button. This has helped employers find great candidates and employees find great jobs since the former can attract a higher number of better-qualified applicants, whereas the latter can find jobs from further afield.

The rise of Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have been especially important in this transition, and the recruitment industry has needed to change its approach when trying to filter out the best candidates to recommend to employers.

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Say hello to ATS.

With this in mind, recruiters have now introduced cloud-based recruitment softwareOpens a new window to automate related processes. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)Opens a new window have enabled companies to not only reduce the amount of time it takes to hire a candidate, but also limit the costs involved while improving the quality of the hired employee.

Not only that, but ATS software has given recruiters the ability to build a repository of candidate CVs, as well as improve the process of scheduling interviews. Similarly, it now provides powerful search options that weren’t originally available. Plus, with just a click of a button, recruiters can now post job listing across multiple platforms.

Skills/behavior assessment.

It can be difficult to know whether a candidate is employable or not. After all, they could talk the talk in an interview but, when it comes to walking the walk, they could be left eating their words.

Fortunately, thanks to advances in science and technology, recruiters can now issue a number of pre-employment assessments to potential candidates. These can help assess the skills and knowledge of each potential employee, making it much easier to see whether they are a good culture fit for the role on offer.

Interview? Let’s Skype instead.

While face-to-face interviews are still the most effective way of getting to know potential employees, a growing number of companies are starting to use online interviews as an initial way of meeting candidates.

From Skype to Facetime, these video calling systems have become especially useful when interviewing people from further afield, allowing companies to shortlist long-distance candidates before they’re forced to spend their money on travel costs.

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5. The rise of AI.

When you hear the words ‘artificial intelligence’, it can be easy to immediately think of films like Will Smith’s iRobot or Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, AI doesn’t always have to involve hostile robots taking over the planet – it can actually be incredibly useful.

Within the recruitment industry, in particular, more and more companies are starting to implement AI strategies into some of their more mundane recruitment processes. According to Undercover Recruiter, these AI implementations will replace nearly a fifthOpens a new window of HR jobs over the next decade.

So, what types of processes can AI help with? Well, all sorts.

Whether it be scouring the web to source the best-qualified candidates, ranking identified candidates in an easy-to-use list, optimizing the entire hiring process, or gaining a competitive advantage over other rival recruitment companies, the rise of AI has streamlined systems and allowed recruiters to do what they do best: hand-pick the best talent possible.

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