The Shocking Truth About AI in Hiring

AI is everywhere in our business. One of the questions that we’re seeing a lot is, how do I leverage AI for hiring? What are some of the dos and don’ts?

So I thought what we would do is bring in Anna Kaufman, one of our new hires here at Cornerstone, who has just gone through the hiring process, and talk a little bit about what she saw and some of the research she’s done on AI in the hiring process.

What are some of the things that you saw where AI was really effective, or where you would say AI is a do?

AI can definitely bring some real perks to hiring agencies. It can handle the grunt work like scheduling interviews, sending reminders, transcribing interviews and ensuring that every candidate gets the same questions.

I think that AI can help make the process feel less random and more fair for candidates. AI tools can also scan resumes for different quantifiable information, things like a certain number of years of experience or a specific license that is necessary for the job. AI is really good at finding those kinds of things, and it saves a lot of time for hiring managers.

I read an article that said 83% of companies are using AI in that resume review stage, and I think it’s been really effective there.

So lots of efficiency, lots of minimizing the paperwork and administrative side. What are some of the areas where you see maybe AI is not quite as good as it should be, or where folks are maybe overusing it a little bit?

Yeah. So the problem is when AI tools try to measure intangible qualities of a candidate, anything from confidence, personality fit, attitude or responsiveness. That’s where we get into risky territory.

Automated video scoring for personality assessments can amplify bias, and it rules out good candidates up to 30% of the time. So that means it’s not just ineffective, it’s potentially discriminatory.

And for candidates like me, we already know that we can game the system by responding with our own AI-generated answers. In terms of soft skills, AI tends to not find the best candidates. It just amplifies the noise.

So there you have it, folks. AI dos and don’ts in the hiring process. Lots of great ways to use AI in the space, but don’t assume that it’s going to do the entire hiring process for you.