Recruiting AI in a business all about people
model, might never hear anything about their application.
But for family businesses that place enormous value on their “human touch”, AI presents something of a paradox: can an algorithm understand the nuance of a career or an individual as well as a person can? For John Parkinson, 3rd generation CEO of FBUK Member HRGO, the answer lies not in replacing the human touch, but in protecting it. “Recruitment is a fundamentally human business,” he says. Betty Four years ago, HRGO embarked on a knowledge transfer partnership with the University of Kent to apply AI and machine learning to improve the candidate experience of recruitment. One of the company’s platforms, Betty – named after Betty Parkinson who founded the company in her front room in 1957 – has now supported 200,000 job applicants to improve their CV and offer feedback. With unemployment stuck at a five-year high, and the number of vacancies falling, competition for roles is fierce. On average, every vacancy attracts around 50 applications. For graduates that almost triples to an average of 140 applicants per vacancy. That means a lot of disappointed job seekers , many of whom never get a response. HRGO alone receives around 1 million applications for the roles it recruits. But, it only places 36,000 candidates leaving more than 960,000 people who, in a traditional recruitment
It is these neglected areas of the recruitment process where HRGO’s AI, Betty, thrives. While human recruiters focus on placing candidates, Betty ensures the vast majority of unsuccessful applicants receive a positive experience through personalised feedback rather than total silence.
Martin Greig Family Business UK
“Betty never says no” says John Parkinson.
Chances are, all of us are using AI every day whether we know it or not – from applications on our smartphones to internet searches or chatbots. For businesses, AI offers the potential for efficiencies and cost savings. Some estimates suggest that up to third of routine or administrative tasks could be done more efficiently by AI. The likes of Elon Musk and Bill Gates have both suggested that rapid advances in AI and robotics will render employment voluntary and money irrelevant in as little as 10–20 years. And, while that may feel a little “sci-fi”, it is worth knowing that the UK Government has already started planning for how it provides a Universal Basic Income to support workers in industries likely to be most disrupted by AI. Opportunities of AI Much of the debate about AI is framed in this way – the negative impacts of replacing jobs. But, counterintuitively, one area where AI is adding real value is in recruitment.
This specific and restricted use of AI is where many companies are finding added value. David Angel, Managing Partner at executive search firm Redgrave, an FBUK Corporate Partner, agrees that agrees that it is about finding a balance. “While every Board agenda is likely to include a conversation about AI,” he says, “companies must ultimately show human-centred leadership that balances AI with empathy and integrity.” Square peg – round hole “The AI is never used for decision-making. It’s there to leave people a little bit better than we find them.”
But where might future advances in AI take recruitment?
The next generation of AI systems will be far more sophisticated than
FBUK Issue 6 14
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online