Is the Use of AI in Recruitment Leading to a Decline in Standards?

After an eight-year hiatus from job interviews, I found myself in a virtual meeting, eager to make a positive impression. Despite the digital format, my anticipation remained high.

Upon logging in, I was greeted by a friendly-looking interviewer whose name escaped me. He posed well-thought-out questions, listened with focus, and even probed deeper into specific examples I provided.

However, things took a bizarre turn. His responses were slow and his expression emotionless. Then, mid-sentence, as he asked for clarification on a work situation, he vanished without explanation. It turned out he was an AI, and had malfunctioned.

This experience raises concerns about the future of job interviews, which seems to be starting off on an uncertain note. The intention behind utilizing AI for video interviews is to alleviate the overwhelming workload faced by HR departments inundated with applications due to a significant downturn in the UK’s job market.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal a 12% decrease in available job openings compared to last year. This decline has led to a staggering 65% increase in applications for each position, according to data from Tribepad.

The company that developed the technology I encountered, Test Gorilla, assured that the issue I faced was an isolated incident that affected only a small fraction of candidates. Claudia Baijens, the company’s VP of product, explained that candidates in a genuine hiring process can report issues via an on-screen help feature and receive a new link to resume their assessment.

Test Gorilla is collaborating with organizations like Talent Solutions Group to implement AI video interviews for candidate screening. This technology awards candidates scores, enabling hiring managers to identify whom they wish to interview further.

“It allows us to prioritise and speak to that 10% of people that we actually want to reach,”

stated Natalie Jafaar, a principal consultant at Talent Solutions Group, based in Sydney, Australia. AI-driven video interviews are still not widespread, but other AI applications have become more prevalent in recruitment, such as crafting job descriptions, filtering resumes, conducting skills evaluations, sending automated replies, and scheduling interviews.

In August, homecare provider Cera introduced its AI recruitment tool, Ami, which conducts candidate interviews via phone rather than video. It estimates that Ami frees up two days each week for human recruiters by processing around 500,000 job applications annually for its workforce of 10,000.

Ami has already assisted in recruiting over 1,000 new employees, and Cera claims it has cut recruitment screening costs by two-thirds. However, what do job seekers think about interacting with AI instead of humans?

Jim Herrington, who applied for over 900 positions following his redundancy from a marketing director role at an electronics firm, expresses concern that AI screening tends to focus on specific keywords in resumes. As a result, the broader context that could indicate a candidate’s suitability is often overlooked.

“Recruitment agencies aren’t necessarily doing their job properly, because they’re just using software and they’re not actually physically looking at applications,”

remarked Mr. Herrington, who has since landed a position as marketing and communications director at Omega Diagnostics. He also expressed that AI-driven video interviews might tarnish the reputation of the companies that utilize them.

“If a business hasn’t got the time or courtesy to speak to me themselves, then I’m just not interested,”

he stated. “In an interview, there would be so much that an AI just cannot experience. For me, it shows a total lack of respect to the candidate who has spent time and energy in applying.”

Mr. Herrington raised a fundamental question: how far will this trend go? He emphasized the need to value future employees, rather than subject them to impersonal experiences.

Job seekers should also be vigilant as scammers exploit AI to advertise and conduct interviews for fictitious positions, often requesting payment for phony training or equipment. Mr. Herrington recounted his own encounters with such schemes, often receiving calls from automated voices, which he promptly ends.

Despite the advancements, Mr. Herrington refrained from using AI for his CV, cover letters, or presentations. However, he acknowledged that AI enables job seekers to apply for a greater number of positions, even those for which they may not meet the qualifications.

“There are bots that can apply to 1,000 jobs on your behalf while you sleep, tailoring your CV for each of them,”

noted Lydia Miller, co-founder of Ivee, a recruitment platform focused on assisting individuals returning from career breaks. She observed that this phenomenon leads to fewer job openings attracting an overwhelming number of applications, not solely due to an increase in candidates but because individuals are applying to more roles than ever before.

Ms. Miller expressed concern that the rise of AI in recruitment is contributing to a