Ok the only huge news this week is that OpenAI just raised $6.6 billion in funding, bringing its valuation to a casual $157 billion.
If that doesn’t tell you how crucial AI is about to become in every industry, including ours, then let me break it down for you.
But before we start handing over everything to the bots, let’s explore how to actually leverage AI in recruitment, so we’re leading the charge, not scrambling behind it.
1. AI Won’t Replace Recruiters (But It Will Redefine Your Job)
Let’s get one thing straight, AI isn’t coming for your job. It's too busy looking for Sarah Connor. It’s coming to change the way you do it.
Recruitment has two main elements. People Awesomeness... and bullshit.
The key is to figure out which is which and let AI do the bullshit, giving you more time for People Awesomeness.
There will be a lot of tools out there promising to revolutionise every step of the recruitment process.
Of course they are saying that. Remember, they are one of thousands of companies competing for marketshare of a new technology.
Most of them haven't even considered the impact of candidate experience on the level of effort to hire at scale.
So you have to be really proactive in communicating with your business and your TA leaders what will ACTUALLY help you.
Otherwise you might end up with an AI enabled Frankenstack that does a bullshit job of the people awesomeness, leaving you to waste your people awesomeness on bullshit.
💡 Lesson: Start with one task you’re drowning in and see how AI can help.
2. Data-Driven Hiring is Now Essential (AI Loves Structured Data)
If you’re not collecting recruitment data religiously, you’re falling behind.
AI tools are data-hungry beasts, and the cleaner and more structured your data, the better they perform.
Think about modern ATS like Ashby. One of their unique selling points is superb data and analytics, but that means they necessarily rely heavily on good data inputs to help streamline hiring.
What happens when your data is a mess? AI can’t help you there. Use this opportunity to clean house before you scale your AI capabilities.
*A few tips to get your data AI-ready:
Standardise your data inputs: Ensure everyone is logging candidate details in the same way. Get rid of the random notes that aren’t actionable.
Invest in data visualisation tools: Once your data is clean, use tools like Power BI, Tableau or Looker to visualise candidate funnels. This helps identify bottlenecks and improve your processes.
3. AI Talent is the New Gold Rush
In 5 years, crappy recruiters are gonna be crappy Heads of Talent because they have "Ex-OpenAI" on their LinkedIn....
OpenAI’s massive valuation isn’t just a tech story; it’s a hiring signal. We’re about to see a wave of AI talent demand that will make sourcing engineers in 2021 feel like an indian head massage.
If you’re recruiting in tech, brace yourself for the challenge of finding super specialised AI and machine learning experts.
Start building your pipeline now. Reach out to candidates even if you don’t have roles open yet because when you do, the competition will be insane.
4. Practical AI Tools to Enhance Your Recruitment Today
Ready to dive into AI? Here are some tools you can start using right now to give yourself an edge:
1. MetaView – For AI enabled note taking and most importantly, pulling data and analytics from screening notes. Its awesome, use it if you can afford it.
2. Textio – Helps you write inclusive, effective job descriptions by using machine learning to analyse language bias. Say goodbye to gendered language or tone issues that might deter applicants.
3. SeekOut – AI-powered talent sourcing tool that finds hidden candidates. It also helps you build more diverse pipelines by uncovering candidates from underrepresented groups.
ENORMOUS CAVEAT ALERT : Using AI tools and getting good at AI, are two separate things.
As a recruiter, you need to be working with ChatGPT and it's analogs, get better at prompt engineering, leveraging AI to reduce admin.
If you just rely on the new tool, this part of your domain knowledge is not under your control. It's dependant on your managers wants and their budget.
Screw that... get good at AI on your own to empower yourself and improve your work life balance.
5. AI + Human: The Perfect Recruiting Duo
Recruitment is a human business, and no AI can replace the trust, relationships, and intuition we bring to the table.
AI is a tool, but remember, tools don't solve problems, they make solutions easier to implement.
You are the one coming up with solutions, the AI needs to make the implementation an order of magnitude easier.
So, don’t fear AI. Lean into it. Start small, embrace the data, learn some prompt engineering, and make it work for you.
Luke Update
It's getting close to new Stat Sheet time for recruiters and recruitment leaders all over the world. The big pain in the ass job we all dread.
Don't worry, I got you. I'll be publishing my 2025 stat sheet in November so stay tuned
Well... that's issue 22! If you have any questions about it, want to dig into coding, or any feedback on this issue of The Data Driven Recruiter, grab me on LinkedIn for a chat.
I'll see you next week!