There is a lot of noise about how AI – specifically generative AI and AI agents – is already halfway towards revolutionising how we work, how we create and how we collaborate.

From coding to customer service, from marketing to sales, NLP programmes are making immediate, critical inroads into previously human-centric operations. 

The possibilities beyond this explosion in generative AI (and the presumption that a working AGI is only around the corner) extend the horizon of what AI can do for more complex tasks, such as iterative problem solving and high-level reasoning.

So within this hysteria of disruption, where are the details around how AI will make workplaces better for everyone? 

After all, the main benefit of integrating AI into workplace processes is to reduce the mundane, automate the repetitive, and allow humans to do what humans do best – create, reason, collaborate, ideate, laterally generate ideas, build relationships and create genuine emotional connections between people, products, services and theories.

Amidst the contradictory thought pieces and think tank panics about AI, what seems to be somewhat lost in the mania is how AI can help build more equitable, fair workplaces for many millions of people who are forgotten or incapable of integrating into analogue workplaces. 

So can we create a future where AI is used for good, or are the tech naysayers right in assuming AI will only be used for illicit gains in easily manipulated industries, deep fakes, crypto-scams and hyper-capitalism?

Let’s dive into it.

Diversity, equity, and how AI can help.

According to author and Forbes contributor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, AI will help diversity in two ways.

• “The first is to diagnose things better, telling us what truly goes on in a culture, revealing some of the hidden dynamics underlying many of the critical interactions between people at work”.
• “The second is being able to actually measure inclusion, in particular, whether someone’s demographic status or identity can predict their actual status at work”.

The analytical power of modern AI programmes “allows us to go beyond perceptions”, giving change makers and leaders insight into “biases in behaviour”. AI fills a gap between what we think is happening, and what really is happening, or what could happen, based on evidence. AI can supplement emotionally driven HR decision making with evidently based logic, which in the case of diversity hiring, network management and fair representation can only be a good thing.

Bridging this evidence/emotion gap is the only way to build HR functionality based on real, performance-driven equity, based on real-time data. That data, and the ability to parse it, is the real power behind how AI can assist in creating a representative workforce.

Of course, this doesn’t mean AI should be used on a whim – there is ample evidence that poor AI implementation can break laws and entrench biases, so oversight is key. 

It’s worth reading pieces, such as this article by Fast Company, on the pros and cons of using AI for diversity hiring practices.

Inclusivity, disability and how AI can help.

As this detailed report by Accenture titled AI for disability inclusion puts it, there are several things business leaders and AI developers both can do to help foster more inclusivity in workplaces, especially around disability access and using tech to help people work more productively.

At the very basic level it starts at the design phase. AI creators need to put “inclusive design principles in place to support “human + machine” collaboration (which is) essential to the development of fair and unbiased AI solutions”. Inclusive AI by design is the foundation of inclusive AI use. 

So what does this inclusive design look like in real life? Well, it can be a poisoned chalice but again with the right leadership and strategy AI can be a blessing. 

• “Biases often occur at the intersections of disability, race, gender, and other identities”, which means whatever and however AI is developed it has to be built around reducing bias between underrepresented and vulnerable groups, rather than exacerbating them.
• AI can help build more inclusive workplaces. For example AI platforms can provide better testing and pre-interview assessments, AI-based accessibility tools such as speech-to-text transcription and sign language into text systems, AI-driven employee feedback, AI-augmented accessible interview processes and AI-augmented language accessibility tools. 

The tools of the future can be implemented today to help those most in need of that extra layer of support.

Minority recruitment and AI. 

This piece by the Data Scientist neatly summarises how AI can help elevate minority hires in the recruitment funnel. 

But much of the theory behind diversity-focused hiring strategies – such as blind screenings and automated assessments – has been known for years. It’s how they’re evolving via AI that HR pros need to be aware of.

• The real power lies in how AI improves data-driven recruitment. AI can operate between a wide array of recruiting tools such as jobs boards, social media, applicant tracking systems and recruitment CRMs seamlessly, to better communicate in real-time with specific candidates on the nature of targeted jobs, or clients on the state of play with candidate funnels and minority talent availability. 

• AI can create more accurate predictions on candidate suitability and hiring success utilising data, and can better identify patterns in background, experience and assessment viability. 
• Coupled with in-house NLP (like ChatGPT plugins), AI becomes more than an automated extra – they become an assistant recruiter in all but name, able to seamlessly and immediately dive into entire recruiting networks to matchmake in real-time.

With the right sort of oversight (and a fixation on making sure bias-free searches are run), AI can be the diversity hiring partner every recruiter needs. 

At Rectec we help organisations to find the best recruitment and talent acquisition technologies to suit your needs. 

From Applicant Tracking System and Recruitment CRM comparison, to vendor snapshots, and technology showcases in our unique technology marketplace, we provide fee-free tools to help you build the perfect recruitment tech stack for your business!

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It’s a piece of software that combines a collection of digital tools onto a single platform that helps you manage all aspects of the recruitment cycle. From automating candidate emails and scheduling calls, to screening vast numbers of applications, maximising your talent pool and handling candidate documents and references. A good ATS has the power to overhaul your entire staffing operation into the most productive and profitable business it can be.

In many ways an ATS has a lot of similarities to your CRM and, depending on the software, can be used to not only store candidate information in a digital form but be used to automatically confirm that a candidates application has been received, keep them up to date on their application status, and prompt them to confirm an interview time. It is the perfect solution to automating your hiring process, freeing up your team so they have more time to focus on nurturing both candidate and client relations and enhancing your employer brand. If you’re looking to identify the Best Applicant Tracking System for your business, then be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to the Best Applicant Tracking Systems (2024).

If you’re thinking of investing in an applicant tracking system to help with your recruiting and talent acquisition efforts, or finding a new one that meets your growing hiring needs, here are 6 things you need to know about this type of software.

1. Candidates

When flooded with hundreds of applications, an ATS is the number one solution for identifying quality candidates amongst the masses. It uses automated intelligence to screen for the best, most qualified candidates and enables you to collect, organise and store valuable information on prospects based on their experience and skill set. This saves you so much time that would have been spent manually filtering through applications that aren’t suitable for the position.

The system acts as a database and enables your team to set up focused searches using keywords, tags and filters, with some ATS systems ranking candidates in order of suitability based on the skills you’re looking for decreasing your time to hire.

2. Communication

An ATS helps your team better manage their relationships with both candidates and clients. The system automatically logs all of your conversations, so nothing gets lost in transit and you don’t fall victim to ghosting. It is important to make your candidates feel valued during the recruitment process and deliver more of a modern and engaging experience.

An ATS will also enable your team to message candidates quickly and easily, asking any questions they need answers to or scheduling interviews and feedback. When you use an integrated scheduling tool, the ATS will automatically remind both you and the candidate before the interview starts so that you avoid no-shows, saving you time and frustration.

3. Job Distribution 

When maximising your talent pool, getting your vacancy out to as many job boards as possible will naturally increase your reach and improve your chances of finding the perfect candidate. Many of the large recruitment sites such as Indeed have partnerships with Applicant Tracking Systems, meaning you can distribute your job posting to various sites with just a few clicks. It also lets you post your job ad to your social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

A good ATS will even automate this process for you, creating a post-ready version of your vacancy that you can quickly distribute to your own career pages and all the major third-party platforms at once. An ATS also has the ability to track which applicants are coming from where, so that you can adjust and hone your distribution strategy.

4. Collaboration  

An ATS system enables your team to work together and easily collaborate on vacancies throughout the recruitment cycle. Using the software, you can easily assign roles to different members of the team and control who has access to what information. You can also customize workflows and add your own hiring stages, from screening through to the interview stages and all the way to making an offer and onboarding. At a glance, your team should be able to tell whether or not a candidate has been dropped during the recruitment process and at what stage.

This means your team has a clear view of the whole recruitment process and are able to streamline, collaborate and make the whole cycle more efficient.

5. Analytics 

When analysing your existing talent acquisition strategy, an ATS is efficient in creating auto-generated detailed reports and identifying any holes in your process. This is done by collecting data from different parts of the recruitment process so whether you’re looking to track time to hire, job board ROI or the efficiency of your social platforms, the right ATS will deliver exportable reports and analytics so that you can adjust and enhance your future hiring strategy.

Depending on the software, you can even track your team’s performance, how many placements they’ve made along with a number of other KPIs that you may need to monitor in order to help your team grow and succeed.

6. Onboarding 

The time-consuming yet significant onboarding process can be greatly simplified when you use a well-designed, capable ATS. The system is able to digitalise and store candidates’ personal details such as proof of address and identification whilst enabling online signing of employee contracts. They can also collaborate with your Payroll and/ or HR system and carry out tedious manual tasks for you and help organise all the paperwork.

Since the onboarding experience can impact factors like employee engagement, productivity, and turnover, an Applicant Tracking System’s ability to make the process as effective and efficient as possible will yield a notable return for your company.

How can we help? 

Whether you’re looking to implement an Applicant Tracking System in your business for the first time, or you’re reviewing or renewing your current technologies, Rectec Compare is your unique opportunity to quickly and easily identify the vendors you should be talking to. If you’d like to find out more please get in touch today for a free, no obligation chat or pre-register for exclusive access to Rectec Compare by clicking here.

A quick, responsive process is what you need to attract and engage the best talent.

At Rectec we help organisations to find the best Applicant Tracking System or best Recruitment CRM to suit your needs, accompanied by our unique complimentary tech marketplace, to help you build the perfect recruitment tech stack for your business.

You can click here to register for Rectec Compare – and best of all, it’s completely free of charge.

Rob Green, Founder & Director, Rectec.

Changing the way that recruiters buy software…

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