Swift and efficient

Using artificial intelligence to enhance the talent acquisition process

Technology hopes and fears

The pace of technological development today has reignited fears that man becoming
subordinate to machines is inevitable. Growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) has done
little to allay such concerns.
On the face of things, there is no smoke without fire. Human input has been a vital
component in the overall effectiveness of enterprise resource systems. But the shift from
static to more sophisticated AI software has placed greater onus on technology. In this
changing environment, human intelligence might have to get accustomed to the supporting
role.
Much debate naturally surrounds the emergence of AI. Its potential impact on future
employment is chief among them and some analysts paint a pretty gloomy picture of how
automation will pose a significant risk to a sizeable number of jobs. Others are more upbeat
though. In their view, any initial effect will be countered as employees acquire the new skills
needed to exploit prospects that new technologies should offer.

Artificial intelligence and human resources

Evidence shows that AI has scope to make a positive difference in many work contexts.
Take the acquisition of talent, for instance. Use of AI enables firms to considerably
speed up identification and recruitment of suitable candidates. Some report valuable
contribution in ascertaining hidden talents. Such advantages are in addition to its
obvious capacity to perform various routine tasks and free up employees for other
responsibilities.
The potent mix of swiftness and efficiency can benefit both clients and candidates alike.
That AI also permits employers to gain a broader insight into the suitability of applicants is
arguably the icing on this particular cake.
In a perfect world, workers will fully embrace changes triggered by new technologies. But
how they perceive potential outcomes is likely to determine whether their response is
favorable or less so. While some individuals welcome technological change with open arms,
others will be more nervous about such developments.
According to certain analysts, organizations might shape these reactions to some degree.
A smart move is to make any novel technology beneficial to the employee. Deploying it in a
way that removes some of their cognitive workload is a useful place to start.
Training certainly has an important role to play, so companies should ensure that
appropriate strategies are in place. Various studies have suggested that age can be a
significant factor in how people engage with technology. The general assumption here is
that enthusiasm is typically higher among younger workers than their more mature
colleagues. With the latter group, mistrust of anything unfamiliar is often the norm.

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DOI 10.1108/DLO-11-2020-0224 VOL. 35 NO. 5 2021, pp. 43-45, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1477-7282 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL j PAGE 43
 Despite these and other indications, more investigations are urgently required in order to
identify factors that could determine the impact of AI technologies within the area of talent
acquisition.

Some pointers to successful implementation

Given this need, Niehueser and Boak (2020) explore the issue further in a case study of Cielo.
Interviews and a questionnaire were deployed in the quest to explore attitudes to AI among
employees of this provider of recruitment process outsourcing solutions. Some respondents
already had early exposure to the technology, whereas its use by others was imminent.
Introduction of AI at Cielo was aimed at enhancing certain ‘high-volume’ aspects of
recruitment. Its impact was eye-catching to say the least. Prior to this, it took up to a
fortnight to process each application and arrange an interview. Using AI could reduce this
timescale to around seven minutes. This was attributed to the AI technology taking over
some of the responsibilities formerly allocated to a human operator when the previous
tracking system was used. Advertisement of vacancies, screening of CVs and issuing offer
letters were among the range of other functions handed over to technology.
Initial response to AI was strikingly positive. At least part of that can be attributed to a smart
move on the firm’s part to have the team leader involved at the outset. Her participation
during the pilot phase helped to:
䊏 influence system design and functionality; and
䊏 secure a degree of buy-in to the AI technology among other employees in the team.

Analysis revealed additional factors which increased eagerness to adopt. Greater efficiency
was widely cited by respondents who noted the major difference in time needed to process
large applicant numbers. Capacity to ease the pressure on them is not surprisingly
regarded as a huge plus.
Positive feedback was likewise given about performance. Particularly salient in this regard
is client comments about the quality of candidates offered to them. System ability to handle
a larger pool of applicants is one reason for this. But even more significant is the capacity
for AI to conduct an online emotional intelligence (EI) assessment. This ensured that
candidates ticked all the boxes required by client firms, not just those pertaining to
knowledge and skills associated with the job.
Another important aspect is that the system is deemed easy to use. This is identified as a
critical factor in the technology acceptance model (TAM), widely used to measure the
likelihood of a new technology being adopted. Other factors of TAM include perceptions of
technology value and attitudes of management and colleagues towards it. Answers in the
affirmative further suggest that the decision to introduce AI was a wise one.
Where ease of use is concerned, training makes a notable contribution. Cielo seems to
grasp the notion that training must be tailored to individual backgrounds and needs in order

Its potential impact on future employment is chief among

them and some analysts paint a pretty gloomy picture of how
automation will pose a significant risk to a sizeable number
of jobs.

PAGE 44 j DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL j VOL. 35 NO. 5 2021
 In a perfect world, workers will fully embrace changes
triggered by new technologies.

to be effective overall. Previous work has urged program development to account for
differences in such as age and level of tech-savviness. Even though adoption of new
technologies is considered to vary across generations, it was not found significant in this
case. One possible assumption is that the relevance of this factor could be subject to
contextual variation. That attitudes towards AI were self-reported should be considered too.
What are labeled as ‘potential resisting factors’ appear less prominent in comparison. Certain
people place question marks against assessment accuracy, arguing that scope exists for
candidates to cheat the system. Some concerns about acceptance by different stakeholders
likewise arose. However, this seems fueled by thoughts of the AI system being too-good-to-
be-true rather than any genuine doubts over its capability. Equally trivial are comments from
hiring managers forced to shift from their reliance on traditional paper-based methods.
Fears about job security were largely absent here. Employees felt somewhat safe in the
knowledge that technology would be utilized for more mundane tasks and that human input
remained vital where more specialized higher level roles are concerned.
Nonetheless, training will ideally further alleviate this and the other concerns identified. It
may also pay to use training to brief both employees and clients in the use of AI systems
and the potential advantages. Encouraging feedback from participants is critical too, as this
will enable training programs to be modified to ensure they remain appropriate.

Comment
The review is based on: ‘‘Introducing artificial intelligence into a human resources function’’
by Wilfried Niehueser and George Boak, published in Industrial and Commercial Training.
Novel technologies like artificial intelligence have considerable potential to enhance the
Keywords:
speed and efficiency of human resource functions like talent acquisition. Employees can New technology,
become accustomed to the system through appropriate training that can also emphasize its Artificial intelligence,
benefits and help increase acceptance as a result. Employee training

Reference
Niehueser, W. and Boak, G. (2020), “Introducing artificial intelligence into a human resources function”,
Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 52 No. 2, pp. 121-130, ISSN 0019-7858, doi: 10.1108/ICT-10-
2019-0097.

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