How Is AI Video Interview Software Transforming Recruitment?
Generative AI (Gen AI) is taking the world by storm with its ability to create realistic audio, images, 3D models, etc., that mimic human creativity. Take the case of Gen AI tools like Midjourney, DALL-E 2, and Adobe Firefly. Creative agencies have started using them to maximize their efficiency in idea generation and storyboarding. Likewise, text generators like Jasper and ChatGPT are reshaping how businesses approach sales and marketing communication.
By leaving routine and time-consuming tasks to Gen AI tools, businesses are freeing up valuable time to focus on high-value tasks. The McKinsey report that Gen AI has the potential to automate up to 70% of business activities is, therefore, good news—more time away from monotonous tasks means more time for problem-solving and meeting strategic objectives.
AI Innovations in Recruitment
The recruitment industry is not immune to the developments sweeping other industries. It has shown remarkable agility in catching up with advances in AI and automation, leading to better and faster hires and more streamlined recruiting. The industry’s responsiveness is surprising, given how competitive the talent acquisition market is.
Some early use cases of Gen AI in recruitment include the automation of job descriptions, outreach emails, and skill assessments. Now, another source of time-savings has emerged for recruiters: AI video interviews.
Between scheduling, conducting interviews, and debriefing, recruiters lose at least half a workday. When scaled to more candidates and interview rounds, interviews easily become the most time- and labor-intensive part of recruitment. It is in this space that automated video interview software is making a difference.
How Does Generative AI-Assisted Interview Software Work?
Software exceeds human capabilities in many areas, particularly the execution of repetitive tasks, efficient data analysis, and fast retrieval of data from memory. With human-like Gen AI in the mix, it is double the power! In practice, this means interviews can be conducted with double the speed and without humans.
So how does AI interview software work?
At the time of the interview, candidates log in to the candidate screening software. Based on the candidate’s educational qualifications, job history, or job description, the software generates questions. Based on the responses, which are recorded, the system generates follow-up questions, effectively following the principles of a human-mediated interview.
After the interview, the system reviews and scores the answers. It does this for all the candidates on the list within minutes of the interview. At the end of the process, it shortlists the top candidates for the next stage of recruitment.
In case human interviewers want to do their review, they can play back the recordings and enter their scores. So, while the system can complete the entire process autonomously, it leaves a provision for assessment by humans if need be.
Advantages of Gen AI-Assisted Interview
Accelerated Hiring
Speed is crucial in recruitment. But the odds are stacked when there is a large pool of applicants, the hiring teams are busy or lacking in coordination or aren’t using appropriate recruitment tools. Gen AI video software helps overcome all or most of these problems.
The foremost benefit is that it relieves the hiring team of the burden of personally conducting all the interviews. Since the system automatically interviews and shortlists candidates, hiring professionals only need to focus on the top candidates. Unlike conventional interviews, there are no scheduling delays either as candidates can log in and attend the interviews at their convenience. Once the final round of screening is complete (where in-person interviews are required to gauge the candidates’ skills), the team can prepare the offer and close the deal quickly.
Less Effort and Bias
As interviewers immerse themselves in hiring, involvement in their ongoing projects, team management, or strategic initiatives could suffer. With a Gen AI-based interview tool in charge, none of these are impacted. Whether there are dozens or hundreds of candidates, it makes no difference to the speed or quality of screening.
By removing humans from the process, the AI video interview software also removes the unconscious human biases that interfere with the process. Check up the terms attention bias, halo effect, and affect heuristics. They give you a sense of the error-prone mental shortcuts humans take to make snap judgments. The software is trained to focus on the job and how candidates respond to the questions. Nothing more, nothing less.
No Interviewer Fatigue
Conducting interviews requires significant cognitive effort, including active listening, analyzing, and objective evaluation. In reality, this is a challenge. Hiring managers often juggle demanding schedules with back-to-back interviews. While this is part of their job description, it can easily lead to “interviewer fatigue” or “decision fatigue,” which manifests as a drop in attention, foggy thinking, and less-than-reliable decisions.
When AI handles the interviews, it’s like having a reliable ally for recruiters. This removes pressure from their shoulders and helps them avoid the pitfalls of fatigue. With AI lending a hand, recruiters can stay sharp and make more thoughtful hiring decisions.
Streamlined Hiring
Recruiters use different tools to simplify their daily activities. These tools should be highly interoperable to gain a holistic view of candidate information and the interview journey. When Gen AI-assisted interview software seamlessly integrates with other recruitment tools, it reduces the administrative burden associated with the hiring process. As a result, tasks such as scheduling interviews, collecting candidate feedback, and managing candidate information become more efficient and less time-consuming.
Enhanced Candidate Experience
It is well established that candidates prefer to join organizations that ensure a smooth candidate experience. In that sense, candidate experience can make or break recruitment. With AI-assisted interviews, candidates are at liberty to participate in interviews from the comfort of their homes or preferred locations and at a time of their choice. The questions generated by the system also contribute to a positive experience for candidates because they are structured based on the candidate’s experience and responses.
Conclusion
From the benefits we have seen so far, it is clear that generative AI interview software has the potential to transform the quality and speed of interview processes. For the same reason, it could find a permanent place in the arsenal of tools currently used by recruiters. As Gen AI algorithms advance, we can expect further enhancements that make the recruitment landscape more intuitive and efficient.