These days, in the world of “customer service”, trying to speak to a human on the phone or work with them directly on a project or issue is nearly impossible. So many people are turning towards AI and away from the human touch that was so prevalent just a few decades ago. While artificial intelligence is great for certain tasks, it will never be able to re-create the human element in recruiting that has proven to be incredibly helpful, reliable, and comforting.

Why is the Human Element Important at all in Business?

Picture this, you’re trying to call a bank, office, or place of business and get stuck on an automated answering system. You’re stuck pressing 1, 2, 3, and 4 over and over again just to listen to another robot read you another list of unhelpful prompts. Frustrating, right? We’ve all been there and we’ve all dealt with the stress that advancing AI can bring to our lives. We can’t even schedule a simple doctor’s appointment anymore without some sort of automated system. We’re at the point now, where we have to accept the advancements in technology and work alongside the growing trends of robotic voicemails and automatic e-mail responses.

In an Entrepreneur.com article, Zach Ferres points out a comment by Daniel Pink from his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us about how “as the number of jobs that require cognitive skill increases, people are more important as ever”. Basically, as long as jobs are requiring cognitive thinking skills, humans will be required to fill those positions. A robot is only programmed to a certain extent. It lacks, at this point, cognitive skills that a human would have.

Ferres continues with Pink’s point by saying, “these ‘thought jobs’, require a higher level of creativity, problem-solving prowess and out-of-the-box thinking, meaning that in order for a business to be successful, it needs to learn how to leverage its unique human element.”

No matter how far we come with AI, a human will always be needed to some extent. Without humans, that emotional element that ties us all together is gone completely, along with the option for detailed questions, personal conversations, and live help. Up until this point, AI has no individual creativity on its own. Creativity isn’t something that can be programmed, it’s a skill that is learned and developed and utilized daily by humans. This is just one of the many reasons why AI must be accompanied by a human counterpart, especially in recruiting.

What Role Does AI Play in Recruiting?

Artificial Intelligence plays a crucial role in the days of a recruiter and can be extremely vital to helping them get their job done in a timely manner. According to a Forbes online article titled, Why Your Company Should Use AI In Hiring—But Keep It Human, Writer Wayne Elsey first speaks on the significance of AI in recruiting, “the use of artificial intelligence (AI) could allow them to more efficiently filter through applications so they can meet with the people that most closely align with their objectives. For job applicants, the use of AI means that they've had to change how they apply to businesses, which in the modern era often means fewer applications through emails and many more submissions on company websites -- with AI as the first round in the selection process.”

For example, at ApplicantOne, through the help of SOURCE, our ATS, or Applicant Tracking System utilizes an experienced recruiter plus AI. Today, hiring managers are spending 15% of their time recruiting for one position which can take away time from other potential clients or candidates. But, with the help of AI or an ATS, the front end of the hiring process is totally eliminated to make sure that the hiring manager and recruiter can focus on what’s important, finding you a job, or placing someone in that open position. For example, SOURCE handles front end tasks such as job posting, job advertising, candidate reviews, assessments, video interviews, phone interviews, and vetting. This allows more time for the recruiter to spend actually hiring a quality candidate and less time setting up all of the tedious tasks. In this case, AI is helpful, however, it cannot operate alone. Much like the Forbes article states, we must “maintain human involvement and oversight”.

How Can a Human Element Improve the Hiring Process?

While AI can do a lot for the hiring process, nothing will ever top that human element and touch. Speaking with, talking to, and working with another human being who understands your concerns, thoughts, goals, and needs is something that AI will never be able to do, just like cognitive thinking skills. A great source that discusses the importance of the human element in recruiting is an article on Robert Walters’ website.
The site lists 4 main reasons why recruiters are vital to the hiring process: the network and the passive candidate, job description, hunch, and time. Check them out here.

Why Does this Matter?

Keeping humans employed as recruiters is extremely vital to everyone in the business world. Without recruiters, a lot of companies would have empty positions and a lot of people would be unemployed. Without a human being helping the process, total automation will occur, leaving many struggling. It is important as a recruiter, agency, or CEO to always consider adaptations to help improve the AI, but to also improve the quality of the recruiters and what they do so that they are just as important, if not more important to the process.