Robot Recruiting
Anchor Intro (Robot Recruiting)
If you’ve applied for a job recently, chances are you have interviewed with a Robot Recruiter.
Robot Recruitment refers to the umbrella of Artificial Intelligence tools used by companies to streamline their recruitment process.
According to Company Match, more than 95% of all US companies already make use of robots in some capacity.
Mona (MO-na) Saidi (Sa-EE-Dee) reports on this technology and how it’s transforming the recruitment industry.
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Hunter College Student Melina (MEH-LEE-na) Giorgalletou (DJIOR-ga-LEH-too) thought she would speak with a real person for her first ever internship interview. Little did she expect to record her answers for a Robot Recruiter that analyzed her body language and the keywords she used. Melina (MEH-LEE-na) was left with mixed feelings about the experience.
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Melina Giorgalletou
Hunter College Student
I struggled to relate and identify with this company. I couldn’t really create this relationship with them, and I didn’t want to work for them in the end.
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All fortune 500 companies use some form of Robot recruiting and 75% of applications are now vetted through AI, primarily for high turnover, high volume, hourly jobs like retail.
A-I Reporter Hilke (HIL-KA) Schellmannn (SHELL-MAN) says we need these tools but she’s skeptical about how they make their decisions.
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Hilke Schellmannn,
AI Reporter and Professor of Journalism at NYU
People just get rejected and they don’t realize that they may have been rejected because an algorithm wasn’t based on science, and I think that is where it worries me.
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Schellmann is concerned that these technologies are used for people who have very little power and money to begin with.
Career Programs Manager Keith Okrosy (KEE-TH O-KRO-SEE) says there’s room for robot recruitment, especially for overcoming human biases by recruiters.
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Keith Okrosy
Student Career Programs Manager at Hunter College
There’s this idea that this AI approach is a very objective approach because it’s looking at information and that in turn could lead to greater diversity.
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A-I tools typically rely on Machine learning algorithms that use historical data to make more accurate hiring predictions.
Schellmann says algorithmic bias has the potential to cause more harm than human bias.
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Hilke Schellmann
AI Reporter and Professor of Journalism at NYU
They can only commit so much damage. How many people can a human possibly hire in a year? But if you have an algorithm that is run over all 3 million people that apply to IBM or Amazon that downgrades all women, I mean the scope is just unprecedented.
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Schellmann says we shouldn’t go back to human hiring, but we should make sure Robot Recruiting is better than what we had before.
For Okrosy, the onus is on companies to ensure the technologies they use are as inclusive as possible.
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Keith Okrosy
Student Career Services Program, Hunter College
I think that having multiple voices is important, and there are VPs of companies that’s their responsibility is insuring a diverse and inclusive workplace throughout the institution.
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Melina did a few more interviews via phone and video.
She decided not to take an internship this semester.
While she believes Robot Recruiting can save companies a lot of time, she says employers should avoid using this technology with entry-level candidates.
Mona Saidi, Hunter News Now.
