“AI has broken hiring”: This was the stark claim from Shraddha Sunil and Mudit Saraf, two tech entrepreneurs writing in the Harvard Business Review on Monday. A look at the fraught world of modern recruitment – and the evident frustration of jobseekers and employers alike – reveals why many people might agree that today’s hiring process has lost its way.
Software that filters out CVs before a human sees them, intense competition for even a single post and the frequent ghosting of applicants all suggest that a new approach is needed. Although the efficiencies created by AI for hiring, such as composing job descriptions or advertising them are significant, finding the right candidate is still a challenge.
Interviews have changed over the years, with today’s candidates often reporting multi-round meetings or being asked to produce an entire test project. Employers face challenges too, with Sunil and Saraf writing that “resumes and cover letters have lost their signal value because AI has made it so easy to optimise them”. Meanwhile, they add, “live video interviews are now easily gamed by real-time assistance tools”.
A better way forward for applicants and recruiters alike could be seen in the UAE this week. About 1,000 vacancies were on offer at this year’s two-day Industrialists Career Fair at Abu Dhabi Energy Centre.
Although the event showed that the conversation about Emiratisation is evolving beyond meeting targets towards meaningful career pathways – and evidencing a notable shift from public-sector preference to private-sector ambition – it also revealed the importance of access and face-to-face communication.
Hundreds of young Emiratis could be seen sitting down for conversations with employers. One hopeful, Obaid Al Habsi, 25, told The National that he had been looking for work for several years. At the fair, Mr Al Habsi attended five interviews and said he was optimistic about his prospects. “There were various opportunities and I do feel confident that I’ll get an offer soon,” he added.
Also speaking to The National was Omar Al Nuaimi, Adnoc’s acting group chief commercial and in-country value officer. He said the event differed from a traditional jobs fair because employers and candidates were brought together for immediate interviews and recruitment opportunities.
It is unlikely that technology is going to retreat from recruitment any time soon. According to Hong Kong firm PW Consulting, more than $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) was spent on talent acquisition and staffing technology in the Middle East and Africa region last year alone. Worldwide, this figure was $35.41 billion.
Nevertheless, a smarter hybrid is possible. This could be one were although digital tools are used to judiciously screen candidates’ suitability and check CVs, the real work is done at jobs fairs that are more than just opportunities to talk but can make on-the-spot hiring decisions. Whether AI has “broken” recruitment is debatable – the importance of human interaction in the hiring process is not.
