The ability of ChatGPT and other comparable forms of generative artificial intelligence, or AI, to create human-like content has stoked fears that such technology might soon replace humans in a number of jobs. However, rather than replacing jobs, artificial intelligence has actually been working via automation or algorithm-based output for human resources professionals—and job hunters—for quite some time.
“We help our customers process job applications … all the new-hire paperwork and connect them to payroll. If the manager wants to hire the person, they click one button. And we trigger an email that goes to the new hire,” says Dan Longton, president and CEO of HRgems Inc., dba Trait Set in Fort Myers. “This saves a lot of work for the business, and the applicant ends up getting all their new-hire work online. The manager never has to send in paper copies or sit down and spend 35 minutes with a new hire to complete all the I9s and W4s and sign off on handbooks and policies. The employee basically has to sign those electronically, the manager clicks the button to approve them, and then boom—the person’s hired and [their] information is sent off to the payroll provider.”
Though using computer intelligence to automate time-consuming tasks is nothing new, there’s another element to Longton’s proprietary system that uses a higher level of artificial intelligence to help employers sift through applications and make better hires.
“We embed with the application a behavioral-based assessment, which will predict quite accurately if the person has a good work ethic and integrity. [There is] another one for customer service skills and another one for leadership management skills,” Longton says. “We measure traits around leadership and management, so it saves the hiring manager interview time because we’ve automated that. As those are measured, we score them. Then, on the customer’s dashboard, when they look at who’s applied, it ranks these candidates [and shows] who scored higher and lower on the assessment. Then they (the employers) only have to click a button to hire the person.”
Aside from saving time for human resources professionals, AI can also help job seekers to enhance and organize their job search, improve their resumes and write better cover letters. But when putting generative AI to work in job search, it’s more important than ever to consider how the applications and resumes will be reviewed.
“A lot of organizations are using AI selection systems and applicant tracking systems. To do that initial screening, [candidates] need to think about ‘How can I design my resume so that I can be lifted through that screening and make it to a human?’” says Chrissann Ruehle, provost faculty fellow for artificial intelligence at Florida Gulf Coast University. “At the same time, they need to make sure that they design their resume for the human that eventually is going to read it. So it’s a complex environment for candidates that are applying for jobs right now.”
Finally, for all the concern that employees may one day be hired and fired by bots, Ruehle notes that what artificial intelligence generates is only as good as the input used to create it. However, while there should always be a human element involved in human resources, she also believes it’s important for job seekers and HR professionals to understand how to use AI to their advantage.
“In today’s environment, where organizations are focused on efficiency and effectiveness, I believe it’s important that HR managers have some baseline knowledge and expertise when it comes to using generative AI. In the hyper-competitive environment where they’re trying to attract the highest quality candidates to their organization, I think they need to develop expertise in how to use ChatGPT,” Ruehle says. “However, they can’t be entirely reliant on it. There is a place for [artificial intelligence] and/or artificial plus human intelligence, and they need to recognize ‘When should I use ChatGPT or generative AI, and when am I best served—and the organization is best served—by using my human intelligence?’”
