(Kestrel is a Hitchin-based, family-run HR and communications consultancy)

As we continue to explore the evolving role of AI in the workplace, one of its most significant and rapidly advancing areas of impact is how businesses attract, assess, and hire talent. In a world where competition for top candidates is fierce, using AI in recruitment is proving to be a powerful, strategic move.

Recruitment has traditionally been a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. HR and recruitment teams often sift through hundreds of resumes. They conduct multiple rounds of interviews, as well as rely heavily on subjective judgments. As a consequence, this approach can lead to unconscious bias. It may also result in inconsistent candidate experiences and missed opportunities to hire top talent.

Enter AI: A Game-Changer in Talent Acquisition

AI is revolutionising recruitment by automating repetitive tasks, enhancing decision-making, as well as improving candidate engagement. Here's how:

AI-Generated Job Descriptions:

One of the first steps in hiring, writing job descriptions, is now being improved with the help of generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, like text or images, based on patterns it has learned from existing data.

This tool can:

• Analyse existing job postings and industry standards
• Suggest inclusive and engaging language
• Tailor descriptions to attract the right talent
• Ensure alignment with company tone and values

CV Screening and Shortlisting:

AI tools can quickly scan thousands of resumes. They pick out the best candidates based on set criteria as a result. With Natural Language Processing (NLP), they understand things like context, skills, and experience—helping reduce mistakes and bias in the process.

Chatbots for Candidate Engagement:

AI chatbots deliver real-time responses to candidate queries, schedule interviews, and offer updates on application status. This 24/7 engagement improves the candidate experience as well as freeing up recruiters to focus on strategic tasks.

Predictive Analytics:

AI can help predict how likely a candidate is to succeed in a job by looking at past hiring data. It also considers how well the person might perform and add to the company culture. This helps businesses make smarter hiring choices.

Video Interview Analysis:

AI can look at video interviews to pick up on things like tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language. While some find this approach controversial, it's meant to offer deeper insight into a candidate's personality and how they communicate.

Reducing Bias:

When used ethically, AI can help reduce bias by focusing only on a person's skills and qualifications. Nonetheless, it's important to make sure the AI itself isn't biased, which means keeping a close eye on how it's built and used.

AI in Onboarding:

AI doesn't stop helping once someone's hired—it also supports the onboarding process. Smart platforms can personalise training, guide new hires through custom learning paths, and also handle paperwork automatically. Chatbots can even answer common questions. This helps new employees feel supported from day one. It lightens the load for HR as well as helping people get up to speed faster.

Case Studies: AI in Action

1. HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs)

HMRC uses AI to make hiring faster and easier, especially for busy roles like customer service. Candidates take online tests and a video interview, which AI reviews to see how well they match Civil Service values. Sometimes, people even get job offers without talking to a person. Inside HMRC, AI also helps HR teams write job ads and study workforce trends. Applicants are encouraged to use AI for brainstorming. They can also make their answers clearer with AI. However, they should not rely on it completely for assessments.

2. Unilever

Unilever uses AI to screen entry-level candidates with fun, game-like tests ( gamification) and video interviews. The AI looks at things like facial expressions, tone, and word choice to understand traits like curiosity and emotional intelligence. This has helped Unilever hire faster, cutting the time by 75%, and made their hiring more diverse.

3. Hilton

Hilton implemented AI chatbots to handle initial candidate interactions, answer FAQs, and schedule interviews. This has significantly improved candidate engagement and reduced drop-off rates during the application process.

Benefits of AI in Recruitment:

• Speed and Efficiency: Automates time-consuming tasks, reducing time-to-hire.
• Cost Savings: Lowers recruitment costs by minimising manual effort.
• Improved Quality of Hire: Uses data to match candidates more accurately to roles.
• Enhanced Candidate Experience: Offers timely communication and a smoother application process.

Challenges and Considerations of AI in Recruitment:

Despite its advantages, AI in recruitment is not without challenges:

• Bias in AI: If the data used to train AI is biased, it can lead to unfair decisions.
• Privacy Issues: AI needs strong data protection because it handles personal information.
• Lack of Human Touch: Relying too much on AI can make the hiring process feel cold or impersonal.

The Future of AI in Recruitment

As AI grows, it will play a bigger and smarter role in hiring. It'll work more closely with other HR tools, offer more personalised experiences for candidates, and help improve diversity and inclusion.

But the real key is balance. AI should support, not replace, human recruiters—helping them hire faster, more fairly, and with better insight.

If you need further support on this or any other HR or recruitment issue, contact us for an initial chat.

You can also find out more about AI in the workplace by reading our insights here.