New technology has impacted many industries across the world. It has changed the way people work and at times, eliminated the need for human involvement. However, can artificial intelligence replace recruiters completely?    

Growing in popularity, artificial intelligence (AI) refers to machines or software that perform tasks that normally require a person. In recent years AI has helped make processes more efficient and in some cases, even completely taken over a role.    

With its time saving benefits, it is easy to see why AI is becoming an integral part of our lives. However, most people don’t even realise how common it is. Chat bots, predictive web searches, personalised ads, traffic predictions and even email spam filters are all examples of artificial intelligence and machine learning used by millions of people every day.    

AI has already disrupted the recruitment industry, with automated scheduling and enhanced search tools being widely used by many recruiters and executive search firms. But can artificial intelligence replace recruiters permanently? Below are a few reasons why we believe machines will never be able to completely replicate a great search consultant.    

Human Relationships

So, AI can match candidates’ CVs with a job description, but can they build a relationship? The relationships recruiters build with clients and candidates can help influence the process and even challenge a vacancy specification. These human relationships also help head-hunters identify a candidate’s interpersonal skills through meaningful conversations. This is something computers will just not be able to reproduce.  

Ensuring A Good Cultural Fit

Judging whether a candidate will be a culture add is a skill that will always require human interaction. Although there are pre-screening AI tools available to help with this process, the final verdict regarding cultural fit will need to be a human decision – made following a physical meeting or working interview with the candidate. It is only through these physical, human interactions you can get a feel for what a candidate will bring to a company and whether they will fit in.  

Searching And Selling

Talented search consultants can see a candidate’s potential and unearth skills and experience they have not included on their résumé. Perhaps a candidate may not come from the same industry, but their skills are very much transferrable. An artificially intelligent software might exclude these prospects based on industry alone. A reputable search firm will also reach out to people who are not recorded as actively looking for a new role whereas AI does not have the ability to think outside the box. Recruiters are then able to sell the company and the opportunity to these ‘outside the box’ candidates – something AI could never do.  

Empathy – The Human Touch

Its no secret that machines don’t have feelings, and in the recruitment world, that’s a massive disadvantage for AI. Humans can see how much effort candidates are putting into the interview process and gage candidate commitment levels. Artificial intelligence could never hope an applicant does well in their interview or be ecstatic when their candidate lands their dream job. Recruitment is naturally a ‘human-being’ industry, it relies on passion for the job and making quality connections between people. Ultimately recruitment requires a human touch and a machine or software can not replace that.