AI Recruiting in 2021: What To Watch Out For

Kristine Le
May 22, 2021 2:46:44 AM

2020 was a challenging year for the recruiting industry. The pandemic forced businesses to think outside of the box and challenge themselves to restructure their recruiting strategy. However, with such difficulties, organizations were able to discover new ideas and technology to support and cushion the abrupt transitions.

Now that we’re nearly halfway into 2021, new artificial intelligence trends have emerged as a result of the events that took place last year. Considering these trends is a great way to stay informed of the current state of the recruiting industry — and to be prepared for what’s to happen in the coming years.

Here are 5 AI recruiting trends to watch out for in 2021.

Companies embrace technology to support remote work

According to Pew Research, 71% of employees are currently working from home in response to the coronavirus outbreak. 54% of these employees reported that they would like to remain remote, even after the pandemic ends. With the right technology, a majority of employees find it quite easy to complete their work from home.

Automation can help these initiatives by enabling recruiters to work from any location. Screening, interview scheduling, onboarding, and follow-up can easily be automated. With the use of AI Recruiting Software, recruiters can reach candidates from anywhere, any time, and on any device.

Furthermore, video chats are a great tool to use during interviews. Recruiters and candidates can meet via video interviews at the comfort of their own home, saving both parties on time and travel costs.

Diversity and Inclusion are a priority

More than 60% of job seekers consider diversity important when assessing organizations and job offers. Not only that, businesses with more culturally and ethnically diverse teams are 43% more likely to generate higher profits. It’s no wonder why D&I is so important!

In 2021, there is less room for bias and more opportunities to hire diversely. With the help of AI, recruiting teams can craft attractive, inclusive job descriptions that captivate the attention of top talent. Furthermore, recruiting teams can anonymize candidate profiles by leaving screening up to a chatbot. This process will be completed with the influence of human bias, and purely focus on the candidates’ work experience and skillsets.

Virtual Career Fairs are here to stay

Under normal circumstances, virtual career fairs have an average participation rate of 50%, but this figure has increased to as high as 90% since COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, experts predict that 80% of recruiting will remain virtual for the foreseeable future.

Virtual Career Fairs are a great way for recruiters to meet with candidates over a designated all-digital platform. They can set up career booths to promote new job openings, create branded registration pages, and even jumpstart screening. Recruiters can chat with multiple candidates in real-time, and even start video interviewing at any point in time.

The best part about it is that both parties can connect without the costs and expenses of travel and time.

Mobile Sourcing is important

SMS recruiting is hot in the recruiting industry for its convenience and flexibility and will only continue growing along with technology use. Millennials and Gen Z’s are some of the most tech-savvy candidates in your talent pool, so you want to make sure they’re exposed to your employer brand through the same communication channels.

Text recruiting is a great way to break into untapped parts of the job market. Recruiting teams can use Text-to-Apply to create unique text codes to promote on storefronts, billboards, social media, and more. Since the code can be seen by anyone who passes by the physical or digital ads, passive candidates can easily express interest through text.

It’s a great way for businesses to put themselves out there and promote employer branding and improve their talent acquisition strategy.

Wellness checks are the norm

COVID-19 was no walk in the park; many professionals struggled mentally, physically, and emotionally. This placed an emphasis on the mental health and general well-being of employees. In 2021, employers should be proactive in checking in with their employees.

Recruiters have a very important job, and it’d be hard for them to provide a great candidate experience if they’re struggling themselves. As an employer, you can leverage AI to check in with your employees to see how you can help — and promote employee retention.

Chatbot automation can easily assist with pulse surveys and feedback requests, which can all be sent via a simple text.

Takeaway

As the year progresses, there will surely be more changes to the recruiting space. However, the recruitment trends discussed above will continue to stay true. Having the adaptability and openness to take on recruiting challenges will only prepare your business for the future.

If you’re ready to take your recruiting process to the next level, schedule a demo with XOR to see how we can help you meet your hiring goals, faster.

Tags: Recruitment, AI trends, recruiting help