Will HR Be Replaced by AI?

So, you’ve been using AI to recruit. Many of the tasks once taking up your recruiter skills—some tedious, others necessary—are now managed by a bot. And as the AI recruitment market continues to innovate, you'll witness even more of this shift. It's understandable to ask - Will HR be replaced by AI?

In a word - no. However, AI will take on many tasks that currently fill your day. This begs the question where does that leave your HR recruiter skills?

You're likely eager to understand the full scope of AI in recruitment—what it's doing now, what it will be capable of soon, and how your HR recruiter skills will need to adapt to remain indispensable. Let's dive into these aspects to clear the air and chart a path forward for your career as a recruiter. 

What Do AI Recruitment Tools Do in 2024

Let’s break down exactly what AI is doing in the recruitment process in 2024. From the initial screening to the final offer, here’s how AI tools are shaping up to be the efficient sidekicks of HR teams. This is the first step to understanding our focus question - "Will HR be replaced by AI?"

Stage 1: Job Posting and Candidate Sourcing

What AI Does: AI crafts job descriptions and posts them across various platforms. It uses data to optimise job listings to attract the right candidates and reaches out across multiple channels to find potential applicants.

Stage 2: Resume Screening and Candidate Matching

What AI Does: This is where AI really flexes its muscles instead of relying on recruiter skills. It sifts through mountains of applications to identify the best fits based on skills, experience, and other relevant criteria—without needing a coffee break.

Tools in Action: Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like Greenhouse and Lever integrate AI to automatically rank candidates based on their fit for the job description. This helps in reducing the initial screening time by a considerable margin.

Stage 3: Initial Candidate Assessment

What AI Does: AI tools conduct initial assessments through skill tests and even preliminary video interviews. This helps in filtering candidates before a human ever needs to review an application.

Tools in Action: Platforms like RoundOne AI assess candidates’ cognitive abilities, providing recruiters with deeper insights than what’s on AI-generated resumes. The platform helps recruiters sift candidates for hard skills so you only speak to the ones who can actually do the job.

Stage 4: Interview Scheduling

What AI Does: Coordinating interviews can be as tricky as herding cats. AI steps in to automate scheduling, sending reminders, and even rescheduling if needed—all while keeping everyone’s calendars in sync.

Tools in Action: Tools like GoodTime and Calendly automate interview scheduling, reducing back-and-forth emails and phone calls, thus saving time for recruiters and candidates alike.

Stage 5: Background Checks and Reference Verification

What AI Does: AI automates the background checking process, pulling data from various sources quickly and efficiently to ensure candidates meet the company’s standards without any manual errors.

Tools in Action: Checkr and HireRight use AI to streamline the background check process, making it faster and more accurate, which helps speed up the final hiring stages.

Stage 6: Final Candidate Selection and Job Offer

What AI Does: AI can assist in analyzing the final few candidates by providing comparative analytics based on their performances throughout the hiring process. It can also help draft personalised job offers.

Tools in Action: AI tools like Beamery and Lever provide recruitment CRM and ATS capabilities that help manage candidate relationships and streamline the final decision-making process.

Stage 7: Onboarding

What AI Does: Once the candidate accepts the offer, AI helps in the onboarding process by automating paperwork, setting up training schedules, and integrating new hires into communication channels and team collaborations.

Tools in Action: Enboarder and BambooHR use AI to personalise the onboarding experience, ensuring new hires feel welcomed and well-integrated from day one.

These stages show that AI isn’t just about replacing the human touch; it’s more about removing the grunt work from recruitment, allowing recruiters to focus on what they do best—building relationships and strategizing hires. While AI handles the heavy lifting, recruiters get to play the role of strategic advisors, making sure the company not only fills positions but also builds great teams.

What Does the HR or a Recruiter Do in 2024​

Will HR be replaced by AI? Sure, there are parts of the recruitment process that AI does, and parts that recruiters do. However, they both work in conjunction instead of replacing each other. Let’s have a closer look:

Stage 1: Job Posting and Candidate Sourcing

Recruiters craft job postings tailored to attract diverse talent, focusing on inclusivity and company culture. They proactively source candidates, using their networks and industry knowledge to tap into a wide talent pool.

Stage 2: Resume Screening and Candidate Matching

Recruiters go beyond qualifications, assessing candidates for cultural fit and potential growth within the company. They prioritize candidates who align with the company’s values and long-term goals.

Stage 3: Initial Candidate Assessment

In preliminary screenings, recruiters evaluate soft skills and personal attributes, ensuring candidates can thrive in the team’s environment. They provide a personalized approach to make candidates feel valued.

Stage 4: Interview Scheduling

Recruiters prepare candidates for interviews, offering insights about the company and what to expect. This preparation helps candidates feel confident and informed.

Stage 5: Background Checks and Reference Verification

Recruiters conduct detailed background checks and reference calls, ensuring all potential hires meet the company’s standards for integrity and professionalism.

Stage 6: Final Candidate Selection and Job Offer

Recruiters negotiate job offers, balancing candidate expectations with company capabilities. They handle negotiations delicately to secure top talent while maintaining a positive experience.

Stage 7: Onboarding

Recruiters support new hires through the onboarding process, helping them integrate smoothly into the company culture. They stay connected to address any issues and ensure a successful start.

Throughout these stages, recruiters use their expertise to reduce hiring time and costs, with studies showing that a focused recruiter can shorten hiring timelines by up to 40%. They build scalable talent pipelines and forge strong relationships, crucial for ongoing company growth and candidate satisfaction. Their role is integral, making the hiring process not just efficient but also strategic.

Will HR Be Replaced by AI

Simply put, no.

Let’s be clear: AI in recruitment is like a Swiss Army knife—super handy, multitasking, and saves you a lot of time. But replace HR recruiter skills? Not happening.

AI is fantastic at the grunt work—filtering CVs, sourcing candidates, scheduling interviews—you name it. For straightforward roles, like filling positions in a warehouse or call center, AI is almost like having a superhero sidekick. It does the heavy lifting, leaving you free to tackle the complex stuff that really needs a human touch.

But here’s the thing: AI isn’t great at reading between the lines. When a hiring manager is vague about what they want in a candidate, it takes a seasoned recruiter to ask the right questions and dig deep. Can AI do that? Not quite. It’s not going to charm the pants off a hiring manager or coax out those nuanced needs of a department.

And let’s talk about the candidates. Choosing a new job isn’t like picking out socks online—there’s no “add to cart” option for career moves. Good recruiters guide candidates through the decision-making process, providing insights and empathy that no AI can match.

Sure, AI can spot bottlenecks in your hiring process and maybe even suggest fixes, but influencing stakeholders to actually make changes? That requires the human finesse that only you bring to the table.

So, if your job is just pushing papers, yeah, you might want to upskill a bit. But for those who are in the trenches, building relationships and making strategic decisions? AI isn’t a threat—it’s a tool that lets you focus on what you do best: connecting the right people with the right roles in the right way.

In short, if you're thinking - Will HR be replaced by AI? Remember that it isn’t here to take your job; it’s here to make your job better. Embrace it, and you’ll find that it’s more of an upgrade than an upheaval.

How a Recruiter Can Upskill in 2024

As we edge deeper into the AI era, it’s clear that recruiters aren’t going extinct—far from it. But to stay relevant and irreplaceable, brushing up on a few key skills is non-negotiable. Think of it as upgrading your toolkit while the rest of the world is still figuring out how to open the toolbox.

1. Sharpen Your Human Skills

Yes, AI can handle the heavy lifting of sourcing and scheduling, but can it schmooze a candidate or win over a hesitant hiring manager? Not quite. This is where you shine. Skills like empathy, persuasion, and emotional intelligence are your bread and butter. These are the skills that build genuine connections and get candidates to jump ship not just for a job, but for a vision.

2. Become a Communication Pro

Being the first point of contact, your communication skills need to be top-notch. Clear, concise, and compelling communication can mean the difference between a candidate ghosting you or accepting an offer.

3. Master the Art of Sales and Negotiation

Recruiting is selling—selling the job to the candidate and the candidate to the hiring manager. Upskill in areas that enhance your ability to influence and persuade.

4. Get Tech-Savvy

AI isn’t replacing you, but it’s changing how you work. Embrace technology that can automate the mundane, allowing you more time to focus on strategic initiatives. Familiarize yourself with ATS and CRM systems; they’re not just tools but essential partners in your recruiting process.

5. Lead with Leadership

Recruiters often act as leaders, guiding candidates and hiring managers through the process. Enhancing your HR recruiter skills in leadership can help you identify potential in candidates and inspire confidence in stakeholders.

6. Focus on Continuous Learning

The recruitment landscape is morphing at warp speed, thanks to tech like generative AI. Staying updated with the latest trends and technologies is crucial. Continuous learning ensures you’re always several steps ahead of just a software program.

7. Invest in Relationship Building

AI might handle initial interactions, but deep, meaningful candidate relationships? That’s on recruiter skills. Building and maintaining strong relationships ensures a robust talent pipeline and helps in creating a memorable candidate experience.

8. Hone Your Problem-Solving Skills

When AI hits a snag, it won’t innovate a solution—it’ll just hit a wall. Your ability to think on your feet and solve complex problems is what makes you invaluable. Whether it’s negotiating an offer or navigating candidate concerns, your problem-solving skills are your superpower.

So, will HR be replaced by AI? Remember, AI in recruitment is akin to a high-powered drill—it simplifies tasks but still requires HR recruiter skills for expert handling. RoundOne AI epitomizes this by automating the initial skill assessments, ensuring that recruiters engage only with candidates who are truly qualified. This not only streamlines the hiring process but also significantly cuts down on time and costs. By effectively managing the volume of applications, RoundOne AI allows recruiters to focus on candidates who meet the job requirements without sacrificing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards. Additionally, recruiters no longer have to sift through AI-generated resumes, enabling them to concentrate on cultivating meaningful interactions and making strategic hiring decisions.

Schedule a consultation with RoundOne AI to how we can integrate within your ATS.