Navigating the Pros and Cons of Using ChatGPT in Recruiting
How recruiters are using AI to streamline hiring processes
Recently a UK recruiter, Adam Gordon, ran a series of focus groups with recruiters to understand how they’re using AI, mostly ChatGPT. Here are some of the use cases:
Write first draft of job postings with ChatGPT.
Create employer branding content, including communication templates, employer value proposition, and careers site blurbs, after inputting other company career text into ChatGPT.
Transcribe technical candidate interview notes written as bullet points into paragraphs to share with candidates.
Building Boolean strings for searches
Recruiters do a ton of communication in their jobs, and ChatGPT is a helpful partner in drafting this given the right inputs.
That said, there are some interesting pitfalls here. In January, CEO of Textio, Kieran Snyder, wrote a series on ChatGPT using her company’s software to analyze the outputs. Her blog post on using ChatGPT for job descriptions had helpful insights on using the tool for writing any kind of business document:
By default, generic prompts yield generic job posts. They aren’t especially offensive or biased, and they also aren’t especially interesting or usable.
As prompts get more specific, ChatGPT writes more specific and interesting job posts. They are also more biased job posts, especially when it comes to race and age.
ChatGPT pushes back on some problematic prompts, but accepts most of them and provides problematic job posts in response.
ChatGPT is a good general intelligence tool, but it lacks the specificity and feedback loop that is needed to write effective job descriptions.
AI is quickly becoming a valuable tool in the recruiting industry, and ChatGPT is just one example of how it can streamline processes and improve efficiency. However, as Kieran Snyder's analysis shows, there are potential biases that must be carefully considered when using AI to generate job descriptions and other employer branding content. The use of AI in recruiting is still in its early stages, and as technology continues to evolve, it will be important for HR professionals to stay informed on the latest developments and ensure we’re using AI in a way that is both effective and ethical. As the industry continues to adapt to these changes, we can expect to see new innovations that will shape the future of recruiting and HR.
