Getting a job interview increasingly means using artificial intelligence, whether it’s helping you write a resume, reviewing an application, or even conducting an initial interview.
The growing use of artificial intelligence in hiring comes as Canada’s labor market remains challenging for many job seekers, prompting both employers and job seekers to adopt new technologies in an attempt to gain an edge.
Companies are using a range of AI-powered tools to sort applications, evaluate candidates and optimize recruitment.
“Employers are using it to help them manage their time. To help them rank, to help them sort, to help them summarize,” said Jason Murray, president and managing partner of executive search firm BES Executive Search in Toronto.
Some technologies even replace traditional interviews in the first round.
Toronto-based Ribbon has developed an AI-powered interview platform in which candidates interact with a conversational bot rather than a human recruiter.
Other platforms, such as Ottawa-based Knockri, rely on recorded interview questions and artificial intelligence to analyze candidate responses.
Knockri chief executive and co-founder Jahanzaib Ansari said the system is designed to identify aspects that predict success in a particular role.
“We look for certain behaviors and skills that correlate with indicators of success in the position,” he said.
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This year, Ontario introduced new rules requiring employers to disclose when AI is used to recruit or screen job applicants.
This requirement comes as the number of references to artificial intelligence in job postings has increased sharply across a wide range of professions.
Proponents of AI-based hiring tools argue that they can help reduce some forms of human bias by focusing on job competencies rather than subjective impressions.
Ansari said the technology is designed to avoid penalizing candidates for characteristics unrelated to job performance.
“I grew up with a terrible stutter. So they don’t punish me for it,” he said.
But critics and some job seekers remain skeptical.
The complaints are common on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, where candidates often assume that automated systems have rejected their applications before they have been reviewed by a human.
Murray said the technology should be used carefully.
“We have technology that can set us back if we don’t use it correctly,” he said.
At the same time, job seekers are increasingly turning to their own artificial intelligence tools.
Some apps promise to help users prepare resumes, tailor cover letters, and even generate interview responses in real time during virtual interviews.
Murray said new tools are emerging that could allow candidates to automate much of the job application process.
“There are a lot of artificial intelligence technologies starting to emerge that will allow people to bypass the application process altogether,” he said.
However, employers may consider some AI use cases differently than others.
Ansari compared some AI interview tools to using a calculator, where independent thinking is expected.
“It’s like there’s a certain time in an interview or assessment and you want them to just use their brain and not a calculator,” he said.
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in the recruitment process, employers and candidates alike are weighing where to draw the line between using technology and relying too heavily on it.
Both sides seem to agree on one thing: AI is becoming increasingly influential in the hiring process, and its role is likely to continue to expand.
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