How to Optimize High-Volume Hiring and Combat Ghosting with AI Interview Bots

Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption has been joining the business landscape revolution, with human resources (HR) being among the first to be affected. However, even with the promise of AI, many HR professionals lack the knowledge of how to use these technologies. The 2024 Talent Trends research by SHRM finds that 43% of HR leaders have limited theoretical knowledge of AI and 62% have limited practical experience with AI-powered tools. It hinders HR’s ability to use AI in recruitment, as these gaps are.

However, AI interview bots have a powerful solution simplifying the recruitment process and allowing HR professionals, regardless of their AI expertise, to streamline the process of hiring. In this article, we look at how AI interview bots can optimize various aspects of high-volume hiring, fill the HR knowledge gap and offer new upskilling opportunities.

Research on AI in the Workplace

In June 2024, SHRM Executive Network members were taken on a deep dive into the latest data on how AI is impacting the workplace. Here are a few things to take away from the report — they all correlate with the rise of AI interview bots in recruitment.

AI is Driving Innovation and Upskilling in the Workplace

AI has one of the most profound impacts on organizational innovation and skills of the workforce. According to SHRM’s 2024 research, 30% of HR leaders are under more pressure to innovate, and 28% are under more pressure to upskill and reskill employees. The role of AI interview bots directly relates to the fact that HR professionals can now focus on more strategic tasks that allow for workforce upskilling. AI interview bots automate repetitive tasks like pre-screening, freeing time for HR professionals to learn new AI-driven technologies and strategies to help them lead talent acquisition and management efforts. It’s also changing the skills landscape. Decker’s findings underscore that HR leaders are more and more aware that they have to adapt. As AI interview bots begin to take on operational tasks, HR professionals suddenly get more bandwidth to invest in data analysis, strategic decision-making, and working with AI technologies.

AI and Cybersecurity Concerns

With 41% of HR leaders surveyed by SHRM saying they’re worried about cybersecurity more after adopting AI. AI tools, like interview bots, make recruitment easier, but it also makes safeguarding sensitive candidate data more complicated. This leads to the fact that it is important to ensure robust data protection when implementing HR processes through AI-powered solutions.

AI Adoption is Still in the Early Stages

Despite all the benefits of AI, the research from SHRM indicates that many HR departments are in the early stages of AI adoption. More than half of organizations that use AI to facilitate HR activities have only done so in the past year.

AI interview bots are a key entry point for many organizations and represent a low-cost, scalable solution for automating some of the most common recruitment tasks, giving HR professionals first-hand experience of the potential that AI can offer. The timing of this early adoption phase is in line with a larger trend in the world of AI where HR departments are prioritising this technology. Though 47% of HR professionals have said that using AI to support HR activities is a growing priority, Decker’s presentation reminds us that there is increasing demand for AI tools like interview bots to help optimize HR workflows.

Addressing High-Volume Recruitment Challenges with AI Interview Bots

Recruitment challenges have persisted as a critical issue for HR departments across industries, and the situation has only intensified in recent years. According to SHRM’s 2024 Talent Trends report, more than three-quarters of organizations have struggled to recruit full-time employees, citing key issues such as a low number of applicants (60%) and increased instances of candidate “ghosting” (46%). These challenges not only prolong the hiring process but also increase the cost of recruitment and strain HR resources.

Automating High-Volume Recruitment

The AI interview bots help to solve these pressing challenges by automating the initial stages of the recruitment process. Pre-defined criteria are used by AI interview bots to quickly and efficiently assess the candidate. AI interview bots can handle tasks like basic qualification checks, skills assessments, and even soft skills evaluations with mass amounts of applicants in half the time than a human recruiter would. Specifically, this automation is useful to industries with high turnover or hard-to-fill positions like healthcare, customer service, or skilled trades, where demand for talent is constant but the applicant pool is limited.

Reducing Candidate “Ghosting” and Improving Engagement

The 2024 Talent Trends report points out one of the more frustrating recruitment challenges: candidate ghosting when applicants just disappear before the process is complete. A significant issue (46%) was reported by nearly half of organizations. AI interview bots can prevent ghosting as they can keep candidates engaged in timely and interactive communication. For instance, after a candidate submits their application, the AI interview bot can automatically send personalized messages, tell them what’s next, or even conduct the initial interview. By taking this proactive approach, you can keep candidates interested throughout the process and reduce the likelihood of ghosting.

Expanding the Talent Pool

Another great benefit of AI interview bots is they allow you to expand your talent pool. Often, traditional recruitment methods simply overlook potential high potentials who are not a perfect fit to the predefined filters or who are from non-traditional backgrounds. AI interview bots powered with innately strong machine learning algorithms can do a more thorough analysis of the data of the applicants and pinpoint applicants having transferrable skills, relevant experience, or potential for growth that might miss out in a manual review process.

Streamlining Time-to-Hire

Another big pain point of organizations that are struggling in hiring is time to hire, especially in industries such as healthcare and IT, where skills shortage is quite common. According to the 2024 Talent Trends report, long hiring cycles were the main hurdle to overcome in many HR departments. By automating key steps of the recruitment process (i.e., initial interviews and assessments), AI interview bots can dramatically cut down time-to-hire and the time between application and offer.

Enhanced Objectivity and Fairness

A less-discussed but equally important benefit of AI interview bots is their ability to reduce unconscious bias in the recruitment process. Human recruiters, despite their best intentions, may be influenced by personal biases or subjective judgments when screening candidates. AI interview bots, on the other hand, evaluate candidates based solely on the criteria set by the organization, ensuring that every applicant is assessed objectively and consistently.

Upskilling and AI: How Interview Bots Are Reshaping HR Roles

While some fear AI will lead to job displacement, the data from 2024 Talent Trends reveals a different reality. In fact, AI is driving upskilling rather than displacement. Among organizations using AI, 50% of HR leaders report that AI has created opportunities for upskilling or reskilling their employees, with only 6% seeing job displacement(2024-talent-trends-rese…).

AI Interview Bots Drive Upskilling Opportunities

However, the roles of HR professionals have been reshaped by AI interview bots. In leveraging AI interview bots to do routine tasks like pre-screening, HR professionals can now focus on more strategic roles. This creates opportunities for HR professionals to upskill in areas such as:

• • Data Analysis. As AI interview bots start generating valuable data on candidate performance and recruitment metrics, recruiters find themselves at a crossroads. This data can be used by HR professionals to refine their recruitment strategies, and learn how to interpret AI-driven insights better.

• • Strategic Recruitment Planning. When AI takes on work that can be automated, HR leaders can now focus on strategic planning. It includes better diversity and inclusion initiatives and better-aligning talent acquisition with business goals.

In fact, 83% of HR leaders feel upskilling will be essential to staying competitive in a job market increasingly defined by AI, according to SHRM’s findings. The AI interview bot is a real way to upskill HR teams so they can be more agile and ready for the future.

Reshaping HR Roles and Responsibilities

With more AI interview bots being integrated into HR processes, HR roles are expanding. People expect HR professionals to work with AI tools, interpret what they produce and make strategic decisions using data. This shift from doing operational tasks to higher-level functions is a massive change in HR roles. This is the change underscored by the 2024 Talent Trends report, which says one in four organizations now need new talent for the roles they are filling, with technology change a key driver. This broader shift includes AI interview bots, which help HR departments expand and grow by automating repetitive tasks while allowing professionals to focus on things that need human intuition and creativity.

Final Thoughts: AI Interview Bots as Catalysts for HR Growth

As AI continues to shape the future of work, HR leaders who embrace AI interview bots will be better prepared to tackle the complexities of recruitment in an AI-driven world. By automating repetitive tasks and facilitating more strategic hiring, these bots empower HR professionals to focus on building stronger, more agile organizations. The competitive edge lies in this shift—organizations that integrate AI interview bots into their recruitment strategies will remain at the forefront of innovation, better positioned to attract top talent and drive long-term success in an increasingly dynamic business environment.