AI in Talent Acquisition: A Guide for Global Teams

Around 60% of organizations are already using AI to enhance efficiency and improve decision-making. Recruitment teams specifically can reap significant rewards from adopting this technology given their hefty administrative burden. There’s an opportunity to not just automate screening and background checks but also personalize the candidate experience.

Our article explores how to effectively use AI in talent acquisition by balancing it with your team’s intuition and expertise. We’ll cover the pros and cons of this technology, how companies have successfully implemented it, and how the right hiring tools can help you.

Key benefits of AI in talent recruitment

AI technology offers many benefits, from automating repetitive tasks to conducting light research. Here we’ll look at the main use cases for the technology in talent acquisition:

Streamlined recruitment process

The hiring process is often time-consuming, especially because of the high number of resumes you can receive. HR automation allows specialists to focus on tasks that require human attention by performing clerical tasks such as:

• Identifying the required skills and experience for a role
• Sourcing candidates from databases
• Writing engaging job descriptions and job postings
• Creating employer branding materials
• Application and resume screening
• Sending personalized messages to applicants

A recent study found the average worker saves 3.6 hours through automation. As recruitment has a higher than average administrative load, you could make substantial time savings. The extra capacity could allow hiring teams to focus more on developing strategic initiatives and building a positive  candidate experience.

Another benefit of HR automation is reduced costs. As you become more efficient, your team can achieve more in less time and with fewer people.

If you’re a global team, automation can also help you standardize your hiring process. Maintaining consistency reduces the risk of applicants comparing their experiences online and noticing disparities which could harm your reputation. For example, if one candidate notes you followed up in a week and the other says it took over a month, it could make your process look unstructured.

Stronger, data-driven decision-making

AI not only gives you more time to consider hiring strategies but helps you make more informed decisions. Analytics tools can process a wider data set on a deeper level than humans—and faster.

While AI broadens your scope, it helps narrow down your search by suggesting matches based on skills, experience, and qualifications. That’s ideal for HR teams in globally distributed companies who are often deciding between hundreds, if not thousands of applicants. You can be sure you haven’t accidentally overlooked the best fit for the role.

Implemented well, AI can reduce human bias in your team. Recruitment tools can analyze each candidate based on the same criteria and focus on role requirements, meaning their evaluations are fair and consistent. They’re also objective meaning they’ll only determine their results from the data and the filters you or the hiring manager set.

Although you might not let AI make the final call, you might find some top talent that otherwise wouldn’t make your shortlist.

When hiring abroad, robust data analytics can help you spot recruitment trends in different job markets. You’ll see the best places to look for talent or which countries have the most stringent visa requirements and relocation processes.

Greater location independence

AI makes tapping into the global talent pool easier. You can translate hiring materials into multiple languages and adapt your communication to different cultures. As a result, you can market yourself to more countries and attract candidates from more diverse backgrounds.

As well as expanding your reach, you can take a more targeted approach to specific countries. Let’s say you identify a talent hub in a promising foreign market. AI can help you tailor your recruitment strategies to the culture and job market dynamics, and even assist with screening candidates whose resumes may be in different languages. 

If you have support from the right, global-first HR and payroll tools, you could hire and onboard new foreign teams within a few weeks. Getting a quick foothold in the market means you won’t arrive too late to capitalize on opportunities.

Challenges and considerations in implementing AI in global talent acquisition

Despite all the benefits, AI has received a mixed reaction. Psychological studies reveal employees often have contradictory feelings about the new technology, seeing its potential to make tasks both easier and more challenging.

Here are some of the common issues that arise from using AI in global talent acquisition:

• Inaccuracy: 56% of organizations agree that errors are the biggest risk posed by AI. Mistakes in contracts could open up companies to accounting and tax issues and non-compliance risks which often carry large penalties and legal consequences

• Application uniformity: The widespread use of AI can lead to remarkably similar job applications that hiring teams may struggle to differentiate 

• Inherent bias: While computer programs are objective, they may perpetuate biases from your historical data or any materials you entered manually

• Accountability: It’s sometimes unclear who’s responsible for the outcome of AI-powered tasks which leads to less recognition for good work and fewer learning opportunities for team members

• Data compliance: AI can process vast quantities of candidate data but your company is still responsible for handling it according to international laws and regulations 

• Resistance to adoption: Hiring teams may refuse to use AI tools, worrying that it will make elements of their job obsolete

• Distrust in AI: As computer programs are inscrutable, teams may be less inclined to trust their decisions

• Copyright: AI-generated marketing content may reuse large enough portions of pre-existing materials, potentially causing legal issues

• Overuse: Teams may come to rely on AI rather than trusting their instincts

While many of these challenges are significant, they don’t rule out the benefits. Instead, they point to the need for a balance between using AI and relying on human expertise.

For example, you can use a blend of human and AI insights to arrive at hiring decisions. You can also train team members to recognize biases in your analytics tools so they can tell the difference between unexpected results and issues with the algorithm.

The most effective AI tools to use in global talent acquisition

When it comes to technology, what you’re using is just as important as how you’re using it. Here are some AI tools that international companies often use at different points in the recruitment process:

What can we learn from success stories of AI in recruitment?

A McKinsey study found that only 3% of businesses used AI for human resources which means you’d gain an edge just by implementing the technology well. The study also noted that less than a third of organizations were addressing accuracy, compliance, or privacy concerns.

Over 70% of high-performing companies expected to reskill large portions of their workforce around the use of AI, according to the same study. Training seems to be critical to successful adoption and implementation of artificial intelligence in organizations of all types.

When it comes to individual cases, we can see forward-thinking companies haven’t waited for government legislature. Microsoft has introduced its own set of principles and protocols alongside the Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR) to promote transparency around its hiring practices.

Retail giant, Amazon, has improved the candidate experience by using an algorithm to give job recommendations. Helping applicants refine their search would be a great move for other complex, international companies that have a variety of positions.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global medical supplier with over 125,000 employees in 600 locations, uses AI to give applicants scores. These tell candidates how well they match a role so they know what to do better next time or whether they’d be more suited for other open positions.

Since we’ve introduced the technology, we’ve discovered that Deel AI has given us and our customers fast access to data in one place. That helps our internal teams operate faster and cater to our customers’ needs better, also allowing them to gather insights into their own workforces in a few clicks.

The future of AI in global talent acquisition

AI is transforming recruitment at a breakneck pace. It’s important to not only adopt the technology but also stay updated with trends in automation and analytics to keep pace with candidate expectations. 

When you’re hiring for a global team, AI can simplify the process while helping you maintain compliance. Deel AI helps you make quick decisions in the planning stage with data-driven insights and run thorough checks during interviews. You’ll be sure to get the best candidate possible without causing legal complications or compromising the quality of the experience.