Searching and posting for a new job is perhaps easier today than it’s ever been before. Gone are the newspaper want ads and 25 word descriptions in eight point font. They’ve been replaced with Linked In, Indeed, Glassdoor and corporate job boards of the specific company you may want to work for. The level of convenience and accessibility is hard to deny; however, one other feature has crept in making it more difficult to get past the gate: AI or Artificial Intelligence.
No matter which job you apply for, you’re most likely going to be asked whether you’re comfortable having AI review your resume. What was once an HR representative reviewing an applicant’s skills and qualifications is now a soulless AI bot looking for particular words in order to pass the would-be employee forward. A form of advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is responsible for corporate hirings.
An argument can be made that this is more efficient and indeed it probably is. I speak from experience in confirming the challenge of having to sift through 100 or more resumes in order to find the ideal candidate. I can also confirm that a resume alone never tells the whole story of whether someone is or isn’t qualified for a position.
I recently interviewed for a position with an AI recruiter. Without going into a ton of detail, the entire experience was a little odd and somewhat unsettling.
About ten minutes after I applied, I received a text message and an email from the AI recruiter. I was asked to join a call using the prompt provided to me in the email. Prior to clicking anything, I performed a quick Google search to confirm the email address and instructions to proceed were legitimate. Upon confirming, I clicked the link and entered the virtual meeting.
This is where things got a bit weird.
The AI recruiter welcomed me to the call and asked that I provide an overview of myself and job experience. After I had finished my opening statement, and for each question I answered thereafter, the AI voice said something to the effect of, “that’s great” or “that’s helpful, thank you” before asking the next question. After answering 5-6 questions in rapid fire, the recruiter thanked me for my time and hung up.
Although I appreciated the quick response to my job inquiry, the entire process felt a bit off. Like navigating a series of voice prompts when calling customer service, I almost always prefer speaking to a live person and yet, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get a human being on the phone. Apparently this is now the case when attempting to find a new job as well.
It’s actually pretty funny if you think about it. Companies are using AI to help them decide whether or not you’re worthy of being hired. Once you are hired, they may ask you to use AI when performing your job. If for some reason you had an HR issue that needed to be resolved, AI would be used to aid in helping you. Essentially, there’s no escape, you’re fully entrenched in the AI Matrix from start to finish.
I joke with my wife that I was born in the wrong century. If it were up to me, I’d be more analog than digital. The idea that a computer is deciding my fate makes me a bit sick to my stomach; however, adapting to change is not only necessary, it’s critical in order to not be left behind.
I apologize in advance for any errors that may have been made in the writing of this article. I decided to forego asking an AI HR rep for their opinion.
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