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From the Desk of Brad Smart: AI is Hiring Fictional People – Here’s How to Stop It

AI Resume resume keywords Applicant Tracking System Sep 12, 2024 12:00:00 AM Topgrading Team %

Blog Summary Video

[embed]https://www.canva.com/design/DAGQZrr5HBg/TV_-WlGCxA7Y-Fk4sR-5VA/watch?utm_content=DAGQZrr5HBg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor[/embed] Artificial Intelligence can theoretically improve hiring through data-driven decision making, predictive analytics, skills-gap analysis, and cost-effective recruitment. However, the keyword here is “theoretical.” In practice, an alarming unintended consequence is that AI could lead to worse hiring outcomes.
  • Data-driven decision making relies on accurate, honest data from candidates. Yet, AI can't determine if a candidate's resume is truthful. It’s easy to manipulate systems like ChatGPT to produce exaggerated claims of accomplishments. We’ve all heard the saying: garbage in, garbage out. This is precisely the risk AI introduces when it processes misleading or false information.
  • Predictive analytics requires having honest, accurate data to correlate with job performance. But how can AI accurately predict success, such as identifying future Olympic pole-vaulting champions, if the data - such as the heights vault - are fabricated? It simply can’t. Without truthful input, AI’s predictive abilities crumble.
  • Skills-gap analysis is matching competencies required in a job description with skills listed on a resume, but when ChatGPT is asked to create a “perfect” resume, full of the skills required in a company’s job description, “gaps” disappear, resulting in bad hires.
  • Cost-effective hiring can mean using AI is very efficiently matching candidates with job descriptions. But to the extent that candidates use Chat to compose “perfect” resumes, AI exacerbates bad hires. AI very efficiently picks the wrong people.
Today, big companies (and soon, small companies) are swamped with resumes. One job seeker claimed to send 5,000 resumes and get 20 job offers. Recent college grads know it’s super easy and fast to ask Chat to create a resume to impress Acme Corp’s job description for Sales Rep (or whatever). Chat instantly knows all about the company (industry, products, location, vision, values, etc.) and the company’s published requirements (education, experience, skills, competencies, fit requirements, etc.). So those “perfect” resumes are pumped out and emailed to the company … instantly. To make things worse, A Players have honest resumes … that can easily be overlooked because they are not as “perfect” as the phony ones. In a rush to fill roles, companies are turning to AI bots to sift through the endless sea of resumes. Unfortunately, this leads to a troubling outcome: bots hiring bots. In other words, companies are increasingly selecting fictional candidates, not real people. HR and Talent acquisition professionals are feeling the strain. Faced with the need to hire, they often end up selecting resumes almost at random, crossing their fingers that online skills tests weren’t completed by a friend of the candidate, and hoping that the few candidates they call in for interviews will be a good fit. The Solution Topgrading has long advocated for methods that attract honest candidates while discouraging those with fictional resumes. We’ve been refining these techniques for decades. Reach out to us today, and let’s help you sift through the noise to find the candidates who are truly qualified and aligned with your company’s values. Call: 847-244-5544 / Email: info@topgrading.com / Contact us
Dr. Brad Smart is Founder and CEO of Topgrading, Inc. Topgrading is dedicated to helping companies of all sizes maximize the hiring of high performers. Topgrading assesses candidates for senior positions (where the costs of mis-hires are high) and trains all managers to create teams of almost all high performers. Brad has seven published books on hiring; the most recent three (the first, second, and third editions of Topgrading) were all best sellers. Brad, and President Chris Mursau’s new book, Foolproof Hiring (Forbes Books), is available for purchase by clicking here. After just six weeks,  Foolproof Hiring, achieved Amazon Best Seller status. Brad can be reached at www.Topgrading.com To learn more, download our free eGuide or attend our next Topgrading Webinar. Our webinar explains the most effective recruitment methods, how to immediately identify the most honest, high performing applicants, and how to (finally!) verify what candidates tell you (since reference calls are usually worthless).

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