RimuAI hiring tools may be filtering out the best job applicants
Rookididnt they already do that? Just denying until the ultra perfect fit worker appears?
VanthBy simple keyword filtering, yeah. Anyone who spent 10 min doing a websearch on modern application processes would know to take keywords from the job post description and use them in a resume.
In the past ~5 years my company started using pre-recorded video screening too. So a candidate was asked 1-3 questions, they submitted recordings of themselves answering, then hiring managers could watch them later.
As much as I dislike it from the perspective of a potential candidate, I like it from the perspective of a hiring manager. It was asynchronous, so we didn’t have to dance around finding a meeting time that worked for everyone. It self-filtered a lot of candidates who didn’t really want the job or who were uncomfortable with zoom/videoconferencing technology (a requirement for this job). It was very apparent who prepped and who didn’t. It was an easy “no thanks” filter when they submitted recordings of themselves, with no time constraints mind you, wearing totally work inappropriate clothes with filthy backgrounds and an unprofessional attitude. That’s the one that got me the most: the tool gave unlimited time to prep, unlimited time to record, and unlimited number of reattempts. Yet I still got a person wearing workout clothes, unkempt hair, shelves of undresses dolls in the background, and a stunning lack of understanding over an easily websearchable question. It saved hours of time between HR and the interview panel to just say “thanks, no thanks” off the submitted video.
I see AI-based filtering of candidates turning out the same. The people who get it and know how to write a resume and interview will be fine. The people who already struggle will struggle more.
conciselyverboseYour company requiring video submissions for a fucking application is the easiest "this company is batshit insane and there's no possibility working for them could ever be worth it" red flag I've ever seen.
DominusOfMegadeusYep. I literally told a company there was no legitimate legal reason they could possibly want this, and good luck with their search. What better way to practice racism and ageism in the hiring process?
Legal?
I get that some people would decline, sure. But what do you think is illegal about it?
I dunno what country you’re in, but in my country you are required by law to have a valid reason to reject a job candidate. That reason can be pretty simple, such as “your application was not as strong as other candidates” but you need to be able to back that claim up if you’re challenged (and you can be challenged on it).
The recommended approach is to have a list of selection criteria, and carefully consider each one then write it down and keep a record of the decision for a while, incase you end up on the wrong end of a discrimination lawsuit. Candidates have the right to ask why they were unsuccessful (and they should ask - to find out what they can do better to improve their chances next time. As a hiring manager I would note down anyone who asks and consider offering them a job in the future, bypassing the normal recruitment process).
If your selection criteria includes “they need to wear nice clothes” then you’re treading on very dangerous territory and could easily be charged. The damages is commonly six months pay at the salary of the position they applied for, and can also include a court order for you not to be involved in the hiring process going forward.
You consider applicants who show up to a bank/office type job interview in sweatpants and a T-shirt with a skeleton making a rude gesture?
Please tell me the country where declining to offer that candidate a job would be illegal.
Please tell me the country where declining to offer that candidate a job would be illegal.
Australia. It’s not clearly illegal but it’s dangerous territory. Candidates have a general right to be treated as equals and you need to reject someone for reasons that are relevant to the job position.
You’re hyper focusing on the dress part. There’s still the actual questions and overall sense of calm and comfort a person has in communicating on video, a skill that directly maps to this specific job.
I can’t imagine a front-of-house bank teller would need to have these skills. Maybe a question like, “tell me about a time a customer was unhappy and how you handled the situation?”. In which case, I imagine some people would like the chance to think about it at their leisure and record once or twice, and rewatch it before submitting to make sure they’re happy with it.
Being recorded and interacting with someone in person are hugely different. Even
First of all, a person would give nonverbal feedback.
Secondly, there is all manner of body language that could be used for emphasis that doesn't make sense doing to a camera.
In the case of a single bank teller position with a dozen applicants, you’re right, a prerecorded video probably isn’t the most effective tool.
Imagine a company like Ally in the US, or idk, Commonwealth is the first one that comes to mind in Australia, hiring for a new video chat support function. 50 positions to fill with 1,000 applicants. Wouldn’t this tool maybe, possibly make a bit of sense? It directly maps to skills relevant to the position, and helps both candidates and hiring panels more efficiently work through the process without scheduling 1,000 x 30-minute interviews. Anyone who is uncomfortable being on video should consider one of the many non-video positions instead, like a traditional in-house bank teller position or a chat/phone support function with no video element.
I’ll give you another scenario. I have colleagues who recruit at university career fairs and professional org conferences and there has been a dramatic speedup in the process since I went through college grad and looking for a job 10-15 years ago. Candidates now expect interviews and answers same day or next. Any one company is limited in the number of people they can physically send to the fair. So in order to process the number of interested candidates in the timeframe they expect, we’ve relied on videoconf interviews with more hiring managers not physically present; candidates at the career fair booth jump on a tablet provided by the company and they go through a rapid 10 minute interview. As you can imagine, this can be a bit chaotic and high stress, so we’ve started giving the option for students to submit resumes a week or more in advance and the option for students to prerecord video of themselves answering set interview questions. The day of, they’re already in the system with an evaluation started, we can efficiently route them to the right person in the booth to talk about the types of jobs they’re interested in, and get them moving towards a potential offer that much quicker. I don’t have hard numbers, but anecdotally, there has been no shortage of students choosing to use the optional prerecorded video tool and almost all are using the optional resume presubmission instead of carrying paper copies around like I did.
See elsewhere in the thread for another scenario where this tool might be used effectively, high volume of international students applying for post grad positions when in-person interviews are not an option and scheduling live phone or video conference calls are difficult across time zones.
I’ll say it one more time so the folks in the back can hear. This is one tool to be used optionally for certain types of jobs and I think makes the most sense when there is a high volume of applicants and/or complex scheduling logistics. People also need to recognize that just like AI processing resumes, it’s already out there in use and it’s unlikely to go away anytime soon.