HR Tech 2023 Recap: AI's Impact on Hiring

We’re still catching our breath after the whirlwind that was HR Tech 2023! The year’s premier hiring tech event was a monumental celebration for HireVue with the launch of Human Potential Intelligence. We relished the chance to share with everyone the science behind our solutions that unlock candidate potential—moving the hiring conversation from just “What have they done?” to “What can they do?” 

Throughout the week, a few key themes rose to the top, and #1 should be no surprise…

Below are 3 key takeaways from HR Tech 2023. 

AI and skill investment is on the rise.

In a shock to no one, AI was the hot topic at HR Tech. 

In their session, The Changing Face of TA, Madeline Laurano, Co-founder of Aptitude Research Partners, and Tim Sackett, CEO of HRUTech.com, noted that 69% of companies are investing or planning to invest in AI solutions compared to 42% in 2020.

With more companies embracing AI and more strategic buying, there’s the need to wade through the clutter created by an abundance of hiring technology. 

Sackett reminds hiring teams, with a bit of humor, that, “Just because you have access to data, analyze data, collect data, know how to spell data, does not make you a talent intelligence platform.”

Laurano emphasized the point saying, “The compass for HR tech is skill-based, not an ATS or a platform that collects data and analysis. Talent intelligence is doing something more.”

And that something more? Skill-based hiring. According to their research: 

• 62% of companies eliminated or plan to eliminate roles this year
• 65% of companies have identified skill gaps this year
• 69% of companies have identified new market opportunities 
• 90% of companies have created new roles
• 50% of companies have executed M&A

So what does this mean? It means the landscape is constantly changing, and measuring what candidates can do instead of only measuring what they have done is critically important. 

HireVue offers AI-driven tech that measures and unlocks the potential of candidates. Solutions like structured interviewing and assessments empower teams to identify the potential of candidates and the traits and skills that better predict future success.

Tangibly measure skills and potential. 

In their session, The Art & Science of Hiring, Jennifer Tracy, VP of Talent Attraction and Acquisition at Charter Communications, and Laura Fields, Senior Director, TA Operations, Selection & Assessment at Spectrum, shared how they’re able to spend less time and mitigate bias in their process because of AI—creating more positive candidate and recruiter experiences.

They noted, “The value AI brings is being able to sort through large amounts of data and make sense of it.”

By incorporating HireVue Find My Fit, Tracy and Fields have been able to provide a resource to candidates without collecting applicant data so early in the process—and with a million candidates every year, that’s a critical piece to execute efficiency.

Through Find My Fit, which they’ve branded Fit Finder, Charter is able to inventory candidate skills, interests, and even personality to present candidates with more opportunities. The quick assessment recommends roles based on the candidate’s skills and interests, driving candidates to those roles that might be a better fit—and expanding the diversity of their talent pool in the process. 

As a result of Find My Fit, Tracy and Fields noted the following impact:

• 93% of surveyed users agreed their results will help inform their job search at Spectrum
• 90% state the jobs recommended were jobs they had not seen
• 10% withdraw rate vs 24% before Fit Finder

In addition, Fit Finder does not ask for race or gender, and yet, the team has seen improved gender diversity in traditionally male-dominated roles. Now, 11% of their field technical applicant pool is female compared to 6% before Fit Finder.

Consider the nuances of high-volume hiring.

Upwork reminds teams that, “High-volume hiring is more common than some might think—73% of large organizations engage this form of hiring, according to research from HR.com.”

Laurano notes that while high-volume hiring is trending, there are nuances compared to other types of hiring.

For example, there is frequently the assumption that applicants have access to a laptop, email, or transportation. 

“We often don’t consider the hourly process and [that the] traditional ATS experience doesn’t work,” Laurano reminded listeners. 

Incorporating hiring solutions that make hiring fairer for everyone is critical, and at the end of the day, flexibility is a key factor.

Mobile-friendly and virtual solutions are an important way to show all your candidates you value them as people—and understand that everyone has different needs. Invite candidates to complete assessments and on-demand interviews via text—and allow them to complete both on their phones. Show you value them as humans first.

Engagement matters

“Engagement is more than just copying and pasting an email.”

Poignant words from Steven Jiang, CEO of hireEZ, in his session, Candidate Engagement Evolution: How technology drives TA and business success.

Jiang reminded teams that a successful engagement playbook depends on alignment of 3 key factors:

• Value of engagement 
• Authentic personalization 
• Measurement and improvement 

However, he noted that according to the 2023 hireEZ TA Survey, only “50% of TA professionals can’t track engagement metrics.”

He said that resource constraints and clunky systems keep teams from reaching their engagement goals—meaning teams can’t execute with their existing resources.

And with the investment in technology on the rise, he said, “60% of companies have increased investment in automation technologies in the past year.” 

Automation should equate to more time. At HireVue, we frequently say that our automated solutions free up TA time traditionally spent on manual activities (think scheduling interviews) for more strategic endeavors—like building relationships with candidates.

Laurano and Sackett second the importance of personalization saying, “33% of companies believe AI has the potential to make the process more human.”

Similarly, Jiang reminded teams that the right solutions free up time for personalization—with benefits for both recruiters and candidates. Not only does personalization put the human in hiring, but the right solutions make recruiters’ jobs easier. 

“To sell a special product you need to have a special message that is so authentic and so personal,” Jiang said.

Remember: When choosing hiring solutions, ensure your tech stack provides quantifiable data. Who is opening your texts? Your emails? What’s the open rate? Who is completing interviews and assessments? What are the scores telling you? Data matters and when you have solutions in place that collect and analyze the right data, you not only unlock potential but empower your teams to build personal relationships with the help of AI and technology—not despite it. 

Ready to learn what HireVue can do for you? Request a demo today!