AI speeds up hiring process for recruiters

Recruiters are finding candidates faster with the help of artificial intelligence tools, but this speed has not led to increased confidence in the candidates, according to data from TestGorilla. While 72% of over 1,400 U.S. talent professionals surveyed said AI made finding candidates quicker, a third of those reported no gain in confidence in the candidates’ qualifications, and 18% said their confidence actually decreased.

Despite the time saved in finding candidates, recruiters still spend a significant amount of time manually checking candidates’ credentials. More than 2 in 3 recruiters told TestGorilla they spend an hour or more on this task, while 30% said they spend two hours or more.

Wouter Durville, CEO and co-founder of TestGorilla, stated that recruiters got a better search engine and a worse index in the same 12 months. He emphasized that the challenge is not in finding candidates, but in creating a shortlist that can be defended to a hiring manager. Durville’s statement highlights the difficulties recruiters face in identifying suitable candidates.

The number of applications per hire has tripled since 2021, according to an analysis by recruiting platform Ashby, with open roles garnering an average of 300 applications. To cope with this large number of applications, recruiters are getting creative in sourcing candidates, including recruiting outside of work, such as at restaurants and grocery stores. They are exploring new ways to find qualified candidates.

One positive outcome of AI tool use is that recruiters are spending more time interacting with candidates. A report from the American Staffing Association found that call time had increased to a record 286 minutes per week, reflecting where recruiters are allocating the time saved by AI tools. This increase in call time allows recruiters to better assess candidates’ qualifications.