‘Human touch’ crucial for SME recruitment processes amid AI reliance

Despite the increasing reliance on AI tools in the recruitment space, human touch is still vital if SMEs want to attract top candidates.

Capterra has recently revealed three strategies pertaining to the recruitment space that have been deemed as “pivotal” for Australian SMEs moving forward. As the “talent crunch” tightens amid a recruitment culture that overtly embraces AI reliance on both sides, transforming recruitment practices to leap competing businesses is a must.

Innovative candidate sourcing is crucial

According to Capterra’s recent survey, 68 per cent of HR Leaders described the current efforts of discovering high-end talent as inadequate – calling for SMEs to move past merely relying on job boards.

This, of course, is where leveraging artificial intelligence into recruitment systems comes into place. On top of leveraging new technologies, 92 per cent of HR leaders are considering a skills-first approach based on particular talents or characteristics, whereas 77 per cent plan to enhance diversity recruiting resources.

Balancing AI and human interaction in recruitment

Although AI integration is crucial to stay competitive in the job market, Aussie jobseekers require human interaction during the process. Despite 65 per cent of jobseekers being accustomed to AI being involved in the process, 44 per cent would reject a job offer if the process is overly reliant on it.

Intertwined with that, 37 per cent claimed that they felt uneasy when AI is being relied on for final hiring decisions.

Rising prevalence of AI-enhanced job applications

Despite the uneasy outlook on businesses over-relying on AI, jobseekers are often doing the same, with 73 per cent of Aussie jobseekers using AI tools in their job search and 90 per cent admitting to embellishing their skills.

Capterra recommends that SMEs adopt anti-plagiarism tools while prioritising visual interviews to ensure that candidate authenticity is real. By doing so, SMEs can lessen the chance of hiring talent with misleading experiences and skills.

“Australian SMEs are uniquely positioned to harness the power of AI in recruitment while maintaining the human touch that defines small business culture,” said Andrew Blair, analyst at Capterra.

“By adopting innovative sourcing strategies and balancing AI with personal interaction, SMEs can attract top talent and thrive in a dynamic job market.”