Using chatbots in recruiting – ideas & examples

Who doesn't know them? We encounter chatbots on many websites these days. When the digital helpers pop up, you can ask them questions in the chat.

Chatbots are also being used more and more frequently in HR and recruiting. But what are they good for and how can candidates and recruiters benefit from the virtual assistants?

Also read: Recruiting & ChatGPT: 5 examples of how the AI tool helps with recruiting

In matters Human Resources There are numerous areas of application for chatbots in the areas of marketing and recruiting. They can relieve recruiters and help job seekers find the information they need. And they can do this 24/7. We have summarized 6 exciting use cases for you.

1. Playful FAQ:
   An HR chatbot can answer the most common questions from candidates, for example, “When is the application deadline?” or “Can I apply for several positions at the same time?” Chat communication is often more fun than browsing through many a “question and answer” page. The more sophisticated the Artificial Intelligence (AI) des Bots, desto besser die „Konversationen“.
2. Show matching job offers:
   In large companies with a large number of job advertisements, the digital assistants can help interested parties to find a suitable job offer. In the chat, they can query the skills and interests of the searcher and filter out the relevant positions. This saves users from having to laboriously set various search filters themselves and thus optimizes the Candidate Experience.
3. Collect application documents:
   If a candidate wants to apply, the HR bot can help them submit all the necessary documents - for example, by asking for them individually. HR staff also benefit from this, as they receive the documents in a complete and structured format.
4. Optimize career page content:
   Once chatbots are used in recruiting, they can provide deep insights into the behavior of site visitors. Users’ search and chat entries can be evaluated and the content of Career Page and optimize job advertisements.
5. Support onboarding:
   Bots can Onboarding process and provide new employees with important basic information - from standard workflows to general rules such as time recording or applying for vacation. They can also help set up software and provide basic information on how to use it.
6. Strengthen employer branding:
   The corporate identity of a company can be underlined by the way the chat assistant communicates and its vocabulary. With the help of a well-thought-out communication concept, the bot becomes an unmistakable “employee” and brand ambassador.

The advantages and disadvantages of recruiting chatbots at a glance:

Advantages:

• Available around the clock
• Employees can focus on other, more complex tasks while bots handle recurring requests
• Applicants benefit from short response times and immediate assistance
• For new employees, Onboarding the hurdle to ask the bot a second time should be lower than to ask the colleague
• Provide user behavior insights

Disadvantages:

• Emotional intelligence is lacking
• For a perfect Candidate Experience it is essential to include a forwarding option to real employees (human handover)
• Big challenge to ensure or check the quality of AI-based bots
• There is a risk that qualified applicants will not be considered in the pre-selection, e.g. because they do not use relevant keywords in the chat

Companies are faced with the challenge of carefully weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of digital assistants. They have to ask themselves the following questions: What benefits do chatbots offer my candidates and employees and what functionalities should the digital assistants be equipped with in order to optimize the application or recruiting process?

Read also: Recruiters should keep an eye on these 6 AI tools!

(Cover image source: sdecoret – Shutterstock.com)