Indeed’s AI Sourcing Makes Hiring More Human
▼ Summary
– Employers face overwhelming application volumes, making it difficult to find the right candidate.
– Many companies are adopting AI-powered hiring tools to navigate a cooling job market and the use of AI by jobseekers.
– Indeed’s Smart Sourcing tool proactively matches employers with candidates from its database, saving significant time on manual tasks.
– The tool’s transparent logic and Indeed’s Responsible AI Framework aim to ensure fairness, accountability, and privacy in the hiring process.
– The goal is for AI and human judgement to work together to create a more effective, fair, and human-centric hiring experience.
The sheer volume of applications flooding an inbox after posting a job can feel overwhelming. Sifting through countless resumes to find the ideal person is a monumental challenge for hiring teams today. As the employment market cools, with UK job postings sitting 23% below pre-pandemic levels, both job seekers and employers are adopting smarter strategies. Candidates are using generative AI to polish their applications, while companies are increasingly turning to AI-powered hiring tools to streamline their search for talent.
This transition, however, has created what Chris Johnson, VP of AI at Indeed, calls the “messy middle.” He compares it to the early days of automobiles, when they were still thought of as horseless carriages. It’s a phase where people use new technology to automate old processes before fully grasping its transformative potential. Indeed aims to move beyond this stage by focusing on how AI can genuinely simplify hiring. Their Smart Sourcing tool is designed to shift the paradigm from passively waiting for applications to actively seeking out qualified individuals.
Instead of posting a job and hoping the right candidate finds it, Smart Sourcing proactively combs through Indeed’s vast database of over 345 million profiles. It generates a curated list of potential hires based on specific skills, experience, and preferences. Employers can then directly message or invite these individuals to apply. A critical feature is the system’s transparent logic; hiring managers can see exactly why a candidate was suggested, allowing them to refine their search criteria for better results.
The time savings are substantial. Indeed reports that users of Smart Sourcing save an average of 7.7 hours per week on manual hiring tasks. These efficiencies benefit everyone involved. Candidates experience a faster, more responsive application process, while employers regain valuable time. This allows them to redirect their energy toward the most human-centric aspects of hiring, such as conducting meaningful interviews that truly assess a candidate’s fit for the company culture.
As generative AI adoption accelerates, Indeed is committed to implementing these technologies responsibly. The company’s Responsible AI Framework prioritizes fairness, transparency, and accountability. This involves maintaining human oversight of AI models, regularly auditing the factors that influence candidate matches, and ensuring a diverse range of perspectives guides development. The goal is to build trust and create equitable opportunities for all job seekers on the platform.
By leveraging AI to focus on a candidate’s actual skills and experiences rather than just traditional markers like degrees or personal networks, Indeed believes it can help companies discover a wider, more diverse pool of talent. Johnson emphasizes that the greatest potential lies in the synergy between human judgment and artificial intelligence. He states, “AI won’t replace humans, but humans that utilize AI will be able to amplify their output.” The future of hiring, therefore, isn’t just about automation. It’s about using technology to make the entire process more effective, fair, and ultimately, more human.
(Source: Wired)
