When was the last time you opened your inbox, or read a headline about recruiting news, and didn’t see at least one mention of AI?
Although AI technology isn’t new, it is everywhere - and the growing concern of AI fatigue among recruiters and candidates is becoming increasingly evident.
The constant influx of information about AI technologies can be overwhelming, and in some cases, the hype is creating pressure to adopt AI solutions—leading to unrealistic expectations and confusion about AI’s practical applications.
Although AI can be complex, there are steps recruiters can take to avoid fatigue and maintain focused analysis of the AI landscape. In this article, we teamed up with our partner, WorkLLama, to decode AI fatigue, share strategies to simplify AI and explore practical ways to use AI and automation for candidate engagement and creating a talent pipeline.
The recruitment industry is inundated with AI-related discussions, often without clear context or practical relevance. Constant mentions of AI in marketing and on trade show floors can lead to confusion about what truly constitutes AI versus what’s more like traditional automation.
The constant information and hype can leave recruiters and their operational teams unsure about how to effectively leverage AI in their processes.
“There isn’t a single newsletter that comes out that doesn’t have AI in the subject line or in the first two lines,” said Saleem Khaja, COO and co-founder of WorkLLama. “There’s a lot of noise, and I think boiling it down to what is practical and keeping it simple is important.”
When organizations and recruiting leaders can clearly articulate how AI works and what problems it solves, it’s easier to alleviate some of the doubts and fatigue associated with AI use.
“If you can explain it in everyday language and provide transparency, I think those are two great ways to make AI more approachable for both your teams that are using AI and the candidates and hiring managers that interact with AI,” said Don Tomlinson, CTO of Daxtra.
A thoughtful implementation process that prioritizes quality over quantity is essential. Organizations should focus on specific problems they want to solve with AI rather than adopting every new tool, or worse, thinking of AI as a silver bullet solution for all pain points.
When it comes to integrating AI into recruitment processes, clear communication and transparency are essential. Organizations should prioritize these elements by using everyday language and steering clear of confusing jargon.
This approach not only makes AI tools more accessible but also helps recruiters understand how to effectively incorporate these technologies into their workflows. By fostering an environment of open dialogue, organizations can ensure that everyone is on the same page and leveraging AI in a way that enhances their recruitment strategies, rather than changing them drastically.
“Noise can create anxiety - everyone is talking about AI, and some people are using it,” said Saleem Khaja, noting that uncertainty around AI can create fear.
When organizations highlight AI’s potential to enhance the recruitment process can help foster a more open dialogue about AI’s benefits. Open communication that highlights positive outcomes alongside other considerations (like auditing recruiting workflows, identifying potential risks or finding out more about the AI tool’s model) can reduce fatigue and encourage more honest conversation, and ultimately, efficient use of the technology.
AI and automation have the potential to greatly enhance the candidate experience, and it's essential to keep candidates continuously engaged:
“If you’re not engaging and staying top of mind, someone else is - so you can lose that talent,” said Khaja.
However, relying solely on automation for engagement can overwhelm candidates and create frustration.
"If you’re just sending messages or surveys and continuously trying to get in touch, you can end up annoying your candidates. So, your automated engagement needs to be something that adds value to your candidates’ experience,” he said.
For candidate engagement, AI and automation should work hand in hand.
“Imagine that Don is a great candidate for a job,” said Khaja. “Say that I get a notification asking if I want to recommend Don, and I say ‘yes.’ From there, there could be an automation that instantly engages him through a conversational bot, then pre-screens and schedules an interview with a recruiter to talk to Don, based on his skills and experience. Everything needs to be skills-driven. AI drives the recommendation of the right candidate to me, and then automation gets you an instant touch point with the candidate by engaging and scheduling an interview.”
A personalized approach to candidate engagement, where interactions are meaningful and relevant, is essential. For example, a referral process where candidates receive timely and personalized communication enhances their experience and keeps them engaged throughout the hiring process.
Candidates today expect quick access to information and updates about their application status. AI can facilitate this by allowing candidates to retrieve information easily, enhancing their understanding of the process and keeping them engaged.
“Another great part of the continuous candidate engagement cycle is when candidates need to retrieve information,” said Tomlinson. “We live in a day and age where data is right at our fingertips. For candidates, it can be frustrating when they can’t find information about the organization, the hiring process and so on. AI is enabling candidates to go out and retreive that information so much faster—which can give them a better understanding of what’s next or what they need to know. To me, that’s a game changer as far as really engaging a candidate through the process.”
AI and automation can have a sizable impact on brand perception. When candidates have a good experience it can propel your brand forward and enhance your reputation. Similarly, though, negative experiences can foster negative feelings towards your brand. So how can organizations make sure they display their brand correctly when starting to use AI?
When you convey your brand to customers and candidates, you’re trying to acquire their attention. By taking a branding approach to your hiring process, you can make interactions with your hiring process consistent, which can create a better experience for candidates.
“Building an employer value proposition that links to an employee value proposition can be beneficial,” said Khaja. “When you do the homework, and make candidates’ experience with your brand unique and consistent with everything you say at every touch point, it builds a more personalized experience.”
But what does that mean for implementing AI?
“As it relates to AI, you can’t just take a generic LLM model,” Khaja says. “Say you want to create content or responses to candidate chats - they can’t just be generic. You’ll want to apply your brand persona on top of it. That’s where you can add the secret sauce of what your company does - when every recruiter at your company is trying to hire a candidate, you’re trying to talk about the value of what you do that’s unique compared to someone else in making that candidate engage and choose to work with you.”
Tomlinson agrees:
“It’s so important that the ways organizations use AI support their brand. It could showcase what’s great about the brand and make sure that candidates walk away with a good experience – because a candidate could also become a customer someday. So you should think of them not just as a potential customer, too. That’s why it’s so important to maintain your branding - because at the end of the day, that’s where the rubber meets the road.”
So how can recruiters create effective talent pipelines with AI? It all comes down to nurturing and being proactive.
Existing, internal talent pipelines represent a proactive approach to sourcing and managing candidates for future roles. A well-curated talent pipeline can lead to faster hiring processes, higher quality hires, and reduced recruitment costs.
“A lot of candidates inside your pipeline may have already been interviewed by your organization, so you really need to be able to utilize that data,” said Tomlinson. “And, there’s also reduced recruitment costs with this approach, because you’re not having to go out and find additional candidates - they’ve been nurtured through some of that personalized, continuous candidate engagement. You create a development program, and your recruiters know about them, so there’s immense value in strengthening your existing internal talent pipeline.”
Plus, nurturing candidates within that pipeline is crucial. Properly vetting and matching candidates to relevant roles ensures that organizations avoid wasting time on candidates who may no longer be a good fit.
While AI presents challenges, it also offers significant opportunities for enhancing the recruitment process. By focusing on clear communication, personalization, and thoughtful implementation, organizations can overcome AI fatigue and leverage technology to create a more efficient and engaging hiring experience.
With clear communication and explainable AI, businesses can make AI more approachable to their teams. And through personalized engagement, brand alignment and proactive talent sourcing, teams can make sure they’re equipped to make the most of whatever AI tools they choose.
AI can be overwhelming. But when organizations approach AI thoughtfully and strategically, they can ensure better implementation that aligns with their brand and enhances the overall experience—for their teams and their candidates.
Want to learn more about how to simplify AI to improve engagement and talent pipelines? Check out the full conversation between Don Tomlinson and Saleem Khaja in our webinar recording.
PS - Visit our Recruiter's Guide to LLMs and Generative AI to learn more about what Generative AI is and how it's impacting recruiting.