Hi Kristine,
Although this assignment focuses on detaining or retaining criminals, I couldn’t help but think about how AI affects regular people. It wasn’t until about three years ago that I learned companies use AI to filter through job applications. I quickly knew that I had to rethink and redo my job application documents because AI concluded that I wasn’t an appropriate applicant for the jobs I was applying for. Just like when we were playing the simulation game of determining someone else’s fate, AI already decided the applicants’ fate before reaching the recruiters. AI is here to stay; what needs to be done to ensure all applicants have an equal chance of applying for a job?
Mars’ podcast mentioned that recruiters are using AI to help filter through job applications (2017). A couple years ago, I really needed to change my career. Over a year and a half, I applied for more than 150 jobs and did not receive a single call back. I thought that was strange, and I was confident I had enough work experience to qualify for the jobs I was applying to. After 150 job applications without any success, I felt defeated. I hired a job coach, who explained the nuances of applying for a job, the things to look out for, and how resumes and cover letters should be written. Until then, she told me recruiters are using AI to help filter through job applications. She reviewed a few job application documents and said I didn’t use the keywords AI was looking for. How would I know what those are? After a few consultations with her, I applied for another job with my revised resume and cover letter, and I finally got a callback!
Does everyone know that recruiters are using AI? I think AI is the first step in recruiting to filter through applications quicker. The intent is to identify qualified candidates (Using AI for Recruiting: Complete Guide for HR Pros, n.d.). For five years, I sorted through resumes and hired employees. The company I worked for didn’t use AI in the recruitment process. Looking back, I think hiring people requires a human touch. Experiences, ethics, and morale could not be expressed on paper. So what if there is an applicant who meets 80-100% of the job requirements but has trouble expressing themselves professionally or has horrible time management skills? How would AI know if the applicant is honest or not? What if another applicant only meets 50-80% of the job requirements, has a genuine personality, and is willing to do everything they can to learn? Perhaps they only apply because they want the challenge to grow into a more significant role. Resumes are essential documents, and people should know how to formulate them. However, many people are looking for work but may have undiagnosed learning abilities or are not as proficient in English. As a result, AI may not detect their application because of the word choices. Is that fair? How is that different than AI determining if one should be detained or released?
Do you think AI used for recruitment should be set up with more defined filters rather than picking up keywords on a document? Or should there be more of a human touch in the recruitment process?
Reference:
Mars, R. (Host). (2017, September 5). The Age of the Algorithm (no. 274). [Audio podcast episode]. In 99 Percent Invisible.
Using AI for Recruiting: Complete Guide for HR Pros. (n.d.). SearchHRSoftware. https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/tip/Using-AI-for-recruiting-Complete-guide-for-HR-pros#:~:text=AI%20recruiting%20tools%20enable%20organizations
