ChatGPT has been an important hiring tool recently for Jim Boyte, CEO of North Carolina-based Active Defender.
Hiring a traditional headhunter was an expensive proposition for the early-stage startup. But Boyte knew at this stage, the team had to “hire people that are way smarter than us” in order to grow the company. He also knew he couldn’t afford to bring the wrong person onto the close-knit team. So during the hiring process, Boyte had ChatGPT write initial questions that would pull out how each candidate’s core values aligned with those of Active Defender.
But ChatGPT’s real power came when their top candidate asked the team a question: What would the onboarding process look like?
Boyte had never written a full onboarding plan, but he knew he needed one to ensure his top marketing manager candidate would feel great about joining the team. So, he turned to ChatGPT to write a comprehensive and thoughtful onboarding package.
That onboarding plan did just the trick.
It is not just scrappy startups like Active Defender that are finding interesting use cases for generative AI in talent acquisition. Recruiting firms are building their own in-house AI tools to help streamline hiring and eliminate bias. And candidates are using generative AI in unique ways to showcase their skills. As we spoke about generative AI to people in hiring roles in 2024, these are a few things that stood out:
It’s A Must For Engineering Talent
The team behind Atlanta-based Fraction wants to see their candidates use AI. In fact, it is a required part of their technical interview process as they look for top fractional software engineering talent.
“Since we started asking developers to show how they use tools like Copilot, we’ve found that some senior developers, and CTO-level candidates in particular, are really embracing this new approach,” said Praveen Ghanta, Fraction’s founder and CEO. “Rather than answer our questions by leaping in and writing code, they are describing the question for Copilot, which then generates 80% of the answer. They just clean that up and it’s done – the key is that Copilot is fast but often makes mistakes, but senior developers are able to leverage that to juice their productivity.”
After the AI-focused code screen, Fraction has candidates go through HireIQ, Fraction’s interview bot that tests for communication skills and provides more real-world scenarios for candidates to work through.
Zahra Ladiwala, Fraction’s Head of Developer Relations, told Hypepotamus that HireIQ “gives us a clearer perspective on how they will interact with our clients.”
It’s Creating Better Candidates
A survey by Resume Builder found that 18% of US workers actively used ChatGPT in their job search within the last year, using it for research, resume creation, interview preparation, and negotiations. Interestingly, the survey found that 29% of people did not get the job because the employer became aware of their use of ChatGPT…but 55% said they were “praised” for using the tool.
For Walter Sabrin, Chief Talent Officer at Vensure Employer Solutions, generative AI is a “welcomed addition” and tool for recruiters and candidates alike.
“I don’t care if you are blue collar, gray collar, white collar. I think you should do research on the company, on the person that you’re meeting with, the history of your company, and maybe the history of your industry,” added Sabrin. “It’s beyond just asking ChatGPT what are the ten most popular interview questions to prepare for. [Generative AI] has really taken due diligence to a whole new level.”
Sabrin suggested using ChatGPT for building an error-free resume and for crafting the all-important thank you note after an interview. He also believes that companies should be investing more in in-housing training opportunities to ensure top performing candidates keep learning new AI skills.
It Can Help You Through A Career Pivot
Generative AI tools could also help a candidate find an entirely new career path or industry to explore.
Sabrin said tools like ChatGPT can help a candidate sort through their job aspirations in order to find a new gig.
“Let’s say I’m a salesperson and I want to get out of that. I just want a whole new career. I can put in my skill set, my strengths, and my weaknesses and AI can generate potential industries and jobs that might be a good fit,” he added.
We took that advice for a spin and came up with a hypothetical prompt that a startup salesperson might want to use. How do you think ChatGPT did?
