AI-based hiring tools: HireVue

9

October

2021

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As this course draws to a close, I want to use this opportunity to continue my series on AI-based hiring tools and inform you of one other AI-based hiring tool that you may encounter in the near future: HireVue. If you haven’t already, please refer to my first blogpost about Pymetrics for more context on this series.

Figure 1. Accenture recruitment process (Via Accenture)

Assuming you have passed the online assessment stage (Pymetrics) in Figure 1, you will now advance to the digital (on-demand) interview stage. Most companies that follow this same structure, will be using the HireVue platform to conduct this interview.

What is HireVue?

HireVue is a software company that provides video interviews for the company you applied to. In this blog we will be focusing on their on-demand interview. In their on-demand interview, candidates are asked pre-determined questions (by the company) using the HireVue platform. Candidates record their answers to these questions, which are consequently submitted to the company.

Here is where it gets interesting: your recorded answers are not evaluated by a human recruiter, but by AI. HireVue uses voice and facial recognition software in order to analyze your answers and assign you a score. This score is then used to rank you amongst other applicants. More concretely, you are ranked based on your facial expressions, eye contact and movements, body language, tone, and keywords in your recorded answers.

How does the on-demand interview look like?

Figure 2. Example of a question on the HireVue interview platform (Via Cultivatedculture)

Figure 2 depicts a candidate that is in the midst of recording an answer to one of the pre-determined questions. Prior to a question appearing, a candidate will have 30 seconds to think about what he/she wants to say. The company you are applying to can decide whether they allow for retries (in case you mess up your answer). If they do, the number of attempts is usually communicated in the beginning of the interview (during my own personal experience with HireVue I had three attempts to answer a question).

Hirevue vs. Pymetrics

HireVue was introduced in the recruitment process for reasons similar to Pymetrics: to leverage (faster) AI-driven predictions that allow for increased diversity and mitigated bias when selecting applicants.

However, in contrast to Pymetrics, HireVue’s algorithm has faced large waves of public criticism. AI researchers have frequently voiced their concerns, claiming HireVue’s technology is ‘profoundly disturbing’. The criticism reached its boiling point late 2019, when prominent rights group Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed an official complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, urging them to investigate HireVue and its business practices. In response, HireVue announced in January 2021 that it would stop relying on facial recognition to assess their job candidates. However, they will continue to analyze other biometric data, including speech, intonation and behaviour.

Voice your opinion!

Having read the above, where do you stand in regard to HireVue? Would you welcome such an interview? Especially considering HireVue interviews may be used at the very company you have your sights set on (Accenture, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc.).

References

Did this blog pique your interest? Please refer to the used sources below for more in-depth coverage on this topic:

  • https://www.accenture.com/th-en/careers/local/recruiting-in-the-new
  • https://www.hirevue.com/blog/hiring/video-interviewing-guide
  • https://www.topinterview.com/interview-advice/what-is-a-hirevue-interview
  • https://searchhrsoftware.techtarget.com/definition/HireVue
  • https://cultivatedculture.com/video-interviews
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/10/22/ai-hiring-face-scanning-algorithm-increasingly-decides-whether-you-deserve-job
  • https://epic.org/2021/01/hirevue-facing-ftc-complaint-f.html

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The future of hiring, will it become 100% automated?

9

October

2021

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One of the most important things managers and recruiters do is hiring the right people for the company. This is one of the reasons why some companies do better than others. However, this is easier said than done. Some companies like Google receive 50000 applications per week, which results in a time-consuming process of picking the applicants that qualify for the job. Most of these companies use artificial intelligence to automate this process. In this article, I will discuss what is being automated, the pros and cons of the automation of recruitment processes, and what we may find in the future.


Like I mentioned in the introduction, the first step of recruitment is more and more often automized by the larger companies. In 2020 alone, recruitment automation had a growth of 547% because of the efficiency of the technology. Artificial intelligence is for example able to filter out all resumes or motivational letters that contain grammatical errors. Apart from that, the algorithm can look for skills that are relevant for the job. As a result, the recruitment process time and cost are reduced by up to 40% and the performance of that company is increased by 20%. This sounds quite appealing, but it is not a solution for every company as it involves high implementing costs. Therefore, for now, you only see this at bigger companies. Another downside is that a filter on grammatical errors will also filter out applicants that do qualify for the job but have some inconsistencies in their CV or motivational letter.


But it does not stop here. Some companies include an AI-powered chatbot in their application process. This robot can collect information such as contact details or a resume, but also ask job-related questions and schedule meetings. 66% of candidates claim that they feel comfortable talking to a chatbot, but another study found out that 82% feel frustrated by overly automated technologies by companies. The recruitment process has become very impersonal in these cases and lacks accuracy.


In the future, it may even be possible to have the whole recruitment process automated by using robots to handle job interviews. This robot could analyze words, speech patterns, and facial expressions of candidates to create an adequate assessment. However, considered the limitations of this technology at the moment, we are far away from a 100% automated hiring process as the technology does not have the emotional intelligence humans have. This is crucial to find the right fit between an applicant and the values of the company.


Personally, I think there will never be a fully automated recruitment process that will be as effective as a personal recruitment process. An interview goes both ways and if you do not get to speak to a real employee, I believe this will increase the occurrence of new employees leaving the company shortly after being hired. And this is something companies do not want to go for.


Have you already been part of an automized recruitment process? And what did you think of that process? Let me know in the comments.

https://valoria.ro/blog/pros-cons-recruitment-process-automation/

https://wperp.com/40125/the-pros-cons-of-recruitment-automation/

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/09/13/enterprise-automation-adoption/

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AI-based hiring tools: Pymetrics

19

September

2021

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By this time next year, most of you will have graduated from the master’s programme and made yourselves available on the job market. In this blog I want to shed some light on a gamified assessment called pymetrics games that you may possibly encounter during the assessment stage of a job application process.

For those of you who are not familiar with assessments or applying for jobs in general, the traditional job application process (as I have experienced it) generally looks something like Figure 1.

Figure 1. Traditional job application process (via Sierrasoln). Note: steps may vary depending on the type of job or sector.

The traditional (online) assessment stage will generally consist of:

  • ability tests measuring your performance when it comes deductive, numerical and logical reasoning;
  • personality test (questionnaire)

This is where Pymetrics comes in, a company that specialises in developing gamified assessments for recruitment purposes. Companies have opted to fully replace their aforementioned assessment stage with Pymetrics’ patented pymetric games. Some of the most notable companies being: Boston Consulting Group (BCG), JP Morgan, Accenture and Unilever.

What do these pymetric games entail?

The pymetric games are Pymetrics’ core product. It is an online gamified assessment in which candidates have to play through a series of 12 minigames that take two to three minutes each. The assessment uses neuroscience and AI in order to assess a broad range of 91 different cognitive traits. An example of one of the minigames is depicted in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Balloon minigame in which candidates can earn money with every balloon pump. Pumping too much will cause the balloon to explode and make you lose all your money for that respective balloon.

How does it work (in a nutshell)?

Pymetrics creates a custom algorithm for a company by having at least 50 top performers of said company play the pymetric games. Subsequently, this model is used as a benchmark when evaluating applicants’ results. Pymetrics markets its algorithm as entirely bias free, having succesfully subjected the algorithm to extensive AI audits in order to prove their claim.

So what’s the catch?

As my fellow peers Andrew Tan and Tamas Vincze have already explained in great detail: algorithms are inherently biased. In addition, an independent AI audit of Pymetrics’ algorithm found that although it passed the formal checks, the audit itself did not prove that the tool is bias free nor that it actually picks the most qualified candidates for a job.

This brings me to my question: how do you feel about an AI-based hiring assessment being put into practice? Would you much rather prefer the traditional online assessment? Having personally experienced both types of assessment, I am curious to see where my fellow peers stand, especially as you prepare yourselves for your job search.

References

Did this blog pique your interest? Please refer to the used sources below for more in-depth coverage on this topic:

  • https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/11/1017955/auditors-testing-ai-hiring-algorithms-bias-big-questions-remain/
  • https://digital.hbs.edu/platform-digit/submission/pymetrics-using-neuroscience-ai-to-change-the-age-old-hiring-process/
  • https://www.graduatesfirst.com/pymetrics
  • https://hackingthecaseinterview.thinkific.com/pages/bcg-pymetrics-test
  • https://www.jobtestprep.com/pymetrics-games#balloon-game
  • https://sierrasoln.com/hiring-process/


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Looking for a career? Start with your digital footprint!

16

September

2021

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Are you having troubles with finding a job? Do you want to create a good first reaction? Or do you want to distinguish yourself from the rest? Take care of your digital footprint!

Our first impression used to be a greeting gesture, but this face-to-face interaction is often substituted by digital communication (Boyd, 2014). 98% of generation Z has its own smartphone device and grow up with online search engines, implying a history of many clicks on the world wide web (WWW). All the data and online information that is recorded from your online actions, is referred to as your digital footprint (Buchanan, 2021).

This digital footprint became your new first impression and reputation for recruitment processes (Batchelor, 2021; Boudlai &, Nargesian, 2019). The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the importance of a great online first impression to get hired. For instance, 90% of the employers take social media into consideration during the recruitment process and even 79% of professional recruiters do reject potential candidates based on online information (Ringel, 2021).

Although your digital footprint could be negatively used, having a digital footprint is important. Wessel Asserts, the founder and CEO of The Marque, stated the following: “These days it is a red flag if you have no online presence, so it is about controlling your digital footprint – not hiding it.”  People find it suspicious when there is any information about you on the WWW.

In general, the digital footprint made recruitment a more complex employment process (Boudlai &, Nargesian, 2019). Next to updating your CV, you also should update online reputation. Mainly your social media and search engine results are important. First, delete all unprofessional online appearances, like party pictures. Next, delete all your old accounts to overcome irrelevant information. In addition, ask friends what they could find about you, often you are not aware of all the information that is available.

Especially with the use of AI during recruitment processes it is extremely important that your digital footprint is up to date (Woods, Ahmed, Nikolaou, Costa & Anderson, 2020). AI will not only be able to define if you are perfect match for the company, considering your experience but it can also predict your future performance and outcomes (Sajjadiani, Sojourner, Kammeyer-Mueller, & Mykerezi, 2019). Some companies hire specialized organizations to examine job applicants.

To conclude, next to your CV, make sure that you also update your digital footprint, before applying for a job!

References:

  • Batchelor, M. (2021). How your digital footprint can impact your career. Retrieved from: https://www.theceomagazine.com/business/hr/digital-footprint-impacts-career/ Viewed September 16, 2021.
  • Boudlaie, H., Nargesian, A., & KESHAVARZ NIK, B. E. H. R. O. O. Z. (2019). Digital footprint in web 3.0: social media usage in recruitment. AD-minister, (34), 139-156.
  • Boyd, D. (2014). It’s complicated: The social lives of networked teens. Yale University Press.
  • Buchanan, R. (2021). HOW TO BUILD A POSITIVE DIGITAL FOOTPRINT FOR YOUR SCHOOL AND FOR YOUR STUDENTS. The School Leadership Survival Guide: What to Do When Things Go Wrong, How to Learn from Mistakes, and Why You Should Prepare for the Worst, 169.
  • Ringle, G. (2021). Advice to job-hunter: keeping your digital footprint clean and lean. Retrieved from: http://hrnews.co.uk/advice-to-job-hunters-keeping-your-digital-footprint-clean-and-lean/ Viewed September 16.
  • Woods, S. A., Ahmed, S., Nikolaou, I., Costa, A. C., & Anderson, N. R. (2020). Personnel selection in the digital age: A review of validity and applicant reactions, and future research challenges. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(1), 64-77.

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Technology of the Week – Disrupting the HR World

16

September

2016

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– Click here to watch our video – 

The recruiting processes for large companies are time-consuming, costly, and inefficient. On average, once a job position is open, it takes weeks before candidates are invited for interviews. The average recruiter spends only 6 seconds reviewing a resume, and only 17% read cover letters. This ineffective process of crafting a CV and cover letter is becoming an outdated impractical tool to depict the suitable applicant.                                                                                                                                                                                                       

With technology disruptors such as Scoringline, a talent acquisition and pre-screening software, and Cocoon, a Tinder-like job-matching tool, traditional recruitment is facing inevitable change. Although HR managers may resist this disruption, due to the novelty of these digital processes, the benefits counter the limitations. Besides saving 50% of the company’s time and expanding the company’s pool of candidates, an automatic scoring ranks employees based on position requirements, which substitutes the CV-sorting process. Additionally, candidates have the opportunity to properly display their skills and motivation. With Cocoon, a major advantage is its fee. On average, companies pay €500 per month to use the software, giving them access to an unlimited amount of applicants. The user can also instantly show interest for multiple positions by swiping on the app, saving time and effort.

The use of these technologies reflect the long-tail concept, as applicants are exposed to numerous smaller companies that were previously unknown to them. Now, applicants are more likely to apply to “niche” companies instead of well-known ones. In addition, the network-based value creation concept is also followed, where the informal collaboration between companies and Scoringline/Cocoon provide skills and resources that can supply products/services for an extensive demand. Companies that adopt these tools gain access to a broader pool of applicants, stored in databases that are filtered to find the suitable fit. Value is created, as there are more users on the platforms. Finally, following the newly vulnerable market concept, this market is attractive for new potential entrants, as the search for new employees is a continuous process. Innovative recruiting methods are constantly in demand. Moreover, the market is highly vulnerable, as there are no dominant players. The platform has no restrictions, and customers are facing the same/similar problem, so any firm can join. Costs to enter are also low for firms, in comparison to traditional methods. A profound difference exists in profitability across firms, as fees depend on the size of the firm and the amount of employees selected. As early adopters, startups will need to find a way to reduce opportunities for new entrants by “locking” the market, and stand out from the competitors that exist.

80% of recruitments are done almost instantly without enough qualitative consideration, and hiring the wrong person can be expensive. These technologies don’t only enable firms to recruit more efficiently, they also give smaller companies the opportunity to be exposed. To conclude, current recruiting platforms are becoming outdated and inefficient, and the adoption of digitalized platforms is thus necessary to implement in order to continue employing successful candidates in a practical manner.

Sources:

  • https://en.scoringline.com
  • https://cocoonapp.co
  • http://www.longtail.com/about.html
  • http://www.forbes.com/sites/icims/2016/05/16/the-real-cost-of-a-poor-hire/#727067aa242f
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syxej7VUKI8
  • http://www.eremedia.com/ere/why-you-cant-get-a-job-recruiting-explained-by-the-numbers/
  • https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/you-only-get-6-seconds-of-fame-make-it-count/

Team 17

  • Gabriel Müller Adade – 368370
  • Giovanni Nigris – 383900
  • Katarina Wessel Rodahl – 368949
  • Sven Ullern – 367004

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