Translated from the article: https://www.awn.no/nyheter/ai-gjoer-grundighet-i-rekrutteringen-viktigere-enn-noen-gang/

AI is making it easier than ever to write an impressive resumé and a compelling cover letter. At the same time, it is becoming harder to know what is actually true. If companies want to avoid costly hiring mistakes, thorough recruitment processes are now more important than ever.

AI has rapidly become a natural factor in the recruitment process. Candidates are using AI to write their applications, and to improve their resumés, while employers are implementing the technology for everything from job postings to screening applicants.

On the one hand, this development is presenting us with huge opportunities but, on the other hand, it is rendering us with new and unfamiliar challenges. According to Espen Mærli, CEO of Semac, the quality and accuracy of the information that is indispensable for hiring decisions is more important than ever. 
Semac is a leading provider of personnel security, background checks, digital reference checks, and security and emergency response services. AWN uses Semac’s background checks in all of its recruitment processes.

A resumé is a claim

Mærli believes that still too much trust is being placed in the information received from candidates. We all tend to view a resumé as a claim. However, until the information has been cross-checked against original and verified sources, it can’t be treated as fact. 

Espen Mærli

Most of the discrepancies we find don’t involve real lies. Often, it’s that experience, responsibilities or skills are being presented in a slightly more favorable light than the original sources indicate. But even minor discrepancies can be decisive when companies are choosing between candidates who otherwise appear very similar. 

Verification is first and foremost as regards providing employers with an accurate basis for decision-making, and it is done by cross-checking the information directly against original sources. This may involve contacting universities or former employers, rather than relying solely on documentation provided by the candidate. 

When AI talks to AI

It’s nothing new for candidates to try to present themselves in the best possible light. The difference is that AI has made it much easier. A well-written application or a polished resumé, therefore, says less about the candidate than it used to. At the same time, employers are using AI to write job postings, analyze applications, and to screen candidates. 

Espen Mærli

Obviously, there is the risk here of AI talking to AI. If incorrect or inflated information slips in early in the process, by default it becomes the basis for further assessments. Here at Semac we are far from being “technology pessimists”. We are actually advocates of AI and use it ourselves where it is appropriate and safe. But humans must still be responsible for the final assessments.

Verified information may become scarce

Although AI provides access to more information than ever before, Mærli believes that the challenge ahead will be the opposite of what many people think. 

Espen Mærli

The challenge of the future won’t be finding information. It will be knowing which information you can actually trust. As AI makes it easier to produce convincing content, the value of what’s been checked and verified intensifies.

This also means that companies must be willing to spend a little more time on their recruitment processes. Verifying a university degree or a previous employment may take a few extra days. But the question is whether they can really afford not to. According to Espen Mærli, an unsatisfactory hire usually costs the employer far more than the time it takes to cross-check the candidate information.

New technology and verification procedures

The trend toward greater automation isn’t necessarily a bad thing, according to Mærli. On the contrary, technology can free up time and make many parts of the recruitment process more efficient. At the same time, he warns against letting the desire for speed overshadow the most important goal. 

Espen Mærli

The goal of recruitment is not to complete it as quickly as possible. The goal is to find the best candidate. The companies that will succeed in the future are those that combine new technology with sound professional assessments and thorough control procedures. 

AI and people

Jon Steen, Managing Partner at AWN, is very familiar with the trend Mærli describes. He finds that AI has made candidates better at presenting themselves, but at the same time believes that this makes the human element of recruitment even more important. 

Jon Steen

AI is a fantastic tool when used correctly. But the best hires are still made when technology is combined with experience, structure, and human judgment. No tool can replace thorough and meticulous interviews. It’s by looking at the big picture that we find the candidate who is actually the best fit for the role and the company.