Rihan Javid, co-founder of global talent network Edge, explores how to ensure authenticity during hiring practices following generative AI advancements
It feels like we are living in a time where every week we see a new groundbreaking innovation in AI, each more astonishing than the last. With each leap forward in the AI revolution, we face questions regarding the benefits and risks of these solutions, such as ChatGPT-4o, the latest update from OpenAI. For the healthcare industry, it will help businesses to hire the top talent from around the globe, among other benefits, but it also brings with it the challenge of how to ascertain that the person they are considering hiring is genuine and not someone relying on AI in the application and interview process.
Most recruiters in the healthcare sector have likely encountered applications that appear to have been generated by AI tools like ChatGPT, perhaps with elaborate language, odd synonym choices, or even factual inaccuracies. However, as tools like ChatGPT-4o evolve, distinguishing AI-generated content will become increasingly difficult. This opens up new avenues for misuse. Candidates could create a fictitious digital history, such as deepfake videos showing them speaking at events to falsely demonstrate thought leadership or an active blogging presence.
Few would begrudge candidates using AI for research, as a more efficient (if less accurate) way of Googling publicly available information. However, the use of AI in generating CVs or application answers is more contentious. Some argue that this levels the playing field for individuals who possess the necessary skills but lack the writing abilities or confidence to express them adequately. Conversely, for positions requiring strong writing skills, this could be a clear misrepresentation. Generative AI also enables mass and automated applications for roles, raising questions about a candidate's seriousness if they can quickly apply to dozens of positions simultaneously.
Therefore, we can see how the use of generative AI in healthcare recruitment can be complex, with challenges for businesses if they do not develop guidelines that govern the recruitment process now. However, it also brings advantages, and healthcare firms need to be prepared to take advantage of these.
It can help, for example, with content creation—instantly creating and optimizing job descriptions and outreach messages to potential recruits at each touch point of the recruitment journey. Healthcare recruiters are also using generative AI to tailor interview questions and create assessments. Although this may sound quite basic, it actually saves team members a huge amount of time. It also improves the candidate experience as communication becomes much more seamless. One of the biggest pain points for candidates is simply not knowing the status of their application.
Generative AI is also being used to help search for candidates. Recruiters can use it to find all the job titles relevant to the role and optimize and broaden their hunt for the right people to fill roles. Recruitment professionals are also able to better understand the roles they are looking for by using ChatGPT to do the hard yards of researching what each role entails.
Ultimately, the potential of generative AI to transform recruitment is immense. For every way AI can make recruitment faster, cheaper, and more effective, it also poses challenges in determining whether a candidate is genuinely leveraging new tools or using technology to misrepresent themselves. Each company and recruiter will need to develop their own policy on where to draw the line, but should also welcome many of the benefits that it will bring when it comes to hiring talent across the globe as long as these checks and balances are properly in place.