Finding the right person for the job can be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially for hard-to-fill jobs that require specific technical skills. While technology, such as applicant tracking software, can assist by assessing for skills and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, it can’t solve one big issue: identifying and engaging a motivated person who really wants the role. That’s where AI chatbots like ChatGPT can help, says Satish Kumar, CEO of Glider AI, a skills-based recruiting platform.

“Recruiters’ day-to-day job involves writing job descriptions, reaching out to candidates, understanding their résumé, qualifying them, and finding out how good a fit they are,” he says. “ChatGPT can actually play a role in each of these steps.”

To be more effective in hiring and engage the right candidates, recruiters can leverage ChatGPT in these five ways.

1. WRITING JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Kumar suggests that recruiters use an AI tool for assistance writing job posts. “Only a few recruiters are blessed to write well-crafted job descriptions,” he says. “For most, it’s typically copying and pasting from a random template.”

Instead, ChatGPT can be used to create a job description that is meaningful and will seek information from the candidate that is relevant for the job. For example, if you enter “write a compelling job description for an entry-level digital marketing specialist,” into ChatGPT, you may get a response like this:

“We are seeking a motivated and creative entry-level digital marketing specialist to join our team. The successful candidate will work with our marketing team to develop and implement digital marketing campaigns across various channels to drive website traffic, generate leads, and increase brand awareness. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with limited experience to start their career in digital marketing and learn from a talented team of marketing professionals.”

ChatGPT will also create a bulleted list of responsibilities, such as “collaborate with the marketing team to develop and implement digital marketing campaigns across various channels, such as email, social media, search engine marketing, and display advertising.” It will also include standard requirements, like “a bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or a related field,” and “strong communication and writing skills to create engaging content for digital marketing campaigns.”

The more detailed your prompt, the better the bot’s output will be.

2. UNDERSTANDING THE JOB

While recruiters likely have a deep understanding of their company, they may not fully know each role within it. An AI tool can also help recruiters get a better picture of the job they’re hiring for, which can assist throughout the recruiting funnel.

“When I’m having a conversation with the candidate, I would like to be more have educated discussion,” says Kumar. “ChatGPT can give me a basic understanding of the domain.”

For example, ChatGPT described an entry-level digital marketing specialist’s job like this: “works with a marketing team to create and execute digital marketing campaigns across various channels, such as email, social media, search engine marketing, and display advertising. They assist with the creation and optimization of landing pages, email templates, and digital ads to drive conversions and improve user experience.”

3. SUMMARIZING CANDIDATES’ QUALIFICATIONS

Even with screening tools, job posts can generate hundreds of applications. Having to read through a lot of résumés can become boring and repetitive. Recruiters may miss the most qualified candidates sheerly due to burnout.

“ChatGPT can summarize a large résumé in a digestible bite size,” says Kumar. “The summary can be presented in the context of the job post.”

For example, Kumar suggests giving the tool the prompt of the job post and asking it to summarize a résumé, matching it to the job needs. “That is time-saver,” he says.

4. PERSONALIZING THE OUTREACH PROCESS

Once you’ve summarized candidates’ résumés and found potential matches, ChatGPT can help craft an email that follows up on their interest and schedules the next steps in the hiring process. For example, if a digital marketing job candidate had experience working as an intern for Apple, ChatGPT would create an outreach email that starts off with:

“I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you regarding the digital marketing position we have open at our company. I recently came across your application, and I was impressed with your qualifications and your experience, particularly your internship at Apple. Firstly, I would like to extend my congratulations to you on securing an internship at Apple. It is no small feat to be selected to work with one of the world’s most iconic and innovative companies, and I am sure you have gained valuable insights and experience during your time there. I believe that your experience at Apple has equipped you with the skills and expertise that are in high demand in the digital marketing industry …”

“ChatGPT can create very promising outreach messages, understanding what this candidate is about,” says Kumar. Personalized messages can help boost candidate engagement.

5. DEVELOPING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Finally, Kumar says recruiters can use the tool to develop a set of interview questions that are relevant to the job, so they can filter qualified candidates from unqualified.

“ChatGPT is very well poised to do all these things because it has crawled the world knowledge beyond a single person’s capability,” he says. “It can help make things more efficient as a recruiter.”

For example, ChatGPT generated 10 questions for an entry-level digital marketing specialist, including:

• How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices in digital marketing?
• Have you worked with any social media management or advertising platforms, such as Hootsuite or Facebook Ads Manager? Can you explain how you have used them in the past?
• How do you balance creativity with data-driven decision-making in your digital marketing strategies?

BUT BEWARE OF THE PITFALLS

ChatGPT can have a profound impact a recruiters’ role and focus, and companies should develop guidelines for its use, says Kumar. While AI can streamline processes, Kumar says it’s also fallible. Recruiters need to know that some of the information and data it provides may not be correct. It’s important to run job descriptions by the candidate’s direct manager to make sure it fits what they need in a new hire.

“Most outbound communication will be fine,” says Kumar. “Then verify critical information against the source of truth.”

And while an AI tool can take away the repetitive work, it does not replace the fundamental part that only humans can apply. “As an individual, you have to apply your own critical thinking for your scenario for your situation,” says Kumar. “Unless you ask questions the right way, in the right context, you won’t get the right answer. Learning how to ask is a key part.”