Eco Trabalho interview - AI in Recruitment: benefits and challenges

Has the presence of AI been felt in recruitment processes? How is it practically applied in these processes?

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Yes, we’ve seen an increasing presence of this technology, along with companies’ willingness to implement it internally. However, applying AI hastily in recruitment can lead to incorrect decisions based on biased algorithms. We believe that AI in human resources should serve as a tool to enhance recruiters’ capabilities rather than being used for aggressive filtering.

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Practically speaking, we see three major benefits of AI in HR for all parties involved—companies, candidates, and team members. First, AI supports the automatic transcription and analysis of interviews. Second, it can filter candidates based on technical skills and basic experience, not only identifying the most relevant candidates for a position but also suggesting them for other roles—often the best candidates are not the most obvious. Lastly, AI helps design personalized career plans for each employee, enhancing their overall experience within the company.

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What are the advantages of using these technologies in recruitment?

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There are two clear advantages. First, AI can automate interview transcription and create fairer documentation during the recruitment process. Second, it can speed up the match between companies and candidates, helping them quickly determine if they are a good fit for a role or perhaps better suited for another open position within the company. AI also adds impartiality and objectivity, giving candidates a second chance if they were initially rejected due to human bias, acting as a “reviewer” of human decisions.

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And the disadvantages?

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The main disadvantage of this technology is the lack of technical capability to create truly accurate and unbiased algorithms. Poorly implemented AI can lead to mistakes that negatively impact talent selection. For example, as I mentioned earlier, bias can be perpetuated by a poorly trained algorithm, harming the entire recruitment process. AI may also miss important nuances that could make less obvious candidates successful. Additionally, AI lacks the ability to assess an individual’s learning potential, which is often only evident through a complete understanding of the person’s professional and personal history—a level of detail that can only be captured in a face-to-face, human-to-human conversation.

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What impact does the adoption of these tools have on team diversity (specifically in terms of gender and ethnicity)?

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Algorithms don’t inherently consider gender, ethnicity, or other diversity factors unless they are specifically trained to do so. In my view, AI can help increase team diversity because it focuses on the essentials: the candidate’s professional and personal experience, combining these two factors to bring out the best in each.

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How has this transformation been received by candidates?

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I believe it varies from candidate to candidate and from sector to sector. Companies in sectors that rely heavily on human interaction and care—like healthcare, for example—must balance these two factors to ensure candidates objectively understand whether their profile is a good fit. On the other hand, candidates in the tech sector tend to be more enthusiastic about AI in the recruitment process and are generally more open to the idea of this technology’s implementation. Regardless of the sector, it’s important to strike a balance. We shouldn’t move towards processes that are entirely AI-based. Face-to-face conversations are essential, and AI should complement human work, not replace it. This is especially true because cultural fit and empathy between the candidate and the organization are best assessed through conversations with organizational members.

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Is AI in recruitment the future, or is there still not enough experience to say these tools are here to stay?

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We are in an initial phase, with many cases still in the trial-and-error stage. However, I have no doubt that the efficiency, objectivity, and impartiality that AI brings are factors that cannot be ignored by companies and recruiters. This is a trend that will shape the future, even more than it already shapes the present. It’s crucial to keep refining these tools, ensuring they are well-trained, adjusting them as needed, and making sure they are perfectly aligned with the labor market, which is, as we know, constantly evolving. The most important thing is to ensure that AI in HR is used to support and enhance the work of recruiters and companies, not as the “sole ruler” of the interview and selection process. Over-automation without empathy will prevent candidates with high learning potential and a strong desire to succeed from realizing their dreams and thriving in the job market.

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