Recruitment Automation Uncovered: The Good, the Bad, and Why Experts Still Matter
The average time-to-hire has risen significantly, now stretching to about 44 days to complete recruitment processes—and unfortunately, there’s no indication that this trend will ease anytime soon.
Dealing with repetitive hiring tasks (such as hiring virtual assistants in the Philippines) and making recruitment processes faster and smoother, are among the many things recruitment automation can help businesses with.
With the help of AI-powered tools, recruiters can seamlessly manage the endless pile of resumes. But while AI and automation are transforming hiring, it’s worth asking: are they genuinely beneficial in every aspect of recruitment?
In this blog, we’ll discuss the good and the bad of recruitment automation and how remote staffing experts can further maximize this tool.
The Power of Recruitment Automation
It’s no wonder workflow automation has become essential for any business looking to simplify its day-to-day. In recruitment especially, automation is changing the game—helping teams work smarter, not harder.
Speeds up repetitive tasks
Did you know that 94% of companies are reported to have repetitive and time-consuming tasks?
With automation, you can offload time-consuming tasks like resume screening, interview scheduling, and follow-up emails. This frees up time for recruiters to focus on connecting with candidates and digging deeper into their potential fit.
Cuts down overall recruitment costs
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost per hire is nearly $4,700. Take note that this doesn’t even include soft costs and can go up even further depending on factors such as the role you’re hiring for.
Recruitment automation can significantly lower hiring expenses by reducing the time and resources spent on manual tasks. Less time spent on repetitive tasks means faster hiring cycles, ultimately lowering the cost per hire.
Improves candidate matching
It only takes a few seconds for hiring managers or recruiters to skim through resumes—and even longer when thoroughly vetting candidates.
But with automation tools, you can instantly filter out resumes that don’t meet the basic requirements for the role, saving valuable time and focusing only on the most promising candidates.
Provides hiring data and insights
Automation tools track every stage of the recruitment process, giving you valuable insights into hiring trends, time-to-fill metrics, and candidate behavior.
This data can serve as a goldmine for making smarter hiring decisions and continuously refining your hiring strategy.
Reduces unconscious biases
Whether assessing for culture fit or noticing a shared alma mater, addressing unconscious biases in hiring can benefit your company by fostering diversity within your team.
By using standardized data and algorithms, automation helps make candidate evaluations more objective, creating a fairer, more level playing field for everyone.
The Downside of Recruitment Automation
While recruitment automation offers clear advantages, it’s not without challenges.
Missed opportunities for diverse talent
There’s only so much a resume can reveal—and with today’s wide variety of formats, not all automated tools can accurately interpret them. This is one of the limitations of using automation in recruitment.
Relying solely on tools can lead to missed opportunities, as they may only spotlight candidates who fit a specific mold, leaving out unique talents who don’t conform to standard templates.
Reduced personal connection
Automation can speed up your recruitment process, though it comes at a cost—less personal touch in your hiring approach.
Remember, while you’re vetting candidates, they’re also vetting you. Employees today value work-life balance and a healthy work environment. That’s why showing genuine care in your hiring process can go a long way in attracting the right talent.
Limited assessment of soft skills
It’s not always just about hard skills—sometimes, soft skills carry even more weight depending on the role you’re hiring for. These qualities shine best through human interaction, which can be reduced when relying on automation.
Without that personal connection, you risk seeing only part of the picture, missing out on the full potential of the talent in front of you.
Excessive automated interactions
Keeping potential hires in the loop is essential, but it can backfire if your automated tools overdo it.
Too many impersonal emails or notifications give them the impression that they’re merely engaging with a system rather than real people.
High implementation costs
The cost of workload automation can range from $30,000 to $250,000, depending on your business needs. You can expect that the more tailored tools are to your requirements, the higher the costs can be.
In comparison, hiring through a remote staffing company like MultiplyMii offers significant long-term savings. The difference in costs adds up quickly, making remote staffing a highly cost-effective solution!
False sense of efficiency
At the end of the day, a tool is just that—a tool designed to be used by people. While automated tools can be invaluable, it’s essential to strike a balance and focus on the quality of outcomes they deliver.
Algorithmic bias
While automation aims to reduce bias, algorithms are only as fair as the data they’re trained on.
Biases can sometimes slip into automated assessments, unintentionally creating skewed outcomes. That’s why it’s essential to have experts regularly monitor, maintain, and evaluate these tools to ensure they’re performing optimally and fairly.
How Staffing Experts Outperform Recruitment Automation
While recruitment automation can efficiently handle many tasks, staffing experts bring an irreplaceable human touch to your hiring process. By combining technology with skilled human insight, you get the best of both worlds.
Here’s how staffing experts, like those at MultiplyMii, add value beyond what automation alone can offer:
Personalized candidate engagement
Unlike automated systems, staffing experts can form genuine relationships with candidates, making them feel valued and understood.
With dedicated recruiters, candidates feel like more than just names on a list, which enriches their hiring experience and strengthens your company’s brand in the process.
Intuitive assessment of soft skills and cultural fit
Staffing experts can read between the lines to uncover qualities that don’t show up on a resume. They ask the right questions to gauge a candidate’s adaptability, communication style, and cultural fit.
This expertise helps them identify candidates whose personalities and values align with your company—while also ensuring they have the skills to excel in the role.
Flexibility and adaptability in hiring strategies
One of the key benefits of working with remote staffing experts like MultiplyMii is their flexible approach.
Unlike the rigidity of automation, staffing experts allow you to build accurate job descriptions based on your requirements, adjust priorities, and even scale up or down.
A remote staffing company's adaptability makes it easier to align talent with your evolving business goals.
Holistic decision-making
MultiplyMii offers a seamless recruitment experience beyond the data points provided by automated tools.
With over a decade of experience connecting businesses with top remote talent, you can trust that your hiring needs will be met from the initial discovery call through to your hire’s official onboarding.
Ethical judgment and bias mitigation
Whether paired with your automated tool or not, remote staffing experts can minimize bias throughout the hiring process.
With proven practices and expertise in sourcing and vetting candidates, they ensure a fair, inclusive, and transparent hiring experience that goes beyond what automation alone can offer.
Adaptability to complex, high-touch roles
Some roles just require a more personal touch—something automation can’t fully handle. That’s where staffing experts like MultiplyMii come in.
Our team understands the need for a hands-on approach and is ready to help you hire for complex, high-touch roles requiring extra care and genuine human interaction.
Strengthen Your Recruitment with Remote Staffing Experts
Looking to strengthen your recruitment process?
Whether you’re hiring for executive roles or virtual assistant services in the Philippines, we’ve got you covered!
Partner with MultiplyMii and work with experts in remote staffing solutions.
With a decade of experience and a proven track record of connecting businesses with top Filipino talent, we offer a tried-and-tested recruitment process and a pre-vetted network of skilled professionals.
