What is a Recruiting Chatbot?
A recruiting chatbot is a piece of software that supports and optimizes the recruitment process in companies. Chatbots based on artificial intelligence and the associated technology of natural language processing (NLP) are particularly popular. These enable real-time communication with applicants and automate the individual steps of employee recruitment. Among other things, recruiting chatbots are able to answer questions from potential applicants about open positions, pre-qualify candidates, or gather feedback.
How are Chatbots Used in Recruiting?
More and more companies of all types from various industries recognize the added value, which chatbots can offer in the area of recruiting. Especially in times when high number of applicants Play a role and against the background that more and more areas of recruiting are being digitized, the use of an AI chatbot is ideal for recruiting employees. Among others, the following areas of responsibility In recruiting, have signed up for a Chatbot implementation proven:
Areas of Application of Recruiting Chatbots
Applicant Communication and Support
- First contact: A chatbot can act as a first point of contact and automatically answer questions about job offers and the company.
- FAQ automation: Also recurring questions A chatbot can process 24/7 about the application process, working hours, corporate culture or employee benefits.
- Schedule coordination: Application processes often consist of various steps (preliminary and selection interviews, assessment centers, tests, etc.), for which a chatbot is perfect for making time-consuming appointments.
Application Process
- Pre-qualification of applications: An AI chatbot is able to guide applicants through the initial application phase, collect general information and assess the applicant's suitability for employment in advance.
- CV screening: Recruiters often only spend a few seconds screening CVs due to time constraints. A chatbot can help here by searching CVs for specific keywords, for example.
Onboarding
- Resource management and information delivery: If a new employee starts working for a company, they should first be informed with basic information about the company and their respective department. Thanks to a chatbot, it is possible to make these resources and documents available automatically. To an all-round effective knowledge management To ensure, a combination of chatbot and knowledge database could also be interesting. You can find more information about this in our article Knowledge databases: The backbone of modern companies.
- Familiarization questions: In addition to general company data, new employees should also be informed about important HR topics, such as vacation, sick days, home office or other areas. These are recurring questions that often cost recruiters valuable time. The use of a chatbot is worthwhile to relieve the team and speed up processes.
Candidate Retention
- Follow-up: After the interview is before the job interview: In order to maintain contact with candidates even after an interview, a chatbot can communicate with them afterwards and keep them up to date on the status of their application.
- Feedback: Not only should candidates receive feedback on their suitability for a specific position, but companies can also benefit from feedback from applicants. For example, the chatbot can ask how they felt about the application process and which things could be improved. In this way, companies can always optimize their recruiting.
Vacancies and Marketing
- Dissemination of job advertisements: Based on a candidate's profile, the chatbot can specifically recommend suitable job offers and help find the right ads.
- Integration with social media platforms: In addition to classic platforms such as Indeed or StepStone, social media channels such as LinkedIn or Instagram are also becoming increasingly important for publishing job advertisements. With the help of integrations The chatbot and social media tool can be connected so that the chatbot can answer questions directly on the social network where candidates found the ads.
Analysis of Application Data
- Analysis of application data: By analyzing application data and conversations, the chatbot can identify trends and insights that could be helpful for future recruitment strategies.
Use-Cases
These Companies use Chatbots in rRcruiting
- IKEA: Anyone who wants to apply for a job at IKEA Switzerland can now do so via IKEA job bot Berta. Using a QR code, candidates can apply directly via WhatsApp, receive personalized job ads and find out about IKEA as an employer.
- McDonald's: The fast food chain McDonald's uses artificial intelligence also in their recruiting process. In addition to providing job advertisements, the Chatbot Olivia automates questions about McDonald's employee benefits, career opportunities, and corporate culture.
- PepsiCo: Coca-Cola's US competitor, PepsiCo, also has a digital assistants integrated by the name Chester Cheetah. He handles inquiries about careers at PepsiCo as well as about the company itself.
Best Practice AI Chatbot in Recruiting: moinAI x Hays
As internationally active personnel service provider With over 13,000 employees worldwide and over 25 locations in Germany alone, Hays is tasked with recruiting and placing numerous specialists and managers on a daily basis.
The moinAI Chatbot Has been available at Hays for a long time in both German and English on many various sub-pages of the website in use, such as on the homepage, the landing page for the job search, the FAQ or the subpage for companies. Thanks to the chatbot, Hays is able to to process the volume of international applications automatically and to relieve customer service without reducing the quality of applicant management.
Around the clock, the Hays Chatbot now answers questions about contact persons, job searches, registration, changing user data and contact options, among other things. Using an interface between moinAI and Zendesk Is Hays also able to provide a direct Chatbot human handover from chatbot to Live chat to provide.
Are you interested in more Chatbot examples? On our overview pages for webinars and Case studies Find even more chatbot use cases from well-known and successful brands.
Benefits of Chatbots in Recruiting
Reducing the Workload of the Recruiting Team
As a result of many different job interviews with candidates, recruiters often have a tight schedule and pressure from management to find qualified personnel suitable for the respective positions. A chatbot can help relieve the recruiting team and especially Routine tasks, such as scheduling or answering recurring questions. This gives HR managers more time for more complex and complex tasks that require personal skill and empathy.
Higher Applicant Satisfaction
A simple, well-structured, organized application process can leave a good impression on applicants — regardless of whether they are also hired for the job in the end. Especially in times when there is a shortage of skilled workers in many sectors, it is essential to present yourself as an attractive future employer. A chatbot can ensure that candidates have a good experience from the first point of contact to the last step of the application process by answering questions 24/7.
Scalable Recruiting
Regardless of a company's industry, there can always be phases in which a particularly large number of personnel must be recruited.
Be it seasonally, through a economic upturn or the unfortunate coincidence that several employees leave the company at the same time. A chatbot always works consistently efficiently and can process any number of inquiries at once, so scalable recruiting is possible without sacrificing quality.
Opportunities and Limits of Chatbots in Recruiting
Data protection is an important issue that concerns many companies in the context of a chatbot introduction. For this reason, we have put together an overview of the most important tips for a GDPR-compliant chatbot:
Further information on chatbots and data protection can be found in our lexicon article Chatbots & data protection: 7 tips for a GDPR-compliant chatbot.
The Best Recruiting Chatbots
- moinAI: moinAI's chatbot existed long before ChatGPT took its first steps ;) moinAI's decades of experience in the AI industry are reflected in the versatility and precision of the AI chatbot. Thanks to natural language processing, artificial intelligence continues to learn and offers users automated answers to their questions 24/7. moinAI is particularly characterized by high automation rates (averaging 72%), industry templates, 1:1 service support and a wide range of connection options to other tools. For example, you can smoothly integrate the chatbot into your respective CRM or recruiting software.
- Paradox: Paradox is the provider behind the chatbot Olivia. Olivia helps companies automate the recruiting process by taking on tasks such as screening candidates, answering questions, and scheduling interviews. Olivia is used by companies such as McDonald's, Unilever, and CVS Health.
- AllyO: The AllyO Recruiter also supports applicants in the application process by communicating with them in real time, answering questions and scheduling interview appointments. AllyO's customers include companies such as Hilton, Staples Sporting Goods.
3 Keys to Success
Use Chatbot Insights
Use the feedback you receive from applicants via the chatbot to better understand their needs and identify weaknesses in the recruiting process. In this way, you can continuously optimize the individual steps of employee recruitment and ensure that you recruit exactly the talent that your company needs.
Interfaces With Recruiting Tools
Unlock the full potential of the chatbot by connecting it to your internal recruiting tools. This is how you create smooth processes and a user journey in which applicants are optimally accompanied from start to finish.
User-Friendly Design
Applicants' satisfaction with the recruiting chatbot depends on the design and usability of the chatbot interface. With the help of individual teasers, an appealing chat widget, a chatbot persona that matches the corporate identity and simple human takeover processes, you ensure that users enjoy using your recruiting chatbot. For more tips for a successful chatbot start, read our lexicon article The 5 most important tips for a successful chatbot.
Conclusion
Chatbots in recruiting are used in many different areas of recruitment and can significantly contribute to optimizing employee recruitment. A user-friendly, privacy-compliant, versatile chatbot can not only improve the candidate experience, but also relieve the recruiting team.
Good to know: Within the HR department, a chatbot can be used not only in recruiting, but also in other areas, such as employee management or continuing education.
Helpful tips and practical examples for using a chatbot in HR can be found in our lexicon article ”Chatbots in HR: How AI optimizes HR”. On our HR page You will also receive information about how moinAI can help you implement an HR chatbot.
