OK, maybe AI isn’t taking our jobs, but the misuse of AI is keeping people out of roles they would be great at.
How AI-Generated Job Descriptions Are Hurting Your Hiring Process
The rise of AI in HR has brought efficiency and automation to talent acquisition, but it has also introduced new challenges. One of those challenges and the biggest mistake hiring managers are making today is relying on AI to generate job descriptions without critically thinking through the role’s actual responsibilities and required skills. While AI tools can provide a strong starting point, blindly accepting a generic job description can lead to hiring failures, wasted time, and frustrated candidates.
We Had a Problem Before AI
It didn’t start with AI, though. Even before ChatGPT became a household name, I frequently had managers ask me for a “generic” job description for a role they wanted to fill. Occasionally, I would get a “that’s not quite right” response, but most of the time, I knew those JDs were getting posted without any customization.
Candidates Have AI Too
The internet is flooded with stories from job seekers about how hard it is to land an interview these days. This has convinced many that it’s a volume game – the more roles you apply to, the more likely you are to get that interview. That realization has pushed many candidates to use AI to revise their resume and cover letter to match the job post (the one AI wrote in the first place). In other words – candidates are applying for a role that may or may not be what you want.
Can’t Find Candidates
When resumes start coming in, we’re squandering great candidates who “don’t match what we’re looking” for because we don’t know what we’re looking for! We’re waiting for that unicorn who is going to show us what we want. It’s not until that unicorn doesn’t show up that we start “tweaking” the job post, the pay range, and the title. But by that time, we’ve pissed off enough candidates that our talent pool has shrunken.
Break the Cycle
I love AI – it makes it possible to get more done faster – and yes, I am using it for this blog post. But there’s a huge difference between using it as a tool in your thought process and using it to replace your thought process. Instead of asking AI for a JD for a job title, give it a list of functions the role will be responsible for. Ask it to suggest additional tasks you may not have thought of. Then ask it for the qualifications needed to do those tasks well. And for the love of God, stop requiring a Bachelor’s degree just because!