SIOP 2023 Recap: how ethical AI should affect your hiring

This year, hiring professionals and IO psychologists descended on Boston for SIOP 2023. And the theme was loud and clear: AI and how it’s affecting all things hiring. 

HireVue was proud to present 11 presentations on the latest in ethical AI and advances in technology. During our conference presentations and time spent at our booth, we heard several consistent themes that are top of mind when it comes to hiring. 

Here are the top 5 takeaways from SIOP 2023:

Ethical AI and the new NY law were referenced in almost all sessions

Today, conversations are frequently centered on how hiring teams use AI and how to ensure the use is ethical.

According to the new NY law, the “AI Law makes it an unlawful employment practice for employers to use automated employment decision tools (AEDTs) to screen a candidate or employee within New York City unless certain bias audit and notice requirements are met.”

Companies must make sure they are up-to-date on laws, and how they affect the technology they’re using. AI usage isn’t going anywhere—in fact, it will become more sophisticated. At HireVue, we believe the best hiring decisions are made from a marriage between humans and AI. While AI is used to combat bias, ethical usage depends on technology that is regularly checked against bias. 

It’s a company’s responsibility to ensure their AI partners are current and creating solutions that align with expectations—both legal and candidate expectations.

Candidate experience is of utmost importance.

The current landscape shows there are still more jobs than candidates, and TA teams are struggling to keep up without automation. Teams are trying to figure out how they stand out as a brand to candidates—realizing that a poor process will make candidates drop out. 

Automation is the answer to making offers fast and getting candidates onboarded quickly. Research shows that most candidates continue to look for jobs even after accepting an offer, so ensuring you have the right technology in place to engage with them is key.

Offer your candidates the flexibility to complete OnDemand interviews—which means they can interview when it’s most convenient for them which may be outside atypical 9-5 hours. Texting is also a great way to easily reach out and send onboarding information, introduction videos, and more information about your company to get candidates excited about their first day.

TA teams must upgrade tech and improve processes—or lose top talent 

As mentioned above, your candidate experience is enhanced by improved technology—but your workforce is as well. If your process has too many steps and is too drawn out, candidates will leave—and that includes your top applicants. 

TA teams must audit their current process, find their pain points, and turn to the technology that will make the entire hiring process better (for recruiters and candidates).

Are your candidates ghosting you? Think through how you’re engaging them. Still relying on phone screens and calls? That doesn’t cut it.

Does your time-to-offer take too long? Figure out what processes you can automate (Hint: you can automate your engagement, screening, interviewing, assessing, and hiring.)

Automation and conversational AI are the keys to eliminating disjointed communication and poor candidate experience, so take a step back and put yourself in the shoes of a new employee. Ensure your technology is as impressive as your brand.

The need (and desire) for assessments in hiring is on the rise.

TA teams are facing a tough landscape—not only finding talent but ensuring they’re the right fit is hard. 

How do you know your top 3 candidates are actually smart fits for the role and company? Assessments are a fair way to screen your candidates for the skills needed for success. They’re backed by science, help mitigate bias, and allow teams to confidently prioritize the right candidates. 

With the influx of roles out there and not enough candidates, TA teams are also turning to internal promotions and realignments. Your internal mobility process must be primed for success as well. HireVue offers the Agile Mindset Assessment, a first-of-its-kind solution that measures 4 key types of agility to help predict how candidates would react to change—especially important when change seems to be the only constant in hiring these days. By measuring the key competencies that align with agile leadership and success, the Agile Mindset Assessment is also a great tool for teams to use when considering internal role shifts—but keep in mind that maybe the person you have primed for a promotion may be better suited for the role they’re in. 

Back your decisions with data—not bias.

Hiring should be high-tech with a human touch.

TA teams want to use automation, but they also want to ensure the process feels personal for candidates (and scalable for recruiters). 

Automation should be a tool used for teams to help make hiring decisions—and not viewed as a data machine that chooses who to send offers to. Again, AI is about a union between hiring teams and technology—which is why HireVue offers recruiters the option to create introduction videos that candidates can watch before an OnDemand interview. Technology should provide a platform for recruiters to sell their brand and talk about the company culture—and ensure each candidate that they aren’t just a data point.

Hiring technology is about letting candidates present their best, most authentic selves—and unlocking the potential in everyone. 

Want to learn more about HireVue’s solutions? Request a demo.