The AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, has become a popular topic of discussion among HR leaders, who are exploring its potential to streamline their daily tasks. Chad Herring, CHRO at ZoomInfo, a tech firm based in Vancouver, WA, is among those who believe ChatGPT can make their lives easier, especially when it comes to writing promotion letters, rejection emails, or "thank you" letters after interviews.
Since its launch, Herring tested ChatGPT and found it to be useful for both recruiters and job seekers. In fact, a recent survey by Resume Builder reveals that 46% of job seekers already use ChatGPT to write their resumes and/or cover letters, resulting in a higher response rate from potential employers (69%) and a higher success rate in securing employment (59%).
ChatGPT has its advantages and disadvantages
ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, a San Francisco-based startup co-founded by Elon Musk, is an AI-powered chatbot that responds to user-submitted questions, prompts, and other information with human-like responses. Since its public release in November, ChatGPT has gained immense popularity, reaching an estimated 100 million monthly active users within two months, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according to analytics firm UBS and reported by Reuters.
Despite its potential benefits, ChatGPT has also sparked controversy. Some students have used the technology to generate their essays, leading scholar Noam Chomsky to criticize it as "high-tech plagiarism." Meanwhile, BuzzFeed faced criticism for relying on the tool to create quizzes and other content after laying off almost 12% of its staff.
However, others like Chad Herring believe that technology like ChatGPT will not replace human jobs. He argues that while technology may shift job requirements, it also creates new job opportunities.
The use of ChatGPT in recruitment has the potential to both improve and impede the process
According to Kristen Wrigley, the head of people at TaskHuman in Palo Alto, CA, it's acceptable to use ChatGPT for writing job postings, offer letters, and employee handbooks. This is because HR leaders have been using template samples for years, and many companies have already automated much of their employment and hiring processes using similar technology.
However, Wrigley believes that the most effective HR screening processes require a combination of technology and the human judgment of recruiting professionals to identify the best candidates on paper from a pool of applicants. Great recruiters search for content on resumes and cover letters where the candidate's unique personality shines through, or where some unique skill or experience is shared in a personal way that matches the company's culture profile and key business needs.
Allyn Bailey, the executive director of hiring success at SmartRecruiters in San Francisco, and former recruitment executive at Intel in Santa Clara, CA, shares Wrigley's caution and warns that HR leaders should approach ChatGPT carefully if they plan to use it for recruitment. She states that the potential for bias exists in the training data used to develop ChatGPT, and if that data is biased, the responses generated by ChatGPT may also contain those biases, which can lead to discrimination in the hiring process.
More than a dozen of the world's largest employers, including Walmart, Meta, IBM, and American Express, have formed the Data & Trust Alliance to mitigate data and algorithmic bias in HR and workforce decisions, acknowledging that bias is a significant issue when it comes to algorithms for recruitment, prospecting, and hiring purposes.
Ensure that ChatGPT doesn't strip HR of its humanity
Bailey acknowledges the attractiveness of utilizing ChatGPT to streamline the job application process in a fiercely competitive labor market. Although ChatGPT can save time in creating customized content, HR professionals' overburdened workload can concentrate on other urgent tasks. However, solely relying on ChatGPT may oversimplify the recruitment process and cause a loss of diverse talent.
"Personal relationships remain essential in establishing strong employer-candidate relationships," Bailey emphasizes. "While ChatGPT can be an asset in the hiring process, it should be viewed as a supplement to traditional methods of evaluating candidates rather than a substitute."
Since its launch, Herring tested ChatGPT and found it to be useful for both recruiters and job seekers. In fact, a recent survey by Resume Builder reveals that 46% of job seekers already use ChatGPT to write their resumes and/or cover letters, resulting in a higher response rate from potential employers (69%) and a higher success rate in securing employment (59%).
ChatGPT has its advantages and disadvantages
ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, a San Francisco-based startup co-founded by Elon Musk, is an AI-powered chatbot that responds to user-submitted questions, prompts, and other information with human-like responses. Since its public release in November, ChatGPT has gained immense popularity, reaching an estimated 100 million monthly active users within two months, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according to analytics firm UBS and reported by Reuters.
Despite its potential benefits, ChatGPT has also sparked controversy. Some students have used the technology to generate their essays, leading scholar Noam Chomsky to criticize it as "high-tech plagiarism." Meanwhile, BuzzFeed faced criticism for relying on the tool to create quizzes and other content after laying off almost 12% of its staff.
However, others like Chad Herring believe that technology like ChatGPT will not replace human jobs. He argues that while technology may shift job requirements, it also creates new job opportunities.
The use of ChatGPT in recruitment has the potential to both improve and impede the process
According to Kristen Wrigley, the head of people at TaskHuman in Palo Alto, CA, it's acceptable to use ChatGPT for writing job postings, offer letters, and employee handbooks. This is because HR leaders have been using template samples for years, and many companies have already automated much of their employment and hiring processes using similar technology.
However, Wrigley believes that the most effective HR screening processes require a combination of technology and the human judgment of recruiting professionals to identify the best candidates on paper from a pool of applicants. Great recruiters search for content on resumes and cover letters where the candidate's unique personality shines through, or where some unique skill or experience is shared in a personal way that matches the company's culture profile and key business needs.
Allyn Bailey, the executive director of hiring success at SmartRecruiters in San Francisco, and former recruitment executive at Intel in Santa Clara, CA, shares Wrigley's caution and warns that HR leaders should approach ChatGPT carefully if they plan to use it for recruitment. She states that the potential for bias exists in the training data used to develop ChatGPT, and if that data is biased, the responses generated by ChatGPT may also contain those biases, which can lead to discrimination in the hiring process.
More than a dozen of the world's largest employers, including Walmart, Meta, IBM, and American Express, have formed the Data & Trust Alliance to mitigate data and algorithmic bias in HR and workforce decisions, acknowledging that bias is a significant issue when it comes to algorithms for recruitment, prospecting, and hiring purposes.
Ensure that ChatGPT doesn't strip HR of its humanity
Bailey acknowledges the attractiveness of utilizing ChatGPT to streamline the job application process in a fiercely competitive labor market. Although ChatGPT can save time in creating customized content, HR professionals' overburdened workload can concentrate on other urgent tasks. However, solely relying on ChatGPT may oversimplify the recruitment process and cause a loss of diverse talent.
"Personal relationships remain essential in establishing strong employer-candidate relationships," Bailey emphasizes. "While ChatGPT can be an asset in the hiring process, it should be viewed as a supplement to traditional methods of evaluating candidates rather than a substitute."