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Customer Stories

AI in Aid of a Better Candidate Journey: Conversation with Accedia’s MD, Plamen Koychev

Written By Sanskruti Joshi | September 27, 2024

AI has emerged as a game-changer in the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, redefining how companies engage with candidates. In this insightful conversation with Plamen Koychev, Managing Partner at Accedia, we delve into how AI is transforming the candidate journey. With nearly 20 years of experience in technology and a background in leading projects for global giants like IBM and HP, Plamen brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. At Accedia, a leading European IT services company, Plamen plays a pivotal role in shaping the firm’s approach to talent acquisition and development, driving innovation through AI-powered solutions. In this discussion, we explore the role of AI in recruitment, its impact on candidate engagement, the HackerRank edge, and the steps Accedia has taken to create a more efficient and transparent hiring process.

In Conversation with Accedia

TL;DR

  1. AI’s role in the recruitment process today
  2. Accedia’s steps to embrace AI and improve transparency and communication with candidates throughout the hiring process
  3. Steps taken to prevent AI bias in recruitment while improving candidate experiences with HackerRank
  4. Impact of HackerRank solutions on key metrics while balancing AI with a human touch in recruitment
  5. Upcoming AI trends which will further elevate the candidate experience

 

1: How do you define AI’s role in the recruitment process today compared to traditional hiring methods?

AI plays a transformative role in the modern recruitment process, offering clear advantages over traditional hiring methods. In the past, tasks like resume screening, test evaluations, and interview scheduling were labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring significant resources. Today, AI streamlines these repetitive tasks, enabling recruiters to process larger volumes of candidates more efficiently while providing deeper insights into their technical abilities. AI facilitates the automation of nearly every stage of recruitment. Tasks such as sending tests, scheduling meetings, and tracking candidate progress can now be done with just a few clicks after initial setup, significantly reducing administrative burdens. This results in a faster and more comprehensive evaluation process.

AI has introduced new opportunities to improve the efficiency of talent acquisition teams by automating tedious, routine tasks, making recruitment faster and more straightforward. Yet, with these benefits come new challenges, such as concerns about plagiarism, proctoring, the integrity of assessments, and the fairness of AI-driven evaluations. However, despite AI’s efficiency, human judgment remains crucial, particularly when assessing cultural fit and making final hiring decisions.

2: How do you see AI enhancing candidate engagement during the recruitment process?

AI enhances candidate engagement by providing quicker and more consistent communication. Automated updates, faster feedback on assessments, and AI-powered interactions create a smoother and more responsive experience for candidates. This engagement drives candidates to invest more in the process, feeling more involved and informed, thus reducing drop-off rates. Additionally, AI tools enable personalized interactions that guide candidates throughout the process, which improves their overall experience and perception of the company.

3: What steps has Accedia taken to embrace AI in recruitment, and where do you think its applications are limited currently?

Accedia has embraced AI in its recruitment processes by automating various repetitive tasks such as candidate profiling, test evaluations and proctoring which significantly increases efficiency and reduces manual effort.

Using platforms like HackerRank, we can assess candidates objectively and on a much larger scale, allowing us to process applications more quickly and thoroughly. HackerRank’s proctoring features, in particular, help us monitor candidate behavior during assessments, such as detecting tab changes, tracking live code writing, and flagging suspicious activities like plagiarism. This automation allows us to focus on evaluating a higher volume of candidates while maintaining the integrity of the recruitment process.

Additionally, AI tools enable us to gather information from multiple sources, providing a broader perspective that enhances our decision-making. However, despite these advancements, AI remains limited in certain areas. It is highly effective for technical screenings and objective assessments, but evaluating soft skills, cultural fit, and other nuanced human traits still requires personal interaction. Human judgment remains essential in these aspects, as these characteristics often go beyond what AI can assess through data points alone.

While AI has transformed and streamlined many parts of the recruitment process, we still rely on human involvement for final decisions, particularly when it comes to making judgments about a candidate’s overall suitability for our company culture.

4: How can AI improve transparency and communication with candidates throughout the hiring process?

AI can improve transparency by providing consistent and timely updates to candidates, ensuring they are informed at every stage of the hiring process. Automated systems can clarify expectations, such as proctoring rules during tests, and ensure that candidates are aware of how their performance will be evaluated. By standardizing these communications, AI reduces ambiguity and helps build trust between the company and candidates, making the entire process more transparent.

5: What steps do you take to ensure that AI tools do not introduce bias into the recruitment process?

To prevent AI tools from introducing bias into the recruitment process, we implement several measures centered on fairness, transparency, and accuracy. First, we ensure that AI-driven systems apply consistent evaluation criteria, so that all candidates are measured against the same standards, reducing the likelihood of biased outcomes. We also maintain human oversight at key stages of the recruitment process, using AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for recruiters, allowing for a balanced approach that combines automation with human judgment.

Transparency is another essential factor in our process. We make candidates aware of the proctoring measures we have in place from the outset, ensuring they understand the rules and expectations during assessments. This helps create a fair environment where candidates feel comfortable and informed. We don’t rely solely on AI-generated data – after assessments, we cross-check information with multiple sources to ensure fairness and accuracy.

6: How has HackerRank helped you in creating better candidate experiences?

HackerRank has significantly enhanced the candidate experience by streamlining technical assessments and providing faster, more transparent feedback. One of its key features is the automatic evaluation of tests, which not only saves recruiters time but also accelerates the overall hiring process. This rapid feedback reduces the anxiety candidates often feel while waiting for results and helps keep them engaged in the process. Additionally, the platform allows us to customize assessments for specific roles, ensuring candidates face relevant, tailored challenges that make the experience more engaging.

As a result, HackerRank has contributed to shorter time-to-hire, reduced candidate drop-off rates, and increased overall satisfaction throughout the recruitment process.

7: What metrics do you think have been positively impacted with HackerRank-powered solutions?

HackerRank solutions have positively impacted key recruitment metrics such as time-to-hire, candidate engagement, and overall efficiency.

By automating many aspects of the recruitment process, we are able to process a larger volume of applications in less time while maintaining high-quality evaluations. The platform provides valuable insights by tracking candidate performance, identifying skill gaps, and detecting instances of plagiarism, which allows us to make more informed and data-driven hiring decisions.

Additionally, HackerRank offers a comprehensive database of candidate results, enabling us to analyze average performance rates and pinpoint individual strengths and weaknesses in exams.

This helps us continuously refine our recruitment strategies and improve the assessment process. The ability to quickly swap out overused or flagged tasks ensures that evaluations remain fair and up to date, further enhancing recruitment outcomes.

8: How do you balance the automation AI provides with maintaining a human touch in candidate interactions?

We balance the automation that AI provides by reserving it for repetitive, time-consuming tasks, while maintaining personal engagement at critical stages of the hiring process. On the other hand, personal interaction allows us to assess candidates on a deeper level, evaluating cultural fit and soft skills that AI cannot fully capture.

Even though AI is a great relief for everyday tasks, we strive to keep in real touch with candidates in any case. As I already mentioned, we never use the raw information that certain tools have provided. We also rely on personal contact and communication with applicants. This allows us to get to know the candidate personally and make an individual impression of them and their performance throughout the whole interview process. Despite the great number of features and facilities it provides, AI will never replace the 1:1 personal meeting (live or online). 

9: What upcoming AI trends do you believe will further elevate the candidate experience?

Upcoming AI trends are poised to further elevate the candidate experience by enhancing both the evaluation process and the personalization of career guidance. Tools like real-time interview analysis and even AI-driven soft skill assessments will provide deeper insights into a candidate’s overall suitability for a role, moving beyond just technical skills to offer a holistic view. Аdvanced candidate matching algorithms will also refine the selection process, offering candidates more relevant job options that align with their skills and aspirations, ultimately improving job satisfaction and retention.

Additionally, AI is becoming an integral part of communication in the hiring process, and future meetings, interviews, and assessments are likely to be increasingly AI-driven. AI tools may soon be capable of tracking non-verbal cues such as eye movements and gestures during interviews, further enhancing the integrity of the process. While AI’s capabilities in this area are still evolving, it holds significant potential for improving transparency and fairness.

As AI continues to develop, it will also play a larger role in guiding candidates toward personalized career paths based on their profiles and expertise, making the recruitment process more efficient for employers and more relevant and engaging for applicants. However, while AI offers many benefits, it will be essential to strike a balance, ensuring that automation enhances rather than replaces the human touch in candidate interactions.

As AI continues to reshape the recruitment landscape, companies like Accedia are harnessing its potential to enhance candidate experiences, streamline processes, and maintain fairness. While AI automates routine tasks and provides data-driven insights, Plamen Koychev reminds us that the human touch remains essential in making the final call, especially when assessing soft skills and cultural fit. To know more about Accedia and the innovative work being done by them, visit here.