How artificial intelligence is improving the job search and hiring process

ACROSS several Asia-Pacific countries, university graduation season is just around the corner. Soon, a fresh cohort of jobseekers will enter a competitive job market for the first time – scouring company career pages, sending out resumes, and preparing for interviews.

This moment holds personal significance for me, as my daughter is set to join the new wave of graduates in Singapore.

Her cohort will be among the first to make use of tools and platforms powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), which can offer personalised job recommendations, streamline job application and hiring processes, and more.

While the transition into the world of work can be nerve-wracking for young adults – and their parents – I believe these generative AI-powered tools will help remove some of the challenges jobseekers face.

The use of generative AI may even encourage fairer and more inclusive forms of hiring – vital in a region as diverse as ours, where issues such as language barriers, differences in educational opportunities, and economic disparities can limit opportunities.

Reducing unconscious bias

Recruitment methods can inadvertently introduce human biases based on a candidate’s name, educational background, race and gender.

Generative AI-powered tools and job platforms can be trained to reduce biases in hiring decisions, ensuring that employees are more fairly selected based on their abilities and skills.

This can lead to a more diverse and inclusive workforce, while linking more professionals across the region to new job opportunities.

AI tools can also analyse job requirements and match candidate profiles based on specific skills rather than just job titles or previous roles.

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Human capital for the age of generative AI

For generations, we have defined jobs by titles. As AI changes how we work, however, it will also force us to change how we define jobs. We will need to start seeing any job as a collection of tasks, and understand that those tasks will change regularly.

By defining jobs with skills, and deploying AI, recruiters can find candidates from non-traditional backgrounds or industries with the necessary competencies and transferable skills.

LinkedIn research shows that skills-based hiring can enlarge the pool of candidates to nearly 10 times what it would be if hiring were based on job experience instead.

This trend is even more marked in our region. In India, for instance, a skills-first hiring pool can be 12 times as big as a non-skills-first pool; in Indonesia, the multiplier can reach 13.

Levelling up hirer efficiencies

Generative AI-powered tools and platforms are also making the hiring process more efficient. New sourcing tools can be used to build searches and screen applicants, for instance, so recruiters have more time to focus on high-level, strategic priorities.

Employers can also use AI to analyse regional job market trends and gain insights specific to local markets. This can help companies tailor their recruitment strategies to specific local conditions, ensuring they attract the best talent.

Sharpening approaches in these ways is especially important when recruiting top Generation Z talent, including new graduates. Our research indicates this emerging talent pool is more selective than previous generations, and especially driven by a desire for meaningful work and growth opportunities.

In Singapore, most Gen Z candidates want to be successful (73 per cent) and financially secure (72 per cent), and are highly motivated to learn new skills to help them get there (74 per cent).

They are also willing to invest time on weekends to achieve these goals. Modern recruitment tools can create a more seamless and engaging recruitment experience for these individuals, while also better identifying candidates whose values would align with particular company cultures.

Empowering graduate jobseekers

Graduates, too, can now enter their skills, qualifications, and career preferences into professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, and AI will do the hard work of matching them with jobs that are the best fit.

This can help them find roles that align with their career goals and competencies, increasing their chances of success.

AI tools can also analyse job descriptions and match them against a candidate’s resume to identify the most relevant keywords and skills. They can then suggest improvements to ensure the resume is tailored to the specific job, increasing its chances of getting through applicant tracking systems.

This kind of support is essential in today’s fast-evolving job market, where more recruiters will be assessing candidates’ potential in areas that are not necessarily linked to qualifications.

Take learning new skills and quickly engaging with new roles – both vital competencies in a future world of work where specific experience might be less critical than flexibility and adaptability.

Our data shows that companies seeking to hire across the region are increasingly paying more attention to soft skills such as communication.

Other key areas include being able to adapt to a work environment where more AI is used. Our latest work trends study uncovered a rising demand for people who can use AI effectively alongside soft skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving.

We also found that 76 per cent of Asia-Pacific business leaders would rather hire a less-experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced one without.

Building the workforce of the future

I know only too well how, for new graduates such as my daughter and her friends, the task of standing out in a dynamic labour market may seem overwhelming.

Fortunately, AI tools have the potential to help candidates through the process – from creating a first draft of a cover letter to identifying the skills they need for the job they want and recommending online courses for them.

By staying adaptable, embracing a learning mindset, and leveraging some of these tools, graduate jobseekers can unlock a wealth of opportunities and grow their careers.

The writer is Asia-Pacific managing director at LinkedIn