If you’ve been following trends over the past few years, then you’re well aware that robots want to take over your job. But not all robots have ulterior motives. In fact, there might just be a few who want to give you a job. Thanks to new technologies in artificial intelligence, user experience, and cognitive simulation, San Francisco-based Mya Systems is streamlining the first steps of the hiring process with interviews via robot recruiters. But not the scary kind.
Meet Mya, the Robot Recruiter
Named Mya for “my assistant,” Mya has all the capabilities of a recruiter juggling applicant screenings and first round interviews. The design is based on close mirroring of human language, concerns, and characteristics. Mya is able to ask and field questions, process answers, and filter quality applicants through a set of prescribed stipulations and factors. She’ll even wish you a great first day of work.
The technology save recruiters time sifting through resumes and phone screenings, and automatically moves the most promising applicants to the top of the pile. It also responds to applicants it deems unfit to move forward — a refreshing shift for applicants used to being ghosted by application portals.
Indeed, perhaps most appealing about the technology is its ability to provide a comfortable, seamless experience for applicants. The chatbot is able to steer the interview based on the responses of the applicants. In fact, 72 percent of recently surveyed applicants reported forgetting that they were even interviewing with a chatbot at all. If Mya thinks the applicant is a good fit, she’ll schedule an interview for them with the actual hiring manager. She’ll even provide directions for how to get there, and pointers on how to dress, and suggest other opportunities to candidates that might be better fit for their background.
Mya is already being used by Fortune 500 companies across the U.S., but not everyone loves the idea of a robot handling pre-interview screenings, or any interpersonal jobs for that matter. There’s the worry that it removes the human element of interviewing. Indeed, one can’t help but wonder if interviewing with a chatbot puts some interviewers at a disadvantage (say, those less comfortable with talking to a robot, or those who rely on organic conversation to nail an interview).
Robot Recruiters Are Just the Latest HR Technology
It does raise an interesting question though: at a time when more and more companies are looking to Applicant Tracking Software and automation to handle hiring efforts and applicant screening, how does one get past the robots?
In short: if you can’t beat ‘em, join em. Or in other words, think like the robot. These bots and systems are programmed to look for resumes with certain keywords and phrases. Comb through the job description to see what comes up most frequently — better yet, use a program like Wordle to help you find out for sure — then make sure these words are stuffed into your resume. The Muse also suggests using both the spelled-out version of the title you’re vying for, along with any relevant acronyms or certifications you’ve held previously (CPA / Certified Public Accountant, for example). And of course, make sure everything is grammatically and correct, as the hiring robot will notice spelling errors or clunky jargon.
You’ll also want to keep formatting simple and scannable with bullet points and short sentences, and avoid the temptation to weigh your resume down with flashy fonts or oddly worded section headers (sadly, Mya and her comrades aren’t too interested in your “accolades”, “relevant seminars” or even your “profile of qualifications”). And although AI technology is getting better at processing PDFs, for now, it’s probably best to submit everything in .doc format.
Tell Us What You Think
What’s your two cents? Are robots the future of hiring, or should we leave HR operations to actual H’s? Let us know your opinion in the comments or join the conversation on Twitter.
I am horrified by this possibility !