Someone has to say it: the hiring process is broken. The average time to hire has risen to an all time high. Skilled professionals with exceptional backgrounds are struggling to even get interviews while hiring teams are struggling to find the right fit despite receiving hundreds of applications. But there is good news: thanks to new AI assisted applicant enrichment tools, hiring teams now have a way to modernize their hiring process without disrupting their existing system and workflows.

The problem: overzealous Applicant Tracking Systems

In 2004 the recruiting world was turned on its head by the introduction of fully integrated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that could automate and streamline the recruitment process. Since then ATS have come to be the bedrock of hiring systems for most companies. As popular job boards have made it easier for candidates to apply, hiring teams have increasingly leaned on the candidate screening capabilities of ATS as a way to whittle down hundreds of applicants into a more manageable talent pool.But this solution comes with its own problem. Most applicant tracking systems screen candidates through a series of antiquated techniques. A joint study from Harvard Business School and Accenture has a great explanation for why this is happening:These systems are vital; however, they are designed to maximize the efficiency of the process. That leads them to hone in on candidates, using very specific parameters, in order to minimize the number of applicants that are actively considered. For example, most use proxies (such as a college degree or possession of precisely described skills) for attributes such as skills, work ethic, and self-efficacy. Most also use a failure to meet certain criteria (such as a gap in full-time employment) as a basis for excluding a candidate from consideration irrespective of their other qualifications.According to the study, 88% of employers surveyed believe that their ATS is filtering out highly-qualified candidates. This trend hasn’t gone unnoticed: that there’s an entire industry built around optimizing resumes for ATSs, and some universities have courses and literature to help students navigate the ATS-driven hiring process. This leaves many hiring managers wondering if they’re seeing an applicant because they’re most qualified or because they’re just better at gaming the system.It also spells disaster for any company that wants to diversify their workforce. Studies suggest that the screening keywords and proxies used by ATS disproportionately filter out women and minority candidates who are more likely to have career gaps or attend less prestigious schools. Taken as a whole it’s clear that something has to change, but with applicant tracking systems so deeply enmeshed in the hiring system that’s easier said than done.

The solution: AI powered applicant screening and enrichment

AI-powered hiring tools like CLARA offer a smarter and more flexible screening solution than traditional ATS keyword filtering. Using neuro-symbolic AI, CLARA uses every aspect of a job application (plus optional follow-up questions) to score candidates based not only on their education and experience, but on important traits like learning agility, distance traveled, and critical thinking skills. This shifts the evaluation away from “negative” logic— using keywords and skills to weed out unqualified candidates— to “affirmative” logic, which the Harvard Business School/Accenture study describes as:Configuring systems to identify applicants with the specific skills and experiences associated with fulfilling the core requirements of the role[.]This approach is especially helpful in identifying high-potential candidates who come from nontraditional backgrounds, as it doesn’t disqualify candidates simply because they haven’t attended top-ranked universities, followed a conventional career path, or used the exact job titles that ATS filters expect. In short, it helps filter candidates in. By ensuring these candidates don’t slip through the cracks, tools like CLARA offer a more holistic and inclusive way of finding the best applicant for the job.Changing your company’s ATS is a time consuming and expensive proposition. Applicant tracking systems have been and will continue to be at the core of most hiring pipelines. That’s why many AI-driven tools like CLARA are built to integrate effortlessly with existing ATS systems. CLARA applies advanced neuro-symbolic AI screening on top of the ATS's existing framework, allowing teams to modernize their hiring process without disrupting their existing workflows.