• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, October 31, 2018

Artificial intelligence is finding its way into many activities, but many job seekers don’t think it is advanced enough to help in the job recruiting process.

However, many of those same people are unsure whether AI is used anywhere in the hiring process, according to a new study.

About half (51%) of new employees said artificial intelligence was not advanced enough to accurately assist in the recruiting process, while 11% said it is advanced enough to help.

The study, by B2B research firm Clutch, comprised a survey of 500 full-time adult employees who started a new job in businesses of various sizes within the last six months.

The catch is that the job seekers don’t know for sure, one way or the other.

The majority (64%) were unsure whether companies used AI to evaluate their resume or cover letter during their interview process. Of those, 32% thought it was likely and 32% thought it was doubtful. A smaller number (15%) confirmed that businesses used AI to recruit them because the company either disclosed it or they now work there and are now knowledgeable about the hiring practices there.

One insight from the study is that tried and true methods over the years still lead in how applicants communicate with companies where they apply to work.

The leading methods of communication with the companies applied to were phone calls (74%) and email (73%). These were followed by text messaging (24%), social media (16%), video calls (11%), scheduling tools (10%) and chatbots (3%).

Over time, artificial intelligence is likely to evolve to the point that even more job seekers will be unsure if it is used in the recruiting process. It’s also likely that phone calls and email will still dominate communication.