Barnabas Kendall

Related to my last post about setting up an automated phone screening application, I thought I’d ask HR professionals on LinkedIn what they thought about they idea. As of now, here are some sample replies:

• “The hiring process is already de-humanized why add more humiliation/ tortire [sic] to it”
• “I can’t imagine interviewing my candidates via an automated voice system. It’s far too impersonal and I think many of them would find it insulting.”
• “Quite frankly, if I were to encounter an automated pre-screening system like this, I would hit the off button before the first question is finished.”
• “I wouldn’t feel comfortable in using a system such as you suggest. [...] A voice automated system might put off too many candidates to make it worth the investment to get to the qualified candidate a little quicker.”
• “What kind of a person who is interested in Human Resources would use a machine to perform this work. This type of machine is ideal for checking on your packages and airline arrival time. People are not packages or planes.”
• “Why on earth would you want to dehumanize an already stressed out sector of the population?! As an employer, I would never insult my potential employees by using a system as such.”
• “As a recruiter I really strongly dislike this idea. I would never use it. And I think it adds another layer of torture for both candidates and recruiters.”

There are clearly some really strong feelings of revulsion about this idea. I especially enjoy comments that allude to yet another layer of torture, which seems to acknowledge that recruiting is already torturous. Also I think there’s a lot of speculation on how much people would hate it. I would like to find some job seekers who have been out of work for a while and ask them: “would you avoid working for a company that put all applicants though an automated phone screening process?” I think that if anything, an applicant will commit to 20-30 minutes of recording answers only for a job they really want, as opposed to the minimal investment in blitzing out your digital resume to 300 openings a day.