How LinkedIn’s AI-Powered Messaging is Revolutionizing Recruitment

LinkedIn to Use AI to Power Personalized Recruiting Messages

LinkedIn, the networking site’s hiring platform, has announced that it will soon roll out the use of AI to generate personalized messages to prospective job candidates. The feature, called AI-assisted messaging, is currently being tested by a limited number of US and European customers and will be more widely available in June 2021. Once a candidate has been found by a Recruiter user, they can use the LinkedIn InMail feature to send a personalized message containing information from the candidate’s profile, job description, and recruiter’s company. The message can be further customized by the sender before being sent.

How It Works

Giving more details about how the feature works, LinkedIn Vice President of Product, Hari Srinivasan said, “Using our own LinkedIn in-house generative AI model trained on successful InMails, we use the information from the candidate’s profile, job description, and the recruiter’s company to draft a highly personalized message to get the conversation started.”

The Effectiveness of Personalization

The idea of personalized outreach is not new, but it’s increasingly considered to be the most effective method of attracting suitable candidates. Personalized outreach doesn’t have to be reinvented each time but requires making candidates feel valued by being part of a tailored approach. Successful personalization means crafting a message that is based on the candidate’s career journey, showing why a particular role would be perfect for them, and highlighting why they’re the right fit for the company, which can lead to a 40 percent increase in acceptance rates.

Two Opposing Views on AI‘s Impact

While many welcome the new feature, some HR experts are not convinced. Colleen Garrett, Senior Director of Clinical Talent Acquisition and Operations at Expressable in Texas, believes AI-assisted messaging is a timely tool that recruitment teams need, particularly when many are facing resource constraints. In contrast, Danielle Bailey, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition at Altria in Richmond, Virginia, believes that relying on AI risks recruiters’ InMails sounding like spam, which could ultimately damage the recruiter’s brand image. Bailey argues that recruiters need to invest time in refining their message-crafting skills by attending webinars, conferences, and seeking out articles and blogs on best practice methodologies for messaging customized to individual candidates and their circumstances.

The Role of AI in Recruitment

AI is already showing its potential to transform recruitment processes by assisting in the crafting of job ads and providing job seekers with tailored profile-building tips. AI-assisted messaging can save time while still maintaining a high-quality candidate experience if it is used appropriately. However, it’s important to remember that AI should be regarded only as a tool and not a replacement for relationship management and human interaction, which are essential to cultivating meaningful connections and ultimately achieving recruitment success.

Conclusion

AI-assisted messaging is another example of how AI can be integrated with recruitment processes, allowing for more efficient and personalized communication with potential candidates. This tool may save recruiters time while maintaining a high-quality candidate experience, but it should not be regarded as a one-size-fits-all solution for all recruitment messaging. However, a customized, personalized approach that invests in relationship management and enhances the candidate experience is key to improving recruitment outcomes. If AI-assisted messaging is used appropriately and combined with personalization and relationship management, it could prove an effective addition to the recruiting professional’s toolkit.