Chat bot lets companies do job interviews via chat

A Singapore-based tech start-up has introduced a faster way for employers to screen job applications through a messaging app powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

GrabJobs, which claims it is the first company in Southeast Asia to roll out a chat bot on its jobs search mobile app that conducts automated pre- screening interviews through chat.

GrabJobs’ Artificial Intelligence Recruitment Assistant, or AIRA, is said to cut down the recruitment time while engaging job seekers more actively.

With AIRA, GrabJobs aims to replace the “Apply Now” button usually found in job search sites and replace it with an “Interview Now” button.

“This gives job seekers a chance to freely express themselves and encourage employers to notice them apart from what their CV has to offer. On the other hand, employers are able to filter and shortlist candidates much easier with the automated interview questions,” the company said in a press brief.

“Answering a question like, ‘ what do you like about our brand?’ will not only set apart candidates who do their research from those who don’t,” GrabJobs cofounder Emmanuel Crouy said in a statement. “But it will moreover give immediate insight about the applicant to the employer.”

AIRA is a way to ease the interview process for recruiters. Instead of having person-to-person interviews where they ask the same questions to every applicant, the chat bot does the work for employers — bypassing one of the most time consuming exercises in the interview process. As soon as a Job Seeker applies for a job, the Recruiter Bot initiates a chat conversation during which it will ask the pre-screening interview questions determined by the employer.

From there, the employers simply need to review the top rated answers for each applicant based on AIRA’s interview score and ranking system. Recruiters then become more efficient as they focus on interviewing quality candidates in person.

In the Philippines, large employers such as IBM, Alorica and Teleperformance are making use of AIRA to pre-screen job applicants.

“Using traditional job apps and Web sites, candidates will apply without knowing if the application has been viewed or not. This leaves them hanging for weeks, a frustration we hope to eliminate,” said GrabJobs Regional Marketing manager Elyn Lim. “Our interview chat bot greatly speeds up the short listing process so we guarantee that applicants will receive a response from the employers within five days.”

GrabJobs said it plans to upgrade its chat bot with machine learning and add more fun features like personality quizzes, news updates, and job recommendations.

GrabJobs app is available on Apple Store and Google Play.