SPRING 2023

62 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

62 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Joe Dysart Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Thousand Oaks, California. A journalist for 20 years, his articles have appeared in more than 40 publications, including The New York Times and The Financial Times of London. During the past decade, his work has focused exclusively on ecommerce. Telephone: 631-256-6602; web: www.joedysart.com; email: joe@dysartnewsfeatures.com AI MAKES HIRING MORE EFFICIENT AND LESS EXPENSIVE AT YOUR FASTENER DISTRIBUTORSHIP A novel idea just a few years ago, AI-powered, video interviewing of job applicants has quickly matured into a mainstream option for fastener distributors that are looking to streamline the hiring process -- and bring new efficiencies along the way. Says Doug Leonard, CEO, Clovers, a provider of AI-powered video interviewing services: “In today’s marketplace, offering a faster way to bring the right candidates and key insights to the hiring manager can make all the difference.” Offering job applicants the ability to engage in a job interview at their convenience, AI-powered video interviewing also enables fastener distributors to delegate initial job interviewing responsibilities to a machine -- freeing-up HR to engage in more profitable endeavors. Plus, in many cases, both job applicants and employers feel hiring via AI-powered video can be much fairer, given that each candidate experiences the exact, same interview experience -- conducted by a machine. Each candidate opting for video interviewing does not have to worry about any hidden prejudices or irrational preferences that could be harbored by a human interviewer. “We’re helping to ensure interviews are standardized across candidates,” says Sharon Hunt, head of produce, Clovers: “This delivers fairness and enriches the decision-making process by allowing the team to re-examine interview moments rather than relying on CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE AI-POWERED, VIDEO INTERVIEWING OF JOB APPLICANTS HAS QUICKLY MATURED INTO A MAINSTREAM OPTION FOR BUSINESSES. memory.” Adds Lindsey Zuloaga, chief data scientist, HireVue, another AI-powered video interviewing provider: “Our mission is to create a level playing field for anyone seeking employment, reducing bias and providing organizations with a more diverse pool of talent. “Deploying AI correctly and ethically powers a significantly more consistent, less biased, more engaging screening process for recruiters and candidates alike.” Not surprisingly, variations on the concept of AI-powered interviewing abound. But the common thread that runs through all is the simple experience of a job applicant -- usually sitting in front of a Webcam or similar video camera -- answering questions posed by the AI and sometimes engaging in games or other activities that help the AI better assess the applicant’s cerebral and/or interpersonal skills. CONTINUED ON PAGE 130