The Implications of ChatGPT for the Graduate Industry.
In March, graduate recruitment industry experts from Australia and New Zealand held a webinar about ChatGPT - the AI software that has taken the world by storm - and what effects it will have on the early talent industry.
The webinar was held in partnership by Talent Solutions, Brightworks, and Prosple. The robust chat and level of interaction from the near 290 participants shows that ChatGPT is a hot topic on everyone’s minds.
What exactly is Chat GPT?
Hailed as ‘a development as significant as the invention of the internet’ by Bill Gates, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence language model created by Open AI and trained on a large dataset of text to generate human-like responses to text-based prompts. It is designed to understand natural language and generate appropriate responses to a wide range of questions and prompts. In short, it’s as close as you will get to talking to a ‘real person.’
What can ChatGPT be used for?
You can use ChatGPT for a wide range of tasks, such as language translation, content creation, storytelling, poetry, text summarisation, definitions, recommendations, writing prompts, even brainstorming birthday party ideas!
Like Google, you can get answers to questions fast, but unlike Google, ChatGPT will give direct ‘human-like’ answers to questions rather than just a list of websites.
ChatGPT can also build on previous answers and maintain context in a conversation.
Webinar poll: Who has used ChatGPT?
What are the limitations of ChatGPT?
Its knowledge base cut-off is late 2021 (at the moment, but future updates are expected to bridge this knowledge gap)
It has limited creativity
Accuracy – it often produces plausible sounding but nonsensical answers.
Potential for bias. If the data it has been trained on is biased, its responses may also contain that bias. While efforts are being made to address this issue, it remains a challenge.
It struggles to understand certain nuances of language and communication, such as sarcasm, humour, and tone. This could result in misinterpretation of messages and inaccurate responses.
What can a graduate use ChatGPT for?
Graduates applying for positions within companies can now use ChatGPT in numerous ways, whether this be writing CVs and cover letters, researching prospective companies, providing answers to interview questions, answering cognitive questions in a psychometric test, answering application form questions, and creating or fixing code. It can also be used as a dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopaedia.
What are the implications for graduate recruiters?
With the emergence of ChatGPT, recruiters will need to consider their individual selection processes and how they may need to be adapted for a ChatGPT enabled world. Some examples follow:
More impetus to move away from CV and cover letters to application forms and other forms of assessment.
Carefully considering the type of question asked in an application form (moving away from generic motivation-type questions).
Considering the weight given to written submissions that are conducted externally by a candidate where ChatGPT could be used to support responses.
Increased use of video interview. Providing candidates with a shorter window to review questions to remove the ability to access answers from ChatGPT to recite back.
Using psychometric testing platforms that have disabled the ability to copy and paste content into them (a number of suppliers have already introduced this feature).
Using gamified assessments that ChatGPT cannot assist with.
Using more critical reasoning assessments (ChatGPT currently cannot help with pattern sequences)
Using proctoring tools (where a live person joins the candidate in an assessment to monitor their activity throughout the assessment - there are also AI proctoring options)
A return to in person assessments.
Referencing very recent policy or publications that ChatGPT cannot access (yet)
And of course, considering how selection processes might be adapted to accommodate the use of ChatGPT - like an open-book exam. Accepting that candidates will have access to ChatGPT so integrating ChatGPT into assessment models.
Webinar poll: How will ChatGPT impact your future recruitment processes?
Chat GPT in education
It’s agreed that ChatGPT is on the brink of shaking up almost every aspect of the teaching and learning lifecycle and it raises multiple questions and areas of concern - should it be banned from classrooms? or integrated?
ChatGPT can mark essays, create reports, help students deconstruct difficult concepts, assist with coding challenges, and even set exam questions. ChatGPT’s training data is so exhaustive that more often than not, the student and the teacher will learn something together.
The education sector is considering how best to manage issues like plagiarism, and whether ChatGPT can be referenced as a source and how to assess in a world with ChatGPT.
What is agreed, is that it will change the way that assessments are conducted and set in the short-term.
“It will be interesting for us in the graduate industry to watch and take cues as to how we might replicate this with our own assessment processes.”
How can ChatGPT benefit recruiters?
ChatGPT can be looked at as “another tool in the toolkit” to use for a number of areas within the role of a graduate recruiter.
Job descriptions: ChatGPT can help recruiters create more effective job descriptions by analysing and generating language that is more engaging for potential candidates.
Job advertisements: It can assist in creating job advertisements that are more targeted and personalised. It can analyse candidate data, understand their preferences and interests, and then generate content that will appeal to them.
Craft interview questions: ChatGPT can help generate interview questions that are more relevant to the role and the candidate's experience.
Social media content: ChatGPT can help recruiters generate social media content that is more engaging and resonates with potential candidates.
Data and insights: ChatGPT can analyse large amounts of candidate data to identify patterns and trends in the recruitment process. This can help recruiters make data-driven decisions about where to focus their resources and which candidates to prioritise.
Everyone is in agreement that the introduction of AI tools like ChatGPT could have both positive and negative implications for the graduate recruitment industry.
While ChatGPT presents several immediate challenges for graduate recruiters to ensure their selection processes remain fair and robust; ChatGPT also presents opportunities for recruiters to harness as well. By understanding the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT, recruiters can incorporate this tool into their toolbox to improve candidate selection processes, candidate engagement and drive better hiring decisions.
