Expr3ss! announces partnership and integration with Curious Thing, AI automated telephone interview innovator.

Posted by Carolyne Burns | February - 20 - 2020 | 0 Comment

Is reading resumes and conducting interviews really the best way to get the right people in the right places in our organisation?

Is it, as many might say, the gold standard – the measure against which everything else should be compared? Research suggests otherwise[1] , especially when considering the inescapable cognitive biases with which we are all inextricably burdened [2].

CuriousThing, an autonomous, AI and machine learning driven spoken-word interviewing system seeks to bring objectivity into the equation, removing bias and improving Inclusion and Diversity as a result.

Expr3ss! is Impressed!

We here at Expr3ss! have been so impressed with this brief, telephone interviewing “engine” that we have integrated it into our processes. So employers and recruiters now have access to world-leading artificial intelligence technology specifically designed to assess candidates over the phone faster and cheaper. The great candidate insights that result drive intelligent shortlisting and selection.

Employers with large numbers of high-volume, entry-level job openings are increasingly turning to Expr3ss! Smart Shortlist to help find candidates and streamline their hiring. Curious Thing adds to our method by deeply analysing selected candidates’ responses via telephone interview. It ranks them on “employability” scores tailored for each job vacancy’s desired attributes.

Unlike Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, which respond to human questions within a predetermined scope, Curious Thing has developed technology to lead conversations and learn through asking increasingly relevant questions.

Curious who’s behind it?

Sam Zheng, Curious Thing’s Co-founder and Chief Executive said to me that he is excited to partner with Expr3ss!, because it puts our technology in the hands of hundreds of the most forward thinking employers who themselves are employing HR innovators.

For those of you that don’t already know Sam, he is a qualified actuary who previously co-founded AI startup Hyper Anna. The technology he helped develop is already used to identify lead applicants for Amazon Web Services, CSIRO and DBS Bank.

What does it do?

The Curious Thing technology is designed to perform initial screening interviews for roles where organisations’ hiring managers would previously have done a large volume of initial phone interviews.

Candidates call into a dedicated private number and are asked open-ended questions about topics relevant to the role, ranging through skills, expectations, values and attitudes. They are pleasantly surprised to be encouraged to expand upon the questions asked by the telephone interviewer.

The system then gives a human hiring manager a list of data points and a report about each candidate. These reports are deeply integrated into Expr3ss! They identify who is suitable for further assessment or final face-to-face interview. The process reduces the interviewing time for vacant roles by up to 90 per cent when compared to a human executive.

Why should I believe it?

The artificial intelligence hiring system was based on several years of validated research by Curious Thing and reduces cognitive biases in a way that hasn’t been possible before. Their technology builds on recent advances in machine learning and natural language processing.

What I like especially like is that it removes guesswork and human bias. The integration, our most recent, is yet another way for Expr3ss! to help hiring managers know that a candidate shows the qualities they are looking for, and know it quickly, cheaply and without effort. Whether it’s characteristics like resilience, autonomy, focus on customer service or any other key characteristic, this further reduces costs, improves time to hire and cuts mistakes.

I believe this will prove to have wide application for employers in industries with high natural staff turnover such as hospitality, franchises, quick service restaurants, and call centres.

We all know that when 50 people apply for one job, 49 will be unsuccessful, whether a company uses artificial intelligence or not. The real issue is whether the employer found the best person quickly, cheaply and with objectivity.

Who’s using it?

What makes employers and HR innovators increasingly turn to algorithms and artificial intelligence for hiring?

  • Efficiency: hundreds of applicants can be screened at the same time. The average employer can save 60-90% of screening time, bring forward high-value applicants and meet this select group earlier in the process;
  • Effectiveness: measuring candidates’ performance across selected attributes, personality traits, top needs and values, and English proficiency in advance reduces wastage for all parties;
  • Equity: minimising personal bias and inconsistencies between recruiters creates a consistent approach to hiring, especially when time is short and across geographically dispersed workplaces

A win for all

Expr3ss! Is always on the look out for new technologies that illuminate the hidden attributes which CVs hide. When candidates are well-matched with jobs and employers, they find roles that they will love and flourish in. And that’s a win for all.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/08/opinion/sunday/the-utter-uselessness-of-job-interviews.html?mc=adglobal&mcid=facebook&subid=pay&subid2=causationtest&ad-keywords=auddevgate&mccr=featuresopinion&referer=http://m.facebook.com

2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases