Decide if a pilot is right for you

When the time comes to implement Ai recruitment technology, you’ll commonly have two pathways available to you: A full-scale launch, and a pilot.

There are pros and cons to both, but ideally, the provider you choose should be able to accommodate either approach. It’s a journey we take together, and support is part of the package. In many cases, a pilot is the only option you’ll have, a condition of adoption imposed by those who are either wary or completely mistrustful of Ai. Completely understandable. You yourself may have apprehensions about a full-scale rollout.

A pilot is a good way to:

• Test how everything works. Not just the technology, but the way it is used.
• Gauge the impacts of the rollout on a subset of your team. Where are the efficiencies, and inefficiencies? What happened after launch that was unexpected? If we roll this out on a larger scale, will any problems/benefits be magnified/resolved?
• Secure cooperation, particularly in the case of a decentralized hiring model. This is effective for chain businesses, like supermarkets or franchised outlets, where onsite managers on site are responsible for hiring, and therefore, using the tech. If you can demonstrate that the process works for one team, you can more easily roll it out across the others.
• Put your provider to the test. How do they help you succeed? Do they listen to feedback on the product? What improvements are they making to your experience?
• Manage change. Demonstrate to certain team members – particularly recruiters and talent acquisition managers – that they’re not going to be replaced or made redundant by the tech.
• Build a business case for further budget or executive sponsorship.

The main con of the pilot is that it generally costs more, pro-rated. Instead of paying a rate for a fullscale rollout across a year or two, you’ll pay an increased rate for a three or six-month program. Obviously, the ultimate purpose of the pilot is to mitigate risk. If you choose to start with one, six months is a good length of time to properly assess the efficacy of the platform you’ve chosen.