The Next Frontier in Security Recruiting: AI-Powered Sourcing

In just the last few years, the security solutions industry has only gotten more complex. New and emerging threats, from cybersecurity to consumer drones, demand new skills and strategies to be addressed. At the heart of these strategies are the people you hire, and that all starts with where you find them.

Manual recruiting — sifting through resumes, posting job ads, or contracting with third parties — has always been the norm. But when budgets are tight, timelines are tighter, and safety is on the line, there’s a ton of pressure to get it right. And it’s likely you don’t have the time you need to look at every applicant that enters your ATS. That’s why leading security staffing companies are looking for new solutions to help automate and expedite the recruiting process without sacrificing candidate quality.

The changing landscape of security hiring

While the popular image of a security guard is something of a punchline (hello, Paul Blart), the reality is that security services are critical functions for many businesses and organizations. A recent report by Leoforce found that 44% of all security hires in the past year were for security services who contract out to other organizations like banks, malls, schools, or critical infrastructure like airports or railroads. These services are relied upon to supply qualified security personnel including security guards, cybersecurity professionals, event staff, and more.

To keep up with demand, many security services are leveraging AI to automate some or all their recruiting processes, whether AI is sourcing from their talent pool, parsing resumes, or booking interviews. During demand surges like back-to-school shopping, major events, or political campaigns, some security services turn to AI-powered recruiting services like Applicants on Demand to generate large volumes of qualified applicants fast.

What is AI-powered sourcing?

AI-powered sourcing is a talent sourcing technique that leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automations to search for applicants in your database based on specific criteria, including required and transferable skills, licenses and certifications, and even culture. AI-powered sourcing goes beyond keyword matching by using machine learning to evolve with each successful search, adapting recruiting patterns and scoring algorithms to match applicants with the highest likelihood of success to a given role.

How does AI-powered sourcing work for security hiring?

For security roles, AI-powered sourcing can look for specific skills like cybersecurity, military or law enforcement experience, professional licenses, or even VIP security experience. Some companies will add an AI-powered sourcing solution to their tech stack, while others will work with an ongoing hiring service that leverages AI to optimize their process.

“AI can help with administrative tasks and initial reviews of resumes or applications to reduce recruiters’ burdens,” says Jeff Ketelaars, Co-Founder of Security Guards Only. “This allows recruiters to use their time more efficiently and interview the top-qualified candidates for the role.”

What are the benefits of AI-powered sourcing?

AI-powered sourcing has several advantages for security hiring services.

Decreased time-to-submit and time-to-fill

AI sourcing solutions can deliver results almost instantaneously by automating up to 90% of manual recruiting activities like scoring, ranking, and outreach, which can save recruiters up to 12 hours per job.

“Reaching the right candidates earlier in the process allows recruitment teams to achieve mission success earlier as well,” says Brad Schott, Director of Agencies and Partnerships at Leoforce.

These solutions can also provide updated contact information and automate outreach, so you can ensure your emails and texts are getting delivered to the right person. Additionally, through automated outreach and generative AI chatbots, you can connect with and engage applicants on their time, so you’ll never have to play phone tag again.

Improved efficiency and accuracy

AI sourcing solutions can produce reliable, accurate, and efficient results by leveraging machine learning and natural language processing to quickly search resumes and profiles for the right person for a role. Without AI, you would have to review each application yourself or use a keyword matching tool that only has the nuance of the find function in a word processor. Either way, you run the risk of spending a lot of time, only to produce potentially inaccurate results.

Predictable marketing spend

In the same way that AI can save you time screening, scoring, and ranking applicants, it can also save you money on marketing spend. By searching through profiles instantaneously, you can produce a predictable amount of qualified, screened, and ready-to-interview applicant profiles in short order, so you can run fewer ads, pay for fewer posts, and only focus your time on the applicants with the highest probability of success.

Getting started with AI

There are several ways to integrate AI into your recruiting workflow, from using a generative AI tool like ChatGPT to help write job posts, to using a tool like Arya to source, score, and rank applicants from your job boards. A good way to get started is to look at your process today and identify where things are slow, murky, or inefficient. You’ll likely find inefficiencies in places that require a lot of manual work, like reading resumes, contacting applicants, or verifying credentials. Next, look for solutions that are tailored to your needs. You can look for tools that plug into your workflow, or services that use AI to help you scale without the fuss of implementation.

For example, Applicants on Demand, an Arya-powered hiring service, uses AI to screen, rank, and engage applicants on your behalf, producing a list of qualified, interview-ready candidates in just a few hours. There’s virtually no ramp time or implementation, so you can start getting results as soon as you need them. While other services make you pay per click on a job post, AoD works on a true pay-for-performance basis, so you only pay for completed applications.

To find out how AoD can help you optimize your security recruiting process, contact our team today for a free consultation.