IETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

FINAL ASSIGNMENT

Student’s Name: Nguyen Thanh Nhan

Hanoi, January 2025

PROJECT FOLDER

Grade
(Office Use Only)

CLASS CODE: INS302301

STUDENT ID: 22072208

STUDENT NAME: NGUYEN THANH NHAN

CLASS: BEL2022A Date received

Program: VNU Lecturer’s Signature & full name

Department’s Signature & full name

Date: ………………………………

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DECLARATION: I declare that

 No part of this project has been copied from any other person’s work except
where due acknowledgement is made in the text, and

 No part of this project has been prepared for me by any other person except where
such collaboration has been authorized by the lecturer concerned.

TOPIC

Artificial intelligence (AI) and other AI-based applications are being integrated into firms’
human resource management (HRM) approaches for managing people in domestic and
international organisations. A key emphasis has been on how AI and other related intelligence-
based tools and techniques could impact the HRM function as a whole and its sub-functional
domains such as human resource (HR) planning, recruitment and selection, training and
development, compensation and benefit and performance management.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 4
2. Main discussion....................................................................................................... 4
2.1. Theory review: ........................................................................................................................ 4

2.1.1. HM function challenges.................................................................................................... 4

2.1.2. AI application in IHRM .................................................................................................... 4

2.2. Analysis case ........................................................................................................................... 5

2.2.1. Changes before and after applying AI .............................................................................. 5

2.2.2. Achievements: .................................................................................................................. 6

2.2.3. Limitations and difficulties ............................................................................................... 6

2.3. Recommendations: .................................................................................................................. 6

3. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 7

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1. Introduction
The fourth industrial revolution has marked a strong increase in the application of new
technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and virtual reality. This has also partly
changed the way, processes and approaches of people to life and the business and work
environment.
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has gradually become a popular field and topic
for everyone. Unlike in the past, when these modern sciences and technologies seemed
unimaginable to humans, now, AI has gradually integrated and appeared in most areas of our lives
such as: Health, education, finance, ... And for the business sector, specifically the staffing process,
is no exception to this progressive revolution. Many businesses and multinational companies have
made great efforts in applying AI to the recruitment process and achieved many achievements.
And Unilever is one of the typical representatives in the field of applying AI to recruitment.
Unilever is a leading multinational consumer goods company, famous for its diverse
brands, suitable for many different needs such as family care, beauty care, food, ... and with a
presence in more than 190 countries worldwide. With the goal of attracting a quality workforce to
meet the rapidly changing needs of consumers, Unilever advocates innovation and improvement of
the recruitment process by applying advanced technologies. In this report, we will learn how
Unilever has applied artificial intelligence (AI) to its human resources process to improve
recruitment efficiency and performance.
2. Main discussion
2.1. Theory review:
2.1.1. HM function challenges
Recruitment is defined as the process of finding and attracting potential candidates in
sufficient quantity and quality so that the organization can select the most suitable people to meet
its job requirements. Selection is the process of gathering information for the purpose of assessing
and deciding who should be recruited for specific jobs. Recruitment and selection are separate
processes and both need to operate effectively if the company is to manage its recruitment process
effectively.
However, the recruitment process still faces many difficulties, especially for multinational
companies, with the working context being an international environment around the world.
Specifically, the cost and time requirements for recruitment will be higher, along with the
challenge of selecting the right candidate when considering many factors such as language, culture,
geography, etc. Therefore, this poses a huge challenge for the human resources department at these
businesses and companies.
2.1.2. AI application in IHRM
In recent years, AI has been strongly applied in the field of human resource management,
with functions such as planning, recruitment and selection, training and development,
compensation and benefits and performance management of businesses and multinational
companies. The main feature of this technology is to make these processes easier and more time-
saving. AI focuses on analyzing and planning HR based on future employee needs, thereby
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recruiting, selecting, and assigning the right people to the right jobs and planning effectively,
thereby bringing many new opportunities to the company and employees. More specifically, in the
recruitment process, AI plays a very important role in helping to save time and increase
recruitment efficiency. Because this advanced technology has the ability to access data, make
decisions at a fast speed and can process large amounts of information in a time that far exceeds
human capabilities. Besides, AI also supports making the job interview process simpler and more
efficient. That is also the reason why companies and businesses strive to absorb and strongly apply
AI technology to optimize the utilities in the field of human resource management.
2.2. Analysis case
2.2.1. Changes before and after applying AI
With a large company scale spanning more than 190 countries and a staff of more than
170,000 people, Unilever's recruitment process faces many challenges along with the question:
How to optimize the recruitment process to achieve high performance?
Finding the right person for the right job is essential for Unilever's success. Every year,
Unilever has to recruit more than 30,000 employees and process more than 1.8 million job
applications from candidates. To achieve the expected global recruitment target, Unilever has to
invest a huge amount of resources in both human resources and finance along with a long term
fund each year. This is also a huge amount of work when the company has to organize interviews
in many different locations around the world.
To address this issue, Unilever has applied AI to streamline the recruitment process, saving
costs and bringing benefits to the company and candidates.
Since 2016, Unilever has been collaborating with two partners, Pymetrics and Hirevue, to
create an online platform where candidate assessment can be done flexibly in terms of both time
and location. Applying AI to recruitment requires developing a multi-stage process, starting with
asking candidates around the world to submit an online resume or LinkedIn profile. From there,
candidates are asked to participate in 12 different online games, developed by Pymetrics, which
are designed to test their competencies in various areas related to the position they are applying
for. These games are not designed to produce a “win” or “lose” outcome, but rather to provide a
measure of a candidate’s personality, and the ideal outcome may vary depending on the position
the candidate is applying for. Through these games, each candidate’s aptitude, logical thinking,
and risk-taking will be assessed.
Pymetrics’s games, based on the collected data, will build detailed competency profiles,
assessing the strengths and weaknesses of candidates more efficiently than the traditional face-to-
face interview process. These profiles can then be compared and contrasted with pre-established
values and standards to select potential candidates.
The next stage of the recruitment process is to ask candidates to participate in online
interviews. But instead of interviewing with real people, candidates will be interviewed by
machine learning algorithms. Candidates are asked to answer a set of questions at their preferred
time and place, and then record themselves on a phone or computer. At this stage, Unilever uses
facial image analysis technology developed by HireVue to analyze the data collected through the
candidate's video recording. Computer vision and natural language processing technology are used
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to analyze the tapes, providing clues to personality traits such as business acumen, good drive and
more.
2.2.2. Achievements:
Unilever's Chief People Officer Leena Nair said that since applying AI technology to the
company's recruitment process, with 1.8 million job applications to be processed each year, the
employee screening process has saved about 70,000 interview hours. She also shared that so far,
36% of employees have accessed the AI online platform, and 80% of them have become regular
users.
In addition, the built system also creates a remarkable impression of the company for
candidates, as they all receive feedback whether they are accepted or not. Specifically, candidates
will receive feedback on each part of the recruitment process, including the results of games and
video interviews. If they are not accepted, the software also provides them with reasons why they
are not really suitable for the job, from which they are given some recommendations from the
company so that they can be successful in future applications.
Moreover, the application of AI also contributes to increasing gender diversity in
Unilever's recruitment process. As a result, Unilever has seen a 16% increase in gender diversity
among new hires, with more women being recruited for roles that were previously gender-neutral.
At the same time, the company has achieved a 90% reduction in recruitment time, saving over £1
million and 90,000 recruitment hours per year thanks to this improved recruitment process.
2.2.3. Limitations and difficulties
Maintaining a balance with the human element is very important. Applying AI to the
recruitment process poses a challenge for employers. Because in order to absorb and master new
technology, employers need to continuously update, cultivate and learn.
In addition, the use of AI also has many potential risks such as not being completely
accurate and sometimes there may be incidents and errors. Because AI can only work when
provided with complete and clear data, so if the input source is bad, inaccurate or insufficient data,
it will not achieve the desired effect.
On the other hand, the use of AI in the recruitment process also reduces human interaction.
This may make some candidates feel uncomfortable or unconvinced that the results they receive
are from the evaluation of machines and technology instead of real people.
2.3. Recommendations:
To minimize the risks and limitations, as well as optimize the benefits that AI brings,
multinational companies like Unilever can apply many different measures.
- Automate and restructure: First, HR managers should not simply automate existing
processes. Instead, they need to restructure the interview process, focusing on assessing skills and
competencies rather than traditional factors in the profile such as degrees or years of experience.
- Strengthen human supervision: When companies use AI tools to serve the recruitment
process, human supervision is always needed to minimize risks, while maintaining the company's

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own identity. Compared to waiting until errors occur and having to start over from the beginning,
this will save time and be much more optimal.
- Focus on training: Along with that, the company needs to provide training courses and
full support for the human resources management team to ensure the best implementation and
mastery of the technology.
- Prioritize the safe and ethical use of AI: Equally important, companies need to prioritize
the responsible and safe deployment of AI by establishing dedicated AI ethical committees to
define framework principles, set clear guidelines, and rigorously evaluate new technologies; and
encourage employee participation and contribution. Companies can provide a series of AI training
sessions based on company guidelines, then conduct mandatory assessments to ensure employees
understand and comply with those guidelines.
3. Conclusion
With the explosion of the scientific and technological revolution, AI and other advanced
technologies have been widely applied and present in almost every area of modern life, including
the business sector and its branches - human resource management. To meet the rapidly changing
needs of global consumers, multinational companies, specifically Unilever in the above report,
have inherited and applied AI technology in their human resource management activities to
optimize the recruitment process and other processes. Typically, Unilever has cooperated with
Pymetrics and Hirevue to develop an online recruitment platform through online game design and
facial recognition analysis applications. It is undeniable that AI has brought outstanding benefits
when helping Unilever reap many achievements such as saving time, recruitment costs, as well as
achieving gender balance in recruitment. But at the same time, the company also needs to
implement solutions to minimize risks and improve its online recruitment platform system. Only
then can the company attract quality talent and increasingly improve its position in the
international market.
Word count: 1992 words

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REFERENCE LIST
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2. Glazyrina, M. (2020, November). Human Resource Management: Challenges of
International Business and their possible solutions. Finland: Metropolia University of
Applied Sciences.
3. J Dowling, P., Festing, M. & Engle, A. (2013). International Human Resource
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4. Eubanks, B. (2022). Artificial Intelligence for HR: Use AI to Support and Develop a
Successful Workforce. New York: Kogan Page.
5. Marr, B. (2019, March 7). The Amazing Ways How Unilever Uses Artificial Intelligence
To Recruit & Train Thousands Of Employees. Forbes, pp.1-2.
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450814.
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8. Academy. (2018). Unilever đã sử dụng Trí Tuệ Nhân Tạo trong việc tuyển dụng và đào tạo
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