McDonald's Uses AI to Interview Waiters and Hires Them If They Meet the Criteria

Job hunting is a headache for many people, including checking potential positions, submitting resumes, and communicating with HR... McDonald's has always been innovative in recruiting new employees. Recently, they have joined forces with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to launch the voice assistant recruitment program "Apply Thru". Job seekers only need to speak to start the job search process.

Before I knew it, another year has passed.Job hunting seasonOnly those who have experienced it know how hard it is to find a job. I have to run around with my resume in hand between recruitment fairs, and I have to keep track of the recruitment times of various companies, for fear of missing out on a job I like.

McDonald's seems to have eased the burden on job seekers. Recently, McDonald's announced a new recruitment plan:"Apply Thru", start the recruitment process through voice assistant.

Job seekers can start the job application process at McDonald's by simply speaking a few words into their smartphones. For example:“Alexa, find me a job at McDonald’s,” or:“OK Google, I want a job at McDonald’s.”

In order to make it easier for young people to join restaurants as service workers, McDonald's recently expanded its recruitment methods to include voice assistants to attract more young people while also simplifying the recruitment process.

AI chats with candidates and hires them if they are qualified

"Apply Thru" is a project between McDonald's and Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Through "Apply Thru", people with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant devices canYou can use standard "Alexa" and "Ok Google" voice commands to start the McDonald's job search process.

However, job seekers cannot use Alexa or Google Assistant to complete the entire application process. McDonald's officials said, "After starting the experience through Alexa or Google Assistant, all job seekers have to do is answer some basic questions out loud, such as theirName,Interested work areasandLocationetc. After answering, the job seeker will receive a short text message with a link to complete the application process online. It’s that simple.”

Voice assistants Alexa and Google Assistant can now help McDonald’s restaurants complete the first step of a job application, thereby attracting talent from all walks of life. “With Apply Thru, customers can start working at the McDonald’s restaurant closest to them, and all they have to do is answer questions,” said Steve Rabuchin, vice president of Alexa.

Currently, Apply Thru voice job search feature is available onUnited States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and United KingdomIt is expected to be rolled out to other countries in the coming months.

According to the introduction,Apply Thru is the world's first voice-activated job application appThis move is just part of a series of technology-related efforts that McDonald's has made in the past few years.

Smart delivery and self-service ordering reduce costs in the fast food industry

McDonald's has made a series of efforts in recent years to transform itself into a trendy brand that is friendly to millennials.

Over the past 10 years, the rise of fast food chains, healthier eating and dieting trends, and shifts in food culture have led to the rise of late night fast food restaurants.Drive-thruWith fewer and fewer services and more and more mobile app ordering, McDonald's is also facing many challenges and has been struggling to find a strategy.

McDonald's has begunEmbracing the bold integration of AI, automation and on-demand delivery.

In addition to its latest voice assistant hire, one example of McDonald's being more proactive in embracing technology is its partnership with Uber Eats  A large-scale collaboration with DoorDash(a San Francisco-based on-demand food delivery service), as well as the global expansion of its self-ordering service.

on the other hand,McDonald's is also actively embracing technology in marketing.For example, two years ago, it was the “Snaplications” collaboration with Snapchat. Now it’s Apply Thru, which is powered by Alexa and Google. Although it’s not clear whether anyone really wants to apply for a job through an AI voice assistant or a Snapchat app, McDonald’s thinks it can’t hurt.

At the same time, McDonald's businessTechnology-driven factors are still evolving to accommodate the business needs of on-demand delivery and the transition to full automation.

McDonald's is currently testing more high-profile projects, such as installing actual robots in the kitchen and a voice-activated drive-thru system.

The company has also made several acquisitions this year, includingAcquired Israeli AI startup Dynamic Yield for approximately $300 million.The moves are all aimed at bringing more AI-enhanced and personalized service to its drive-thru experience, its various in-store and online menus, and other aspects of the business.

“We must continue to innovate and think creatively about meeting potential job seekers’ needs on devices they already use, like Alexa,” said David Fairhurst, McDonald’s executive vice president and chief people officer. “I look forward toSimplifying our application process with Alexa.

Ronald McDonald, 60 years old, always keeps pace with the times

1955, the McDonald brothers and Ray Kroc opened the first restaurant in Illinois, USA. In 1977, McDonald's opened its 1,000th international restaurant in Hong Kong, China. In 1990, McDonald's opened its first restaurant in mainland China. In 1992, it opened the first McDonald's in Beijing's Wangfujing.

McDonald's has opened more than 38,000 outlets in more than 120 countries and regions around the world. In many countries, McDonald's even represents an American lifestyle.

This company, which is spread all over the world, hasNearly 2 million employeesAmong them, McDonald's China has more than 150,000 employees, including The proportion of those born after 1995 exceeds that of those born after 1990% .

In order to attract more young people to join, McDonald's has also been using recruitment methods that keep up with the times. For example, they launched the "McDonald's Join Us" WeChat public platform, produced animated recruitment ads that suit the tastes of many young people, and also put a large number of recruitment ads on Douyin, which achieved good results.

Now, theyApply voice assistants to attract more talentsThese online recruitment channels provide great convenience for job seekers who are unable to attend the event. Perhaps this is also one of the secrets for a company to continuously absorb young blood and develop steadily.

Regardless of whether McDonald’s recruitment method is effective, keeping up with the times and embracing technology and change is worth learning for many companies and individuals.

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