Background checking is an area we've never really covered on the podcast. In the past, it has just felt like a necessary but very functional part of the hiring process. However, with the explosion in our digital footprints and the power of AI, that has now changed.

So, how can background checks now help prevent workplace misconduct and improve the quality of hire? Where does AI fit in, and how can we ensure everything is legal and ethical?

My guest this week is Ben Mones, CEO and Founder at Fama, an online screening technology company working with employers worldwide. If you haven't looked at what is happening in background screening for a while, this conversation with Ben will help you get up to date with what is possible.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The impact of workplace misconduct

• Talent screening

• How background checks have evolved in the last 10. years

• The "Cambrian explosion" of digital information

• Using AI to unlock the signal from the noise

• The importance of applying human expertise and judgment 

• The dangers of hiring managers doing their own checking

• How does AI-driven screening work

• Legislation, Compliance, Ethics and Bias

• Improving the quality of hire

• What does the future look like

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

With so much focus on potentially AI-driven disruptive change and debate about the future, it is sometimes easy to forget that many employers are still struggling to develop and leverage their culture, and some still lack basic standardized processes for talent acquisition and other aspects of the people function. 

Looking at what is happening in start-up and scale-up businesses is always interesting. They build business functions from a blank sheet of paper and often develop interesting new ways of thinking and working.

My guest this week is Roza Szafranek, Founder and CEO at HR Hints. HR Hints acts as the external HR team to over 70 scaling companies. Roza has used this experience to develop the Culturivy method of building organizational cultures and processes, which she has shared in a recent book called Culturivy: The Power of Changing a Workplace. Roza believes employers should address some long-standing issues in TA, such as candidate experience and biased hiring processes. She also has a counterpoint view on the current efficacy of AI in hiring.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Building and scaling organizational culture

• Managing a burnt-out workforce

• Leveraging culture to power engagement

• Practices, behaviours, and values

• How should companies think about talent?

• Strengthening the candidate experience

• Will AI and Automation have the impact we think they will

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts

The ever-shortening shelf life of skills, fast-changing business priorities, ageing populations, and changing attitudes to work means that retaining the right talent is not only more difficult than ever, it is also likely to remain so for years to come.

It's not surprising, then, that Talent Leaders are starting to think differently about the structure of their function to remove silos and foster collaboration between Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, L&D and other vital people functions.

So what kind of overarching vision is needed to drive effective cross-function thinking, and what strategic role should TA play internally within the organization?

My guest this week is Hélène Loine, VP of Human Resources at Ekkiden. Hélène has a background in recruiting, working at rapidly scaling companies. Her focus at Ekkiden is building a shared vision of employee experience to connect HR silos to improve hiring and retention.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The TA challenges in scaling different types of business

• The importance of understanding your target audience

• Automation and AI

• Using technology and a shared vision to connect the silos in HR

• Different ways of thinking about talent

• Building a people-centric talent function

• Looking at employee experience holistically to drive retention

• Personalization

• How can TA use data and insights to contribute strategically inside the business?

• What does the future of TA look like?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

As I've said before, automation is inevitable in talent acquisition. Automation can bring essential efficiencies and a vastly improved and personalized experience for everyone when done correctly.

The question shouldn't be, do we automate; instead, TA and HR leaders need to ask what we automate and how we do it.

My guest this week is Brigette McInnis-Day, Chief People Officer at UiPath. UiPath has been at the vanguard of Robotic Process Automation for several years, helping companies automate systems and processes across different parts of the enterprise. Brigette has deep expertise in automation and HR Tech and highlights some critical areas that TA Leaders should pay attention to. 

The first is using an enterprise automation platform to bring data, processes and quality of experience together across the entire organization. There is an assumption that TA tools will drive recruiting automation, and it is essential to understand that integrated company-wide automation strategies may dictate the pace of change. 

Brigette also highlights some excellent use cases, including how UI Path has automated onboarding to offer a quicker and more personalized experience.

In the interview, we also discuss:

• How automation improves experience

• Why are HR and TA so hesitant about automation?

• How the employer/employee relationship has changed

• Automation driven personalization

• Thinking holistically and planning strategically 

• The impact of automation on jobs and careers

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

There is a growing consensus that 2024 will see the start of some fundamental changes in Talent Acquisition. The adoption of Skills-based hiring and the rapid development of AI are the catalysts here, but to truly understand what is happening, we must take a step back and understand the forces driving this potential revolution.

Work is changing fast, skills have an ever-shortening shelf life, and talent is still in short supply in many markets. Companies need to think differently about talent to grow and deliver value, and this is the driving force that will use skills-based thinking and AI to re-engineer the corporate talent function.

So what are the practicalities around this, and what kind of mindset does TA need to adopt to help drive rather than resist the change?

My guest this week is Jason Cerrato, VP of Market Strategy at Eightfold. In addition to working in an AI-driven HR Technology business, Jason has been a Director of Talent Acquisition and industry analyst. In our conversation, he draws on all of this experience to explain why talent-centered design is a critical foundation of the future of talent acquisition. 

In the interview, we discuss:

• The main talent challenges in 2024

• What is talent-centred design?

• Building around talent rather than around jobs

• The accelerating shelf life of skills

• Real-time data and intelligence

• The role of technology

• Prioritising skills over job titles and previous experience

• Redefining talent management

• The future role of recruiters

• How much change will happen in 2024?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Round up is the monthly show on The Recruiting Future Podcast channel that highlights episodes you may have missed and gives you my take on some of the key learnings from the guests.

Episodes mentioned in this Round Up:

Ep 573: The Power Of Employee Value Propositions

Ep 579: The Value Of Employer Branding

Ep 582: Employer Branding With Gen AI

Ep 576: Generative AI – A TA Progress Report

Ep 578: The AI Hype Cycle

Ep 574: Building A Successful TA Function

Ep 575: RPO Evolution

Ep 577: Hiring In Challenging Talent Markets

Ep 581: An Inflection Point For Recruiting?

Ep 580: A New Community For Women In TA

Ep 583: Re-Inventing Your Career

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts

A full transcript will appear here shortly.

It's been a brutal year for many in talent acquisition, with a lot of layoffs and a very tough job market, making it challenging to find other roles. This removal of certainty and stability has been mirrored in many different talent markets and looks like becoming the norm moving forward.

Traditionally, switching careers and industries has been challenging, but will the rise of skills-based thinking change this moving forward? So, how do we think about careers moving forward, and what do employers need to do to ensure they are getting the right skills in their business?

My guest this week is Ilana Golan, Founder and CEO of Leap Academy. Leap Academy is a coaching programme that helps professionals fast-track their careers by changing function or industry, by moving into leadership, or by making the jump to be an entrepreneur.

In the interview, we discuss:

• How work and careers are changing

• Practical advice for job seekers

• Adapting, learning and re-inventing

• The challenging pace of change

• A mindset shift for employers

• Dealing with Ageism

• Rising above the noise

• The impact of AI

• What will career paths look like in the future?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

A full transcript will appear here shortly.

Most of the conversation around generative AI in 2023 has focused on its potential and future long-term strategic impact. However, many talent acquisition teams have been doing some hands-on experimentation with the tools to see what is achievable right now.

My guests this week are Bryan Peereboom, Head of Recruitment at Wortell, and Friso Visser, Lead Recruitment Marketeer at Wortell. Wortell has been using generative AI to create recruitment marketing content this year that makes them stand out in the market. In our conversation, Bryan and Frisso discuss their experiences using the tools and their plans for an AI-first future.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Standing out in a crowded market

• Using Generative AI to develop content assets

• Midjourney, Chat GPT, Dalle3, Runway and Opus

• Staying up to date with rapidly advancing tech

• Engaging hard-to-find audiences

• Is AI saving time and resources?

• Analysing data faster

• Automating processes while improving the candidate experience

• What is the future of talent acquisition?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Despite massive advances in technology and I/O psychology over the last 20 years, the recruiting process has stubbornly stuck with norms established nearly 100 years ago. 

There is a massive body of scientific evidence that debunks the effectiveness of resume-based screening. At the same time, narrow definitions of talent and inflexible thinking make it impossible for many employers to recruit the skills they need for their business. But are we finally about to see things change? Two potential catalysts are mass access to Gen AI, which threatens to break recruitment systems as employers become overwhelmed by automated applications and the rise of skills-based hiring being used to solve talent challenges.

My guest this week is Caitlin MacGregor, CEO of Plum. Caitlin is on a mission to make recruiting fairer and more effective and help companies discover the true potential of their employees. Recruiting is changing, and this is a must-listen interview for anyone wanting to understand the direction the change is going in.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Predicting long-term performance and retention

• How AI is amplifying the ineffectiveness of the recruiting process

• Mobility, retention and alternative pools of talent

• Challenging long-established norms

• Improving productivity by improving screening

• Connecting people to opportunities based on their strengths

• Democratising access to assessment

• Making data transparent and easy to understand

• How can employers accelerate their skills-based evolution?

• Understanding your bench

• The long-term future of recruiting

• How much change can happen in 2024?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

One of the things that I love about our industry is the sense of community. Wherever talent acquisition professionals gather, whether online or face-to-face, at industry events, there is always a strong emphasis on peer-to-peer learning and support.

My guest this week is Krista Tan. Krista is a TA leader and the founder of Talent Collective, a non-profit organization building a community to help support the careers of women working in talent acquisition.

In our conversation, Krista discusses the motivations for starting Talent Collective and the benefits curated communities can bring. With so much disruption in the market, we also discuss the advantages of working fractionally and what the future looks like for talent acquisition.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The story behind Talent Collective and its purpose

• Who the community is for

• Market expectations for 2024

• The benefits of fractional working

• Advice for TA professionals looking to move to fractional

• What does the future of talent acquisition look like?

Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.