Recruiting Future with Matt Alder - What's Next For Talent Acquisition, HR & Hiring?

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 639: Inclusive Interviews Inspired By NASA

Ep 640: What Is The Value Of TA?

Ep 641: How Is TA Evolving?

Ep 642: Augmenting Talent Acquisition

Ep 643: Career Activism

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With labor markets still undergoing unprecedented shifts and volatility, employers are increasingly strengthening their focus on retention and internal mobility. However, the shrinking life span of skills, changing attitudes to work, and the rise of AI are complicating factors here. So, how can employers ensure they support their employees' future development and drive internal mobility at a time of significant change that renders traditional career pathing irrelevant?

My guest this week is JC Townend, CEO at LHH for the UK and Ireland. JC is a strong advocate of Career Activism, giving employees the tools they need to advance their careers in the way that makes the most sense for them. This can drive retention, supercharge internal mobility, and help ensure employers have the right skills available at the right time.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Labor market trends

• Why HR should be building for the future for right now

• What is Career Activism

• The end of linear career paths

• Giving employees the tools to advance their own careers

• Switching disciplines and industries

• A mindset shift

• Gig assignments

• Building brand and reputation

• Hidden jobs markets

• Skilling for retention

• What are the benefits for employers?

• The impact of AI on jobs and careers

• What will work and careers look like in 3 years time?

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Most conversations about AI in talent acquisition focus on efficiencies and automating repetitive tasks. However, we are missing the point if we don't start talking about how AI could help reshape recruiting entirely, making it more efficient but also more effective. Why stop at recruiting? AI could revolutionize work and the whole way we think about careers.

The current limitations of our thinking were really brought home to me when I attended the SmartRecruiters Hiring Success conference last week in Amsterdam. An overarching theme was that automation is a given with AI, and we should think much bigger.

So, what does this mean for TA strategies, and how can TA Leaders ensure they proactively shape the future direction of recruiting?

My guest this week is Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow. He is also an internationally renowned digital anthropologist and award-winning author. Brian gave the opening keynote at Hiring Success, and I caught up with him after he left the stage to get his thoughts on the current state of the AI revolution and the future of talent acquisition. 

In the interview, we discuss

• Where is the Gen AI revolution?

• New behaviors, skills, and expectations

• How are companies responding? 

• Empowering people with augmented intelligence

• How can we think differently?

• AI-enabled job seekers

• Using an empathetic lens to identify quick wins

• Differentiated use cases and transformational initiatives 

• The importance of the human touch

• Three things TA leaders should be doing right now

• What should recruiting look like in five years?

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If you've listened to the last few episodes of the podcast, you'll know that TA Transformation is the current big theme on the show. We've focused a lot on the future, but what about the practicalities of the present?

Today's talent acquisition leaders face an ever-growing list of priorities on top of their already demanding roles. From enhancing candidate experience to integrating AI and from improving diversity and inclusion metrics to establishing more agile operating models, the pressures are immense. 

So what progress are TA teams making, and how do they benchmark against each other?

My guest this week is Rachel Dalboth, Director of the TA Centre of Excellence at The Talent Labs. Based on Talent Labs research, Rachel offers insights into how TA teams are dealing with their current challenges. She also shares her thoughts on the skills for future TA Teams and the vital importance of investing in development.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Current priorities in talent acquisition

• Trends and issues with operating models

• What is holding TA back from being seen as more strategic?

• Connecting the dots across the talent function

• What is the unique value of TA?

• How are measurements and metrics evolving?

• The impact of AI

• Fear, nervousness, and reticence

• Prioritising experience over process

• Skills development and career paths

• What does the next 12 months look like?

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The unprecedented volatility in the Talent Acquisition jobs market in the last three years illustrates that many organizations still see TA as a transactional function turned on or off according to hiring demand.

This is a big problem. While the development of ever more sophisticated AI promises much for TA, it also represents an existential threat to the survival of any business function seen as transactional and easy to automate.

So, how can talent acquisition prove its value to the business and live up to its enormous strategic potential? Perhaps the first step would be to understand that value properly.

My guest this week is Toby Culshaw, Global Head Of Pipeline Strategy & Intelligence at Amazon Worldwide stores. Toby publishes a lot of thought-provoking content about the future of TA and has strong views on how TA should position its value within the enterprise.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Talent Acquisition's significant challenges

• What is holding change back and why TA is at risk

• What TA does versus its actual value to the business

• Evolution or revolution?

• Taking a tiered approach to TA operations

• Breaking down silos in HR

• Taking a consultative and advisory role

• Adopting new, more meaningful metrics and KPIs

• Advice for TA leaders on where to get standard

• "Talent Nexus" and a future outlook of even more significant change and disruption

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Job interviews have always been a source of anxiety for many people. The pressure of showcasing your achievements to a stranger in an unnaturally structured conversation is not easy, and for many neuro-diverse people, it is pretty much impossible. The use of Ansychromous video interviews has helped the situation in some ways but doesn't provide the opportunity for real-time conversation and exploration, which is critical in the later stages of the recruiting process.

Could a methodology initially designed to combat communication delays in space travel offer a solution that bridges the gap between synchronous and asynchronous interviewing in a way that is inclusive for everyone?

My guest week is Rob Brougham, Director & Co-Founder of Braided Communications. Rob worked with NASA to develop a unique way of helping astronauts have real-time conversations with people back on Earth on future missions to the moon and Mars. He is now using the same technology to make the recruiting process more inclusive and effective. So how does this all work? Just keep listening to find out more.

In the interview, we discuss:

• A simple way of defying the laws of physics in space travel

• How Braiding works

• Making the asynchronous synchronous.

• Co-presence and connection

• The importance of inclusive communication

• Applications in talent acquisition

• Making interviews real-time and inclusive

• What does the future of business communication look like?

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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 631: Science, AI & Assessment

Ep 632: Attracting, Retaining, and Empowering Gen Z Talent

Ep 633: The Strategic Importance Of Wellbeing

Ep 634: Work Before Talent

Ep 635: Transform Talent Acquisition

Ep 636: Hiring & Retaining Innovators

Ep 637: Reinventing The ATS For A New Era

Ep 638: Reskilling For AI

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It’s been a tough couple of years for Talent Acquisition. There was a time during the post-pandemic hiring wave when companies were struggling to recruit enough recruiters. Now, the situation is the polar opposite, with TA teams shrinking and many recruiters being laid off. In such economically uncertain times, it’s difficult to determine whether AI is starting to be a factor that impacts jobs in TA. However, based on current adoption rates, it’s probably fair to say that AI is still only a minor contributor to the overall situation.

But this is quickly going to change. As employers start to look at transforming TA over the longer term, AI and automation will inevitably play a significant role in shaping the TA teams of the future.

This raises important questions about job displacement and reskilling. These are not just questions that AI raises for TA; they are questions that span the entire organization, with a strong likelihood that all jobs will be impacted in some way.

So, how can employers prepare their workforce for these impending changes, and what is the likely split between job replacement, job enhancement, and job creation?

My guest this week is Kamal Ahluwalia, President of Ikigai Labs and former President of Eightfold AI. Kamal has extremely well-informed insights on AI’s impact on jobs and skills and valuable advice for employers and employees.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The impact of AI on work and jobs

• Jobs eliminated, jobs changed, jobs created

• Building scenarios for the future

• The critical importance of data

• How should employers be responding

• What is the role of HR and TA?

• Evolving processes to meet new objectives

• Reskilling and upskilling

• How do employers encourage people to learn new skills?

• What will work be like in five years?

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TA Transformation has been a recurring theme on this podcast in recent months. A unique combination of macro and micro forces is driving the need for substantial change, compelling TA leaders to respond swiftly and strategically. Technology, particularly AI and automation, is very much at the heart of this transformation.

But what does this mean for established ATS vendors? How are they adapting to the evolving market landscape, and how are their product strategies being shaped to anticipate the future?

My guest this week is Rebecca Carr, the newly appointed CEO of SmartRecruiters. Previously serving as SmartRecruiters’ Chief Product Officer, Rebecca offers insight into the importance of a product-led approach in these rapidly changing times. She also shares her perspectives on the urgency of accelerating the leap from traditional ATS to the next generation of hiring solutions.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The current state of the market

• Rethinking hiring

• The growing importance of hiring manager experience

• Why being product-focused is important in the current market.

• Accelerating the leap from second-generation ATS to third-generation hiring platform

• The impact of uncertainty around legislation and regulation

• AI education and adoption

• Adaptability and agility

• Advice to TA Leader on designing technology strategies

• What does the future look like

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The world of work is changing rapidly, and this swift pace of change is forcing employers to rethink the kind of talent they need within their organizations. Traits like curiosity, innovation, agility, flexibility, and problem-solving are now more in demand than ever.

However, despite the desire to attract and retain individuals with these qualities, traditional recruiting processes can often repel them, and talent management strategies may overlook those who are already part of the organization. Retaining such high-value talent is also a significant challenge.

So, what do organizations need to do to hire and retain the change catalysts and innovators they seek more effectively? And how can they better identify those already in their workforce?

My guests this week are Tracey Lovejoy and Shannon Lucas from Catalyst Constellations. Tracey and Shannon define catalysts as the visionaries within an organization who quickly process information, translate it into actionable opportunities, and are relentless in driving positive change. They have a vast amount of insight to share with employers about identifying and nurturing catalysts and lots of advice for catalysts themselves around managing their careers and reducing burnout.

In the interview, we discuss: 

• What is a catalyst, and what do they have in common

• Seeing risk differently

• Identifying the catalysts in your business

• The importance of organizational context

• Repurposing recruiting processes for diversity of thought

• New ways of thinking about Talent Management

• Breaking down silos and getting stuff done

• Work trauma

• Dealing with burnout

• What does the future of work look like?

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