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

We're living in a time of unprecedented disruption in Talent Acquisition. Exponential advances in AI, shifting attitudes toward work, the ever-shrinking life span of skills, aging populations, and global workforce accessibility are all converging to create a revolutionary moment in our industry. Any one of these factors would be transformative on its own, but together, they demand a completely new approach to how we attract, hire, and retain talent.

TA Leaders know that getting their transformation strategies right is crucial. It's not just about filling jobs; it's about aligning with long-term business goals and staying ahead of the curve. But with change happening so rapidly, simply reacting isn't enough. It is critical to anticipate what's next and ensure strategies remain relevant and effective in this fast-evolving landscape. There is a unique opportunity here to actively shape the future of talent acquisition.

So, how can you get the strategic foresight you need to plan for such an uncertain future? Earlier in the summer I spoke about the tools and mindset required at RecFest UK. This episode is an audio recording of that presentation. 

In the presentation, I cover:

• The macro and micro forces driving change in TA

• Autonomous AI Agent Swarms

• An amazing but disappearing opportunity

• Can we predict the future?

• Is AI a Co-pilot or a Frenemy

• The six elements of Futurecasting

• Common cognitive biases to be aware of when planning for the future

• The TA Team of the future

• Behavior science and automation

• Developing the right mindset.

In the recording, I refer to several podcast episodes that are excellent resources for future-focused TA thinking. 

You can get links to these episodes and a copy of my slides by going to mattalder.me/future. 

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

Traditionally, hiring has been anchored around getting the right talent into the organization. However, in these highly disrupted times, is this still the right way of operating? In our fast-changing world of work, looking at the skills needed to do the work offers organizations the flexibility to expand internal and external pools and consider outsourcing, offshoring, gig work, process improvement, and AI-driven automation as alternative ways of getting work the done. 

So how does this work in practice and what are the implications for the future of recruiting?

My guest this week is Bruce Morton, Head of Strategy for Allegis Global Solutions. Bruce is a deep thinker about technology and the future of work and has some valuable insights into how some of the organizations Allegis works with are thinking differently about talent. Allegis has also implemented a large-scale automation program in its own business, which Bruce believes will facilitate a much more human-centric approach to recruiting.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Reversing dehumanization in recruiting

• The evolving distribution of work

• Starting with the work rather than starting with the talent

• Using AI to identify skills at scale

• Assumed skills, self-reported skills, and certified skills.

• Outsourcing, offshoring, gig work and automation

• Developing automation strategies

• Augmenting rather than replacing people

• Process re-engineering

• Partnering or building

• Matching based on anticipating candidate needs

• What does the future of work look like

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

The pandemic created a moment of realization and momentum about the importance of wellness at work and employers' role in this. Four years on from the the first Covid lockdowns, it has become apparent that an effective wellbeing strategy plays a vital part in talent acquisition and retention.

So, how should employers consider their employees' wellbeing? What support can they offer, and how do the employer and employees benefit?

My guest this week is Luke Bullen, VP of Wellhub in the UK. Wellhub connects employees to the best options for fitness, mindfulness, therapy, nutrition, and sleep. Luke has some fascinating and valuable insights on the latest thinking about wellness and its strategic importance to all employers.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The continuing momentum around wellbeing and why it is a board-level issue

• The relationship between wellbeing and work

• Talent Acquisition, Productivity, and Retention

• The significant ROI of corporate wellbeing investments

• Are employers harming their employees?

• Being a catalyst that reduces barriers

• Thinking about wellbeing holistically

• What are the small steps every employer can take

• What does the future look like?

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

A whole new generation is entering the workforce at a time when work is changing for everyone. Getting the right talent is hard enough, but there are also considerable challenges in retaining talent and providing the right skills development to deal with the current speed of change in business and technology.

So, how can employers take a holistic approach to talent acquisition, talent management, and L&D that resonates with a Gen Z audience and engages the wider workforce?

My guest this week is Dilek Çilingir, Global Assurance Talent Leader at EY. EY has intensely focused on changing outdated perceptions around auditing as a career to bring new talent into the business. This is part of an overarching talent strategy that also focuses on upskilling and retention.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The talent market challenges facing the audit profession

• An increasingly complex work environment

• Busting stereotypes and marketing auditing as an attractive career

• Flexibility and Well-Being

• How attitudes to work are changing

• Job hopping versus role hopping

• The importance of ongoing skills development

• On-demand tech-driven learning

• How AI is changing things

• What will the future look like from a talent perspective?

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

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 626: Taking A Strategic Approach To AI

Ep 627: The Future Global Workforce

Ep 628: The EVP & Employer Brand Landscape

Ep 629: A Personalized Candidate Experience

Ep 630: Assessment in Skills-Based Organizations

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

Assessment is the one area of talent acquisition practice where we have proper peer-reviewed science about what is and isn't effective. Unfortunately, the use of science in assessment has tended to only happen in larger organizations and then not necessarily consistently.

AI has the potential to change everything, making assessment technology faster and more accessible to employers of all sizes. However, there are huge dangers here. Not only does AI bring with it the potential for more bias in the process, things are moving so quickly that it may well be that some tech solutions coming into the market are built without due consideration of the fundamental principles of science and psychology that should be applied to assessment. 

So, what steps can TA Leaders take to ensure their technology is fit for purpose and embed a more strategic approach to assessment?

My guest this week is Dr Charles Handler. Charles is the President & Founder of Rocket-Hire, an organization that designs, implements, and validates employee selection solutions. He is also a Futurist, working extensively to research and understand the impact of AI on the future of assessment.

In the interview, we discuss:

• How assessment has evolved over the last five years

• Making the science more accessible and assessments more user-friendly

• The importance of properly evaluating assessment technology.

• The opportunities and threats of AI

• Finding a positive way to respond to the growing use of AI by jobseekers

• Skills-based hiring

• How to think more strategically about assessment

• What does the future look like

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

One key aspect of any journey to becoming a skills-based organization is having effective skills assessment strategies in place. This doesn't just apply to hiring and leadership development. Some of the most cutting-edge organizations are using assessment as part of the onboarding process to help understand the development needs of new employees.

My guest this week is Simone Jacobi, Global Director of Talent Assessment at McKinsey. In our conversation, Simone talks about how McKinsey is gratifying assessments in its journey toward becoming a skills-based organization. 

In the interview, we discuss:

• What do skills mean at McKinsey?

• How McKinsey's talent acquisition process is evolving

• Broadening talent sources

• The advantages of gamifying assessment

• Onboarding and "Day One Readiness" assessments to help people become productive as quickly as possible

• Using Gen AI to Personalize Assessments

• Building individual skills profiles and mapping up skills development

• Reducing bias and using "Fairness Observers" when making people decisions

• What are the most essential skills for the future?

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

Providing a quality candidate experience remains a significant challenge for many organizations. This challenge has been intensified in recent years by evolving candidate expectations, volatile talent markets, shrinking TA teams, and technology that has yet to be designed with the candidate in mind.

However, are we on the cusp of an era when technology, rather than making the candidate experience worse, can actually help provide the high-quality, personalized candidate experience we have all been seeking?

My guests this week are Luke Smith, Talent Acquisition & Experience Specialist at Toyota GB, and Euan Cameron, CEO at Willo. This discussion offers many great insights into what personalization is possible now and what will be possible in the future.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Toyota's customer-centric approach to candidate experience

• Automating the process

• Busting myths about video interviewing

• Giving candidates control and flexibility

• Reducing bias in Recruitment Marketing

• Wellbing the interview process

• Sentiment analysis

• What does the future look like?

Download Willo’s “Hiring Humans” eBook

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

It has been a highly volatile few years for talent markets and hiring. So, how is all the uncertainty and disruption shifting employers' thinking around EVP and Employer Branding? Is it still considered as important as before, and what might the future direction look like?

My guests this week are Neil Harrison, an independent employer branding consultant, and Mike Heal, managing director at WDAD Communications. Neil recently collaborated with WDAD on qualitative research into the current EVP and Employer Brand landscape. The findings give some unique insights into the priority employers are giving to their employer brands and how things have changed since the pandemic.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The background to the research project and how it was carried out

• How things have changed in the last three years

• DE&I as a focus for employer branding

• Key metrics to get senior stakeholder buy-in and future investment

• Is employer branding still considered important by organizations?

• How happy are employers with the current state of their EVP?

• Building agility and flexibility into the brand research process to ensure relevancy

• Changing employee attitudes to work

• The evolution of employee stories

• The importance of belonging

• Differentiation and competitive benchmarking

• What does the future look like?

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts

Get my free whitepaper "10 Ways AI Will Transform Talent Acquisition" – Download Now 

Transform Talent Acquisition – Find out how my digital course will help you shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization – Click Here

The distribution patterns of the global working-age population are starting to change dramatically. North America and Europe both have aging populations and by 2040, the African continent, with a projected population of 1.1 billion, will have the largest workforce globally.

So how are African countries preparing, and what opportunities are there for employers to tap into this mega talent market?

My guest this week is Hilda Kabushenga, CEO of The African Talent Company. The African Talent Company is a group of pan-African businesses working together to bridge the talent gap in Africa via career development and recruiting solutions. Hilda gives us a unique insight into the current African talent market and its incredible future potential.

In the interview, we discuss:

• How will global workforce demographics change over the next few years?

• Reskilling for the future for jobs where there is demand for talent

• Making interventions around the right skills, democratic access to opportunities, and job creation.

• How does upskilling work at scale?

• Delivering courses on WhatsApp to deal with data availability issues

• Opportunities for global employers to access African talent

• The potential impact of AI

• What will things look like by 2050

Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.