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

Somewhere between 15% and 20% of the population is neurodivergent. The majority have yet to receive a formal diagnosis, and a significant number of those with a diagnosis choose not to share it publically. Over the last few years, we've seen a growing number of employers taking steps to be more neuro-inclusive, which is great to see. However, there is still a long way to go with recruiting, as most hiring processes contain significant barriers for neurodiverse people. There is also a danger that the move to AI-driven recruiting may make things worse if neuro-inclusion isn't proactively prioritized.

So, what steps can employers take to embed neuro-inclusion in their recruiting processes effectively?

My guest this week is Tania Martin, a neuro-inclusion consultant who was previously Head of EY's Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence in the UK and Ireland. In our conversation, Tania discusses the shortcomings of the traditional recruiting process and how we can rethink it to be better for everyone.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Harnessing neurodiversity in the workforce

• How EY's Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence was set up

• Why can making recruiting processes more neuro-inclusive be good for everyone?

• Accessing untapped pools of talent

• Intimidating job specs

• Assessment and spiky profiles

• Helping people to show their best selves during the interview process

• Educating hiring managers

• The role of technology

• What will neuro-inclusion look like for future generations in the workforce?

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Economic challenges, technology innovations, changing attitudes to how and where we work, and a new, very different generation entering the workplace. These are just some of the forces driving change across the whole of the people function.

In this second compilation episode of interviews I recorded at Transform earlier in the year, I speak to two of the most innovative HR Executives out there about the changing Talent landscape.

My first guest, Donald Knight, Chief People Officer at Greenhouse, shares his insights on the current challenges for CPOs, the importance of developing curiosity, and the need to eliminate the laggard approach that has categorized HR for so long. 

My second conversation is with John Baldino, President of Humareso. This was the final interview I recorded at the conference, and we reflect on the event, our key learnings from it, and the future of HR in an AI-driven world.

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It's been nearly 18 months since ChatGPT launched and sparked a lively debate about the future of Talent Acquisition. While it's important to consider the long-term implications, a crucial part of building a strategy is embracing the potential of current technology through experimentation and skill development.

My guest this week is Andy Headworth, Deputy Director of Talent Acquisition at HMRC. Over the last few months, Andy's team has gone from lunchtime AI experimentation sessions to rolling out the platform they created across their organization. This has driven radical improvements to their hiring process, improving its quality while simultaneously saving many hours of hiring manager and recruiter time. Andy shares its impact, the lessons they have learned, and his advice for TA leaders on building strategies for an AI-driven future.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The recruiting challenges at HMRC

• Experimentation, learning, and being brave with your thinking

• Understanding the problem you are trying to solve

• Revolutionizing the hiring manager experience

• Building platforms using publically available tools and data 

• Implications for TA and HR software vendors

• The use of AI by candidates

• Advice to TA leaders

• What does the future look like?

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A full transcript will appear here shortly.

A few weeks ago, I spent a couple of days recording at the excellent Transform conference in Las Vegas, and this is the first of two episodes with a compilation of some of the conversations I had.

My first guest is Danielle Farage, a renowned Gen Z Futurist, Educator, and Community Builder. Danielle shares her perspective on why it's crucial to give Gen Z a voice and discusses the current employee experience for the newest generation in the workforce.

My second conversation is with Recruiter and Creator Joel Lalgee. Joel talks about his journey to reaching an incredible 600,000 followers across various social media platforms. He shares his insights on how recruiters and employers should use a combination of short-form video and face-to-face experiences to build an influential brand.

Topics we cover:

• The disconnect between the C-Suite and early career talent

• Including younger voices in the conversations defining the future of work

• Advice on building the workforce of the future

• Helping Gen Z develop their careers is an appropriate way for the times we live in

• What will work look like in five years?

• Producing high-quality content for TikTok and Instagram

• Why TA is missing a massive opportunity

• Being Omnichannel and building relationships and trust

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Talent Acquisition stands on the edge of revolution, with AI tools promising to make recruiting faster and more effective. But will it make hiring fairer? Recruiting and HR are already a key focus for governments as they develop legislation for AI, and employers are already at risk of breaking existing laws if they use AI tools that discriminate against protected groups of people.

My guest this week is Commissioner Keith Sonderling of the EEOC. In our conversation, we talk about the benefits and risks of using AI in hiring, what employers need to know to ensure compliance with existing laws, and the new regulations many countries will implement shortly.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Background context of The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

• Bridging the gap between policy-making and HR practice

• What advantages does AI bring to talent acquisition?

• The potential for technology to make clearer, more transparent hiring decisions than humans

• The dangers AI poses if incorrectly implemented

• How AI is used in hiring already falls under existing employer equality legislation.

• Who is liable, the employer or the AI vendor?

• The EU AI Act and New York City Law 144

• Are there common themes in new AI legislation being developed around the world?

• Reskilling, upskilling and changing dynamics in the workforce

• What does the future look like?

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Many employers regularly offer internships, but the role of these internships in long-term hiring strategies can be pretty tenuous. So what happens when a company puts internships at the centre of its hiring strategy and proactively leverages this to build long-term pipelines of valuable talent?

My guest this week is Leah Bourdon, Vice President of Talent at staffing and consulting firm ALKU. For several years, ALKU has made internships the heart of its resourcing strategy. In our conversation, Leah shares precisely how they do this and the considerable benefits and value it drives.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The market for recruiting recruiters

• Having a unique focus on entry-level talent

• The employer brand of a career in recruiting

• Training interns during the school year

• Faster ramp-ups and higher retention rates

• Talent spotting

• How are the skills needed to be a recruiter changing

• Training interns in the same way as full-time employees

• How will recruiting change over the next five years

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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 597: Talent Acquisition Excellence

Ep 598: Building Exec Search In House

Ep 599: Data Sophistication

Ep 600: Did We Predict The Future?

Ep 601: Quiet Hiring

Ep 602: The Skills Mismatch In Hiring

Ep 603: Talent Lessons From Elite Sport

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Companies can learn a massive amount from elite sports in terms of spotting and nurturing the talent required to build highly effective teams. Having an adaptable, flexible, and self-aware mindset is critical in these disruptive times, and professional sports have coaching models that can help leaders develop this mindset in their teams.

I was lucky enough to speak to former England Cricket Captain Sir Andrew Strauss at the recent Transform conference in Las Vegas. After his playing career finished, Andrew ran elite cricket in the UK for four years. He is now the co-founder of Mindflick, a high-performance coaching business that uses psychology and technology to make the lessons from elite sports accessible to companies.

In the interview, we discuss:

• What can elite sports teach business about leadership?

• Learning how to be adaptable in dynamic environments

• The importance of self-awareness

• Understanding how teams react under pressure

• What makes top talent

• Understanding and accepting weaknesses 

• The role of technology

• Getting buy-in and building an emotional connection with a group vision

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Skills-based hiring is a hot topic as many employers seek to better understand the skills they need in their businesses both now and in the future. With the shelf life of hard skills shortening by the day, companies need to bridge the gap between talent acquisition and talent management to ensure that they are hiring for the skills that actually drive value for the business.

My guest this week is Jason Putnam, CRO at Plum. Jason has tremendous experience in the industry and is continually talking to senior corporate leaders about their skills strategies. He has some interesting and unique insights to share, and this is a must-listen for everyone trying to make sense of skills-based hiring.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The current market challenges

• Are companies prioritizing talent management over talent acquisition?

• How is the relationship between the talent management and talent acquisition function evolving?

• The shortening shelf life of hard skills and the importance of soft skills

• The mismatch between the skills employers hire for and the skills they actually value in their organizations

• Skills and productivity

• Are mapping skills within the organization necessary or even possible?

• How job seekers' use of AI will change talent acquisition.

• What does the future look like

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Skills shortages, shortening skills lifespans, digital transformation, the AI revolution, hiring freezes and layoffs. These are just some of the factors currently reshaping how companies think about talent. It's clear that this level of disruption is now the new normal rather than a short-term trend.

So, how do TA teams respond, and what role do they have in helping employers redefine their thinking about talent, skills, and hiring?

My guest this week is Rich Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of Gigged.Ai. Before he became a founder, Rich had a successful career as a recruiter and spent time as a Gartner analyst specialising in digital transformation and the future of work. In our conversation, we discuss skills-focused strategies to reinvent hiring and the part TA teams have to play in this critical transformation.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Skill shortages and layoffs

• The shortening lifespan of skills

• Switching from cap-ex to op-ex

• Future of work trends

• How AI is creating new workforce opportunities

• Internal mobility, upskilling, reskilling and contingent hiring

• New ways of getting skills into the business

• Talent sharing and open innovation

• How does TA need to think differently about talent?

• What will the talent space look like in five years?

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