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

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.

Previously, In Episode 573, we explored the power of Employee Value Propositions; I want to follow up by having a similar conversation about employer branding. As companies re-invent their employee experience post-pandemic or look to rebuild their reputation post-layoffs, employer branding has never been more critical, particularly for employers recruiting in challenging talent markets. 

Definitions are fundamental here because, in the same way that developing an EVP isn't employer branding, employer branding isn't recruitment marketing.

My guest this week is John Tarrant, Managing Partner at DNA. DNA is a UK-based employer branding agency with an impressive client list and vast experience in helping employers develop employer brands that are compelling, distinctive, and drive tangible value for the organization.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Recruiting challenges

• Increasing candidate expectations

• ESG, diversity, and values

• Problems caused by lack of metrics

• Emotion over logic

• Employer brand as a strategy to appeal to current and future talent

• Identity plus reputation

• Redefining talent

• How can employers rescue their employer brand?

• The impact of AI and technology

• What's next for employer branding

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

It does feel like 2024 could be the inflection point where we can push away the hype and start to see what impact AI is really going to have on talent acquisition. Continuing my end-of-year theme of trying to find the signal in all the noise around generative AI, I wanted to get the perspective of a TA technology innovation practitioner to help us understand more about what 2024 might bring.

My guest this week is Tom Chevalier, General Manager at Appcast Labs, a division of Appcast that focuses on innovation and creating the next generation of recruiting technology. Tom and his team are literally building part of the future, and unsurprisingly, he has some valuable insights and important advice to share.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Where we are in the AI Hype Cycle

• The bundling of AI into established TA technologies

• Seeing through the marketing spin

• Where are the most interesting investments being made?

• What problems does AI solve, and what new issues does it create?

• Transforming the recruiting process

• Disruption in contingent staffing

• Use cases

• Implications for the careers of TA leaders and recruiters

Download a copy of Appcast’s 2024 Recruiting Trends whitepaper

Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.

Despite the recent increases in applications that some sectors are experiencing, there are still many talent markets with acute skills shortages where hiring is a considerable challenge. So, what long-term strategies are employers using to ensure they are recruiting effectively when talent is in short supply?

My guest this week is Ellie Harte, Head of Recruitment at AtkinsRéalis. AtkinsRéalis is focusing strongly on skills-based hiring as well as using employer branding and employee advocacy as attraction tools to compete in a highly competitive market for talent. They also think long-term, working to champion STEM education in schools and inspire a future generation of engineers. 

In the interview, we discuss:

• Talent market challenges in the engineering sector

• From LVPs to a global EVP

• Aligning corporate brand, employer brand, and employee experience

• Managing attrition and growth

• Moving to skills-based hiring

• Working with schools to nurture STEM talent and challenge assumptions about engineering

• Using employees as brand advocates with authentic and genuine content

• Getting talent attention and showcasing culture rather than advertising jobs

• How skills-based hiring and AI will shape the future of talent acquisition.

Listen to this podcast on Apple podcasts.

It's been a year since Generative AI burst onto the scene and took over the entire TA conversation for 2023. Some of the predictions made back then about its immediate impact on the world of work were out there, even for something that clearly has so much disruptive potential.

So, one year on, where have we got to? What are the genuine use cases, what is still hype, and how will AI actually transform talent acquisition over the next few years?

My guests this week, Adam Godson, President and Chief Product Officer at Paradox and Yael Florenthal, VP of Product at Paradox, are the perfect people to answer these questions. 

In the interview, we discuss:

• How AI has evolved in the last six months

• Slow gains but clearer potential

• Generative AI versus Conversational AI

• What AI can and can't do in the context of Talent Acquisition

• Where is adoption the quickest?

• TA process re-engineering

• What will things look like in two years and five years?

• Emotional work versus repeatable tasks

• Implications for recruiters and their careers

• AI and Job Seekers

• Advice TA leaders on AI strategy

• What progress can we expect in 2024?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

One of the key themes from my conversations with TA practitioners on the podcast this year has been the importance of flexibility and agility. This isn't surprising, as we seem to be bouncing between panic mass hiring and panic mass layoffs faster than ever when it comes to in-house recruiting teams. This situation can't be sustainable! However, opportunity always comes out of chaos, and outsourcing to achieve the flexibility needed in these disruptive times is certainly something on the radar of many employers.

So how are RPOs evolving to meet the current market conditions, and what might the future of TA function look like?

My guest this week is Don Farr, Managing Director North America at Talent Works. Don is a highly experienced previous Head of Talent Acquisition and is the perfect person to talk to about the future relationship between TA and RPO.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Talent Acquisition challenges for 2024

• The evolution of RPO since the pandemic

• Hybrid, customized and project-based.

• RPOs versus Agencies

• Implementation and Onboarding

• Innovating with technology

• What will the TA Team of the future look like?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

The rapidly increasing speed of change in talent acquisition means the skills, strategy and types of thinking needed to build, retain and develop a successful TA function are also evolving quickly.

So what does a high-performing TA function now look like, and what do TA leaders need to make sure they have in place?

My guest this week is Melissa Grabiner, an award-winning former Global Head of TA who now works as a consultant for One Digital. Melissa has built talent acquisition teams from the ground up. She is now using her considerable insights and experience to help start-ups and scale-ups in the biotech industry build strategies to acquire the talent they need.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Talent market challenges

• Global talent pool restrictions

• What makes a successful TA function?

• Building a culture of continuous learning

• Autonomy, accountability and adaptability

• Putting candidate experience at the forefront of TA strategy

• The role of technology

• Agility and flexibility

• Personalization

• Preparing for the future

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.