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

The amount of technology available to TA teams has exploded, and innovation is moving so rapidly that it is almost impossible to keep up. In a world driven by shiny objects syndrome taking a long-term strategic view when it comes to TA technologies is crucial. However, the challenges around this are considerable and are not just about the amount of choice. TA leaders need access to specialist skills to help them make the right decisions and, simultaneously, need to ensure their voice is heard within the business around tech procurement.

My guest this week is Rob Cohen, TA Ecosystem Manager at Philip Morris International. Rob has the kind of role I can see becoming more common in TA Teams in the future. He is a genuine technology expert who sits outside the IT function and is responsible for all the technology that touches candidates and helps recruiters do their job. Rob has some fascinating insights on technology strategy, TA tech stacks, and the AI-driven future, making this an absolute must-listen interview.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The importance of Talent Acquisition owning its own tech

• Skills and stakeholders

• Translating business needs into tech requirements.

• Being strategic with technology, not tactical

• Dealing knowledgeably with vendors

• Open AIs

• Using systems for what they are designed for

• Platforms versus point solutions

• The complexities of operating globally

• Is there such a thing as a perfect TA tech stack?

• The current and future role of AI

• Personalized recruiting automation

• The future role of the TA team

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Over the last few years, TikTok has driven a revolution in short-form video content, racking up billions of views and forcing its competitors to adopt similar formats. Recent data, ironically released by Google, has also highlighted that a significant percentage of young people prefer to do their research on TikTok and Instagram instead of using Google. 

However, while a few employers are doing a great job in this area, overall, there is still very little recruitment marketing or employer branding content on these platforms.

So what do employers need to do to connect with the millions of people consuming short-form views effectively, and what part should this type of content play in recruitment marketing and employer branding strategies?

My guest this week is Omar Khateeb, Founder and CEO at JobPixel. JobPixel is helping many employers to embrace short-form video content, and Omar has expert insights to share on what works and how to build effective workflows for this type of content.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The current state of the market and the consequences of overhiring

• How employer branding is evolving to meet the current challenges

• The critical importance of creating authentic video content

• Showcasing the good, the bad and the ugly.

• The evolution of Day in the Life videos

• How does short-form video fit in strategically?

• Many people research companies after they have applied, not before

• What makes great content

• Having the right tooling and process to capture video

• The impact of AI on content creation

• What is the future of video for recruitment marketing and employer branding?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

One of the key themes I've observed emerging over the last few years is the need for employers to think about talent holistically. To achieve this, progressive organizations are already breaking down the barriers between talent acquisition, talent management, and L&D. The central tenet is Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP).

So what does effective SWP look like, how is AI changing thought processes, and what role does Talent Acquisition need to play?

My guest this week is Sadhana Bhide, Strategic Workforce Planning Subject Matter Expert at Faethm by Pearson. Sadhana has expert insights to share on the current state and future development of SWP, and this is a must-listen for TA leaders everywhere.

In the interview, we discuss:

• What is SWP, and why is it so important?

• Unique strategic advantages

• Engaged workforces

• The 6 Bs that underpin SWP

• The impact of AI on jobs

• What role should Talent Acquisition play in SWP?

• Common roadblocks and challenges

• Best practices to measure success

• Establishing a learning mindset and a culture of change readiness

• What does the future of HR 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 534: AI & Executive Search

Ep 535: Hiring Enablement

Ep 536: AI -Benefits, Risks, and Potential

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I'm on holiday at the moment, but I want to make sure you've got plenty of Recruiting Future content to listen to until I'm back. So for the next four weeks, I'm going to supplement the new interviews being published in July by republishing some of my favourite episodes with conversations you may have missed the first time around.

The final replay for July is a discussion about The Body Shop's open hiring program with Nykeba King, their Global Head of Inclusion and Belonging. Not only is this an important look at diversity and inclusion it also shows what happens when you challenge some of the established thinking organizations have about talent, assessment, and hiring.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Recruiting challenges at The Body Shop

• What is Open Hiring, and how does it work?

• No background checks, no screening, no education requirements

• How Open Hiring is helping The Body Shop in the current talent markets

• Making recruiting more purposeful with "Targeted Recruitment."

• Replacing scrutiny with trust

• Removing barriers and removing bias

• Implementation challenges

• The danger of second-guessing someone's ability to do a job

• Wrap-around support to build an inclusive workplace

• Time to hire, performance, and retention

• What's next for Open Hiring

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

I'm on holiday at the moment, but I want to make sure you've got plenty of Recruiting Future content to listen to until I'm back. So for the next four weeks, I'm going to supplement the new interviews being published in July by republishing some of my favourite episodes with conversations you may have missed the first time around.

One of the continuing themes on the show has been how many employers are starting to think differently about talent and potential. It's always good to get a perspective from outside the industry. This week's replay is my conversation with Mehdi Kordi, the Dutch national track cycling coach, on development, performance, and culture.

In the interview, we discuss:

• What makes a good coach

• Managing riders, employees, and partners

• Getting the best out of people

• How do you spot talent?

• The importance of resilience

• The mental versus the physical

• The role of technology

• Running a world-class team with limited resources.

• Collaboration and partnerships

• Using culture to drive performance

• Clarity and transparency

• What does the future look like for track cycling?

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

AI has dominated the discussion for months now, and if recent conversations are anything to go by, this shows no sign of letting up. However, the initial hysteria is fading, and the hype is slowly turning into meaningful discussions about what the AI-driven future will look like.

So what is the potential of AI in TA and HR, what are the current benefits, and perhaps most importantly, what are the risks? I was keen to get the perspectives of a Chief People Officer on all of this, so I'm delighted that my guest this week is Geri Morgan, Chief People Officer at Intellum. Gerri has some excellent advice to share and even got ChatGPT to actively participate in our conversation!

In the interview, we discuss:

• What aspects of employer engagement will benefit from AI?

• Personalization

• The opportunities AI offers HR

• Tech for tasks - AI as our new co-worker

• What are the current use cases?

• Compliance, ethics, and legislation

• Keeping the momentum of innovation going

• Mitigating risk

• Building out AI-enabled processes

• What does the future look like for HR?

Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.

A full transcript will appear here shortly.

 I'm on holiday at the moment, but I want to make sure you've got plenty of Recruiting Future content to listen to until I'm back. So for the next two weeks, I'm going to supplement the new interviews being published in July by republishing some of my favourite episodes with conversations you may have missed the first time around.

With the debates about hybrid work continuing to rage and many companies forcibly ordering people to return to the office, this week's replay of my interview with author Julia Hobsbawm from last year takes the long-term perspective on the future work the debate badly needs. 

In the interview, we discuss:

• Reimagining and reframing how we work

• The four phases of work since 1945

• How the pandemic has accelerated trends that were already there

• The complexity of hybrid

• The real challenges with developing the next phase of work

• Undoing assumptions and old norms

• The challenge for talent acquisition

• Autonomy, flexibility, and networks

• Thinking strategically to improve wellness and mental health.

A full transcript will appear here shortly.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

I'm on holiday at the moment, but I want to make sure you've got plenty of Recruiting Future content to listen to until I'm back. So for the next two weeks, I'm going to supplement the new interviews being published in July by republishing some of my favourite episodes with conversations you may have missed the first time around.

This week's replay is my conversation from earlier in the year with Jess Jones, now Head of People at Coolr. I know it's a difficult and confusing time for many people with so much change going on, so this seems like the perfect moment to revisit this discussion on confidence and resilience.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Confidence in the workplace

• Tackling imposter syndrome

• “Owning it”

• Empowering people to be more confident

• The snakes and ladders of work in 2023

• The five-second rule

• Does social media make things more complicated?

• The myth of perfection and the importance of being vulnerable

• Curiosity

• Showing up and leading by example

• AI & TA

• Internal mobility

• Using creators and influences to target specific pools of talent

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Hiring has changed. Over the last three years, candidate expectations have evolved dramatically, and many hiring teams are not keeping pace with this disruptive rate of change.

So what can employers do to ensure they properly engage with the talent they need, and how can technology support this process?

My guest this week is Gavin Speirs, CEO of Solutions Driven. Solutions Driven have done a huge amount of research to ensure they have the right strategies to help their clients thrive in the current hiring market. In our conversation, Gavin discusses their Hiring Enablement methodology and shares valuable advice to help TA leaders with their recruitment agency relationships.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The current state of the hiring market

• Changing candidate behaviour

• The three phases of candidate engagement

• Fit, Freedom, Fulfilment, Family, Fortune, and Future

• Educating hiring managers

• Hiring Insanity, Hiring Execution, and Hiring Inequality

• Are recruitment agencies evolving quickly enough?

• What questions should TA leaders be asking the agencies they work with?

• What is technology enabling?

• What will recruiting look like in the future?

Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.