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

For many companies, remote and hybrid working has spotlighted compensation and benefits strategies. How do you determine pay levels for the same job across different national and international geographies, and how can you use benefits as a talent magnet when some traditional location-based benefits are no longer as relevant?

My guest this week is Anitra St. Hilaire, VP of People at Threeflow. Anitra has considerable experience in this area and shares some very innovative thinking in our conversation.

In the interview, we discuss:

• What are the most significant talent challenges employers are facing

• Listening to and understanding people's stories

• Building culture nationally and internationally

• How do you handle compensation strategically across state and country boundaries?

• How can employers use benefits as magnets for talent?

• Aligning benefits with company values

• Understanding the needs of your employee population

• Responsible transparency

• What are the implications of AI for HR?

• What will the future of work look like?

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The balance of the workforce is changing. Remote working, talent scarcity and evolving attitudes to jobs and careers are driving the increasing use of contractors, freelancers and fractional workers. However, the practicalities of managing this changing workforce are significant, including everything from building a culture to ensuring everyone gets paid on time.

So how should employers approach this, what role can technology play, and how can they turn the challenges into opportunities? My guest this week is Richard Prime, Co-Founder and CEO of Sonovate. Richard has some fascinating insights to share on the state of the market and how fintech innovations are creating opportunities for employers and staffing agencies in our new world of work.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The current state of the market

• The rise of contractors, freelancers, and fractional workers

• Accessing global talent pools

• The challenges of an evolving workforce

• What are the most innovative businesses doing?

• Building a culture that is inclusive of temporary and contract workers

• How complicated is it to make sure everyone gets paid

• The growing demand for early wage access

• Innovative financial benefits to attract talent

• What opportunities does Fintech innovation open up for recruiting and talent acquisition?

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The public launch of ChatGPT continues to drive enormous levels of hype about the impact of AI on life, the universe and everything. So what are the implications of generative AI on talent acquisition, how will it shape the development of recruiting technology, and what will candidates think of the changing balance between humans and machines in recruiting?

My guest this week is the perfect person to give us some answers. Adam Godson is Chief Product Officer at Paradox, and his unique combination of experience in the industry means he has a deep understanding of the potential of AI and the likely future direction of talent acquisition.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The current state of the market

• The difference between Generative AI and Conversational AI

• What changes will generative AI drive in recruiting technology?

• Why is there a rush of Large Language Models coming to the market at the same time?

• Decisions, Communication, and Automation

• Enriching interactive conversations

• Time reduction

• What is the art of the possible with personalization?

• The implications of "quick apply" on employer brand communication

• Polarising messages

• Calibration by the candidate reaction to AI

• What will the next two years look like, and where is technology heading next

Listen to this episode in Apple Podcasts.

Talent Acquisition is changing, work is changing, and careers are changing. It has perhaps never been more critical to build and cultivate a professional network. As an industry that spends most of its collective working day on LinkedIn, we like to think that we do this well. But do we really understand how to build, maintain and leverage our networks in these disruptive times?

My guest this week is Michael Melcher, an executive coach, leadership expert, and author of a new book called "Your Invisible Network". In our conversation, we discuss how networks are changing and the networking skills needed to transform careers.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Being more aware of the network around you

• Building deeper, more powerful relationships

• How a whole generation has had no meaningful face-to-face connections at work

• The power of small, consistent action

• Seven types of relationships

• Minute 32 and the unpredictable nature of conversations

• Being more human

• The difference between a specific and a general ask

• How will networking develop in the future, and what skills will we need to learn

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

One of the biggest challenges of remote and hybrid working is the lack of face-to-face connection that humans need to be fully engaged and productive. This is always one of the main arguments for employers attempting to return their workers to the office. However, the advantages of remote and hybrid working are considerable, and forcing people to work five days a week back in an office isn't necessarily the best way of dealing with the challenges.

So what can employers do to foster a sense of connection, belonging, and engagement and provide the scaffolding for high-performing teams? My guest this week is Sophie Bailey, Co-Founder and CEO of Worktripp. Worktripp is an Airbnb for business offsites, and Sophie has some hugely valuable insights to share on supercharging connection, creativity, and culture.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The importance of face-to-face connection

• The consequences and cost of disengagement

• Why returning to the office isn't the answer

• Bringing people together in a memorable way

• Offsites to increase retention and drive creative ideation

• Which companies do this well, and how do they do it

• The importance of environment

• Designing an effective offsite and why you shouldn't start with logistics

• Long term planning to develop connection

• What does the future of work look like?

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As we move through 2023, the pace of disruption continues to intensify. The complexities and implications of the economic and technological landscapes are overwhelming. It is increasingly difficult to break out of short-term thinking and make the long-term strategic decisions that are now needed.

Over the last few years, the word agile has been somewhat overused, but does it hold the key to unlocking the future potential of talent acquisition?

My guest this week is Joshua Kerievsky, Founder and CEO of Industrial Logic and author of a new book called "The Joy of Agile". In our conversation, Joshua revisits the original definition of agile and shares six mantras to help all TA leaders during these challenging times.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The dictionary definition of agile

• Working with quick, easy grace

• Examples of agile at work

• How to be more agile

• Being adaptable and resourceful

• Be quick but don't hurry.

• The importance of balance and driving out fear

• Start minimal and evolve.

• Adaptability

• The new future of work

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It's now three years since the pandemic changed many people's work trajectories. While some companies have returned to the office and others are desperately trying to, remote and hybrid work continue to be the norm for many organizations. 

So putting aside noisy narratives and vested interests trying to take us back to the pre-pandemic status quote, what are the actual benefits and challenges of a distributed workforce? Also, with the opening of global talent pools, what can employers do to position themselves as an employer of choice in 2023?

My guest this week is Sarah Fern, Chief People Officer a Velocity Global. Velocity Global has employers working remotely across six timezones and 27 countries, and Sarah has some valuable insights to share on the benefits and challenges of being a distributed employer.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The benefits remote work offer to employers

• Opening up access to the best global talent

• Why presentism doesn't drive high-performing work

• The genuine challenges of a distributed workforce

• Loneliness, disconnection, productivity, and burnout

• Turning challenges into opportunities

• Rethinking recruitment marketing

• Building culture remotely

• What is the new future of work?

Listen to this episode in Apple Podcasts

Over the last decade or so, we've finally realized that the candidate experience isn't a one-off project; it is an ever evolving theme that runs through talent acquisition. Strategy, measurement, and continuous improvement are crucial.

So what is the current state of the candidate experience worldwide, and what are the post-pandemic trends?

I'm delighted to welcome Kevin Grossman back to the podcast as my guest this week. Kevin is the President of The Talent Board, the organizers of the Candidate Experience Awards, and ongoing global benchmark research into the candidate experience. He has a massive amount of data-based insight to share on how the candidate experience continues to evolve.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The current trends in candidate experience

• Rising resentment

• Communication and feedback

• What is best practice?

• Examples of employers offering a great candidate experience

• Why more employers are giving feedback to finalists

• A fair interview process

• Internal mobility and retention

• The importance of pre-boarding

• Sustaining a quality experience over time

• Will AI improve the candidate experience in the future?

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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 502: Digital Talent One Year On

Ep 503: Climate Jobs

Ep 504: The Future Of Video Interviewing

Ep 505: Accelerating Change

Ep 506: Changing Expectations Of Work

Ep 507: Skills Based Hiring In Early Careers

Ep 508: Scaling Up With Video Interviewing

Ep 509: Making Employer Branding Indispensable

Register for "The Road Ahead: Navigating the Future of Talent Acquisition" webinar

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Employer branding is under pressure in many organizations at the moment, and layoffs and budget cuts are hitting the function hard. However, anyone with even the most basic understanding of employer and talent branding can see how short-sighted this is and how vital building an employer brand is for a company's long-term future.

So how can we highlight the importance of employer branding and make employers see it as an essential function?

My guest this week is Alex Her, Head of Employer Branding at GoDaddy and a global advocate for its importance. Alex has some excellent advice on illustrating impact and ROI and some interesting insights into the future.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Current challenges and why employer branding is even more important now

• The offboarding experience

• Demonstrating strategic value and ROI

• What are the most powerful metrics?

• Storytelling

• Chat GPT, AI, and technology

• Doing the work

• What does the future of employer branding look like

If you want to hear more from Alex, he is speaking at RecFest USA, which is taking place on the 13th & 14th of September in Nashville. Take it from me as someone who has been to RecFest many times; it is a unique and hugely valuable experience. 

You can find out more here  and as a Recruiting Future listener, you can get 50% off the ticket price by using the promo code Recruitingfuture23

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.