Recruiting Future Feast

Greetings from Edinburgh

Welcome to the weekly edition of Recruiting Future Feast, the newsletter from The Recruiting Future Podcast.

Recruiting Future helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing their strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology.

I’m deviating from the standard Newsletter format this week to do a deeper dive into AI.

TA's Moment Of Truth

In 1999, my mere 11 months of experience working with a brand new bit of technology called the internet landed me a job in the fledgling “interactive” department (there were three of us) of a major recruitment marketing agency, and I’ve been working in the talent space ever since.

I was convinced back then that technology could “fix” recruiting, and the driving force behind my decision to work in talent for so long has been a desire to play my part in making this happen.

But recently, I realised I’d had it wrong all along. The idea of “fixing something broken” is actually holding us back from genuine transformation. The AI revolution presents a unique opportunity not to fix recruiting, but to completely reinvent hiring. If we get it right, it could have a profoundly positive impact on millions of careers and lives.

I never thought I’d be able to match the professional excitement that I felt when I first realised the potential of that brand new bit of technology called the internet. Yet here we are, and I’ve been proven wrong again. The AI revolution feels even more significant and full of potential.

However, with great potential comes significant risk. There are still many unknowns, and a real danger that recruiting will go a long way backward rather than transforming into something amazing.

I firmly believe that the destiny of talent acquisition still lies in the hands of talent acquisition, but our window of opportunity to influence the outcome is short. It’s time for us to step up, and we need to do it right now.

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⚡️ How FITT is your Talent Acquisition function? ​ Over the last decade, I’ve interviewed hundreds of successful TA leaders on the Recruiting Future podcast. One thing stands out: the best leaders consistently excel in four crucial areas: ​ Foresight: Anticipating future trends to prepare proactively. Influence: Building credibility and securing stakeholder support. Talent: Adopting innovative strategies to attract and retain critical skills Technology: Leveraging tech (including AI) strategically to stay ahead.  To help you quickly assess your own capability in these essential areas, I’ve created the free FITT for the Future Assessment. ​ Ready to see if you are FITT for the future? ​ 👉 Take the Free FITT Assessment now​ ​

Cracking The AI Code In TA

I recently appeared on the Saville Assessment Deep Dive podcast to discuss AI in Talent Acquisition. Host Hannah Mullaney asked brilliant questions, and this conversation truly captures everything I’m currently thinking about regarding AI’s impact on TA.

You can listen here​

Here’s a quick snapshot of our conversation highlights:

Uneven Adoption: Many organisations are using AI passively rather than strategically. We must move from AI by default to AI by deliberate design.

Speed of Change: The rapid pace of AI adoption leaves many TA leaders overwhelmed and uncertain about their best path forward.

Practical AI Framework: Consider AI through these four lenses:

Automation: Tasks AI can effectively handle.

Augmentation: AI supporting and enhancing human capabilities.

Amplification: Prioritising uniquely human skills like relationship-building and persuasion.

Archive: Processes AI can fully replace or make obsolete

Ethics and Transparency: Ethical implications, transparency, and bias management are crucial considerations in AI-powered recruiting.

Skills-Based Hiring: AI will increasingly push organisations toward skills-based hiring, moving beyond traditional credentials or experience alone.

Ultimately, navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape requires curiosity, adaptability, and a clear understanding of AI’s true potential for Talent Acquisition.

Sponsors

Recruiting Future would not be possible without the continued support of our fabulous sponsors.

A big shout out to SmartRecruiters and Hiring Branch for sponsoring the podcast during July

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Recruiting Future Feast will be back next week. In the meantime, make sure you don't miss out on the latest podcast episodes by following Recruiting Future on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Many Thanks

Matt

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Matt Alder Podcaster, Talent Acquisition Futurist, Speaker and Coach

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