Hello SourceCon Community!
Jim Stroud here, your SourceCon Editor, and today I am reflecting on 20+ years operating in the recruitment industry. I have seen some things change. Pretty much, change has been the only constant in recruiting in terms of the technology used to make it happen. That being said, I have not seen the pace of change as profound as the advent of artificial intelligence. Holy Smokes! (Pardon the language.) It has many people wondering if they will lose their job in the short-term and their careers in the long-term. I understand the trepidation but I gotta side with optimism. No, recruiting, nor sourcing, will fade away from the job catalog (so to speak) but it will change as we know it. Let me give you three reasons why I think that.
In each of those instances, companies are still hiring for these roles however, their traditional duties and responsibilities have changed. I have no doubt we will see a similar transformation in the recruitment industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) has already made an impact. Resume screening, candidate sourcing, job matching, interview scheduling, and pre-screen-interviews are pretty much here to stay. I think that’s a good thing overall because… well, let me count the ways.
Okay, blah, blah, blah on that. You’ve probably heard those points ad nauseum, most likely from vendors promoting their marvelous tools. Let me give you a reason that most people overlook – aptitude expansion. What is that? It is when people can quickly do tasks or show skills they usually wouldn’t be able to handle, often with the help of AI tools or technology. And this phenomenon has been proven by Science. To quote Aura…
A recent study conducted by the BCG Henderson Institute, in collaboration with Boston University and OpenAI, reveals that GenAI models can enhance workers’ capabilities, enabling them to perform tasks previously beyond their skill sets.
Further down the article it reads…
In the study, participants with no prior coding experience used GenAI solutions to clean and merge data sets, apply machine learning models, and correct statistical errors—all previously outside their domain of expertise.
Even without specialized knowledge, workers could achieve outcomes close to that of experts. For example, participants who used GenAI to write Python code for data cleaning reached 84% of the performance benchmark set by experienced data scientists. These results show that training generative AI models to assist with complex tasks can immediately boost worker performance and enable them to solve problems traditionally handled by niche experts.
Its important to note that AI helped workers improve their performance significantly, but it did not make them experts. I think of it like this. A calculator can help me do math faster, but it won’t turn me into a mathematician. Be that as it is, the calculator does increase my work value. The same can be said for AI tools that screen resumes and conduct video interviews, AI tools that enable note taking during an interview or, AI tools that answer questions and schedule interviews.
And yet, people have a reason to be concerned about AI taking their jobs away. The anxiety is warranted, in some cases, when there is reportage of AI being so amazingly efficient. A few recent examples…
Just as AI has boosted efficiency in various industries, I believe it will bring significant improvements to recruitment, benefiting not only recruiters but candidates as well. In fact, I foresee a much better candidate experience in the near-future. Here’s what I predict…
But that is on the candidate side of the house, what can recruiters and sourcers expect? I think AI will empower everyone to be proactive. Predictive analytics will enable companies to build proactive talent pipelines, identifying potential candidates before roles even become available. I think it will go so far as to forecast talent needs based on business growth, industry trends, and market dynamics. In some cases, algorithmic management may come into play. The same way Uber automatically encourages drivers to take certain routes to meet customer demand, I predict some tools will suggest to recruiters that they should begin pipelining for certain roles based on a recent CEO speech or comment made by an executive in a recent interview.
While AI will improve candidate engagements and recruitment processes, there may be a cost that should not be overlooked – the human element. Over-reliance on AI can sometimes make the recruitment process feel impersonal to candidates. Its important to note that relationship management should be of the utmost concern as AI cannot manufacture a truly personal connection. Neither can it source passive candidates on potential, or rather, gut instinct. Its searches are based on specific criteria and will not detect how someone failing in one leadership role can be coached into an exemplary leader at another company. Moreover, ponder the intricacies of job offers. It takes a certain skill to convince someone to uproot their family, and move to a new state, for lesser pay on the promise of pending success. For that to happen, trust and transparency are paramount and that cannot be constructed with an algorithm. I would wager that in-depth interviewing make human recruiters irreplaceable as well. Probing responses, asking follow-up questions, ethical considerations, and interpreting non-verbal cues are well beyond the scope of the most advanced chatbots. Most of all, the human element is essential for resolving complex or unique situations.
Fixing complex problems is the typical purview of artificial intelligence so my assertion may sound non-sensical, but bear with me. Artificial intelligence is used to manage traffic systems in the USA, most notably in cities like Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. The systems they use are smart traffic lights that adjust traffic light timings in real-time based on traffic flow data. And yet, traffic deaths increased by 7% in Los Angeles. This is despite pedestrians, drivers, and AI, all knowing the rules of the world. At best, AI is a tool, a very powerful tool, but human oversight is integral to success of any project involving technological interaction with humans. Just saying.
In conclusion, while AI is undoubtedly revolutionizing the recruitment industry—bringing efficiency, scalability, and advanced analytics—it’s essential to remember that technology cannot replace the human touch. Just as AI-powered systems have improved industries like radiology, travel, and banking without eliminating the need for skilled professionals, the same will hold true for recruiting. As AI continues to evolve, recruiters and sourcers must strike a balance, leveraging its benefits while preserving the human connection that lies at the heart of successful talent acquisition. In this way, we can embrace the future of recruitment without losing sight of what makes it truly effective: people.
