How we’re going to find the right balance
The disruption and advancement of technology are hot topics of conversation for most industries. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, recruitment is no exception. In fact, the future is still a little unclear around just how much of a role technology will play in the recruitment process.
While it’s true technology is increasingly automating repetitive tasks, our managing director, Lisa Hill, says it has its best success when it’s working alongside a human workforce, complementing and augmenting capabilities, rather than replacing them.
Here we’ll discuss how we find the right balance between woman and machine – and what that means for clients looking to work with a recruitment consultancy.
The changes we’re seeing with technology
Where we think automation has the most impact is with time-consuming, administrative tasks. To use the recruitment industry as an example, there are back-office systems that can help manage temps and large pools of candidates. Even search tools within tech-based products have their place.
But what about when the benefits don’t outweigh what you lose?
We see the influence of AI at a basic level, with online recruitment platforms like Seek and LinkedIn. With Seek, when we post a job, we’re magically served up with ‘appropriate matches.’ On LinkedIn, we can search for candidates by location, industry, even by the companies people have listed on their CVs.
While AI can save time with process-driven jobs, recruiting for your business without people being involved would be extremely difficult. Here’s why.
The missing ingredient
While technology can automate the ‘back office’ of recruitment, there’s one thing Lisa is sceptical AI will ever be able to recognise – and that’s potential.
‘I’m happy to be proven wrong, but when you’re interviewing somebody, that ability to see their potential instead of what’s on their CV requires a human element.’
But with automation taking care of administrative work, our team can take on tasks that require more complex problem solving, creative thinking, emotional intelligence, leadership, teamwork and intuition. In recruitment, this will most commonly be candidate screenings and interviews, where a human element is required to gauge tone of voice, body language and non-verbal communication cues.
For Lisa, it’s about finding the right balance, automating where you can to create efficiencies, but knowing which areas are important to still have a human element – so you can find those hidden gems.
Hiring in the digital age
So, what does this all mean for companies looking to recruit?
As always, we’d start with establishing the set of skills required for the role – and this might mean hiring priorities need to change. For many businesses, this may look like less of an emphasis on technical experience and instead looking at valuable interpersonal skills and attributes needed to really drive business forward. After all, many skills can be taught, but it’s harder to instil the initiative to seek out opportunities, or the creativity needed to bring them to life.
Adapting to technological change
In some regards, we have no choice but to adapt – the workforce is changing rapidly, and we understand businesses need people who can handle that. The recruitment industry is no different – technology is fundamentally changing the way we work.
We’re passionate about helping businesses achieve success through their people. If you’ve got a big vision for your business, have a chat to us about finding the right people who can take it into the future.