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

It is almost four years since the first pandemic lockdowns, and even now, it doesn't seem long enough to get a proper perspective on how much the pandemic has changed things. It is already pretty clear that expectations of and attitudes to work have shifted considerably, with significant implications for recruiting and retention.My Guest this week is Annette Andrews, Founder & Director of Acaria Coaching and a former Chief People Officer. Annette works with large organizations to help them adjust their people practices and policies to align with the post-pandemic perspectives of their employees and future employees. She has some valuable insights on what employers need to do to attract and retain the talent they need.In the interview, we discuss:The current challenges for employers and why these are different from what we've seen in the past.Benefits, culture and wellbeingShowcasing the employee experienceImplications for retentionThe human impact of a deteriorating candidate experienceFive generations in the workforceDealing with systemic ageismTalent mobility across industries and disciplinesChanging the structure of the people function.How technology will shape the futureFollow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

These are turbulent times for talent acquisition, particularly for those teams operating in the technology sector. Despite the continuing demand for technology skills, layoffs are still happening, with many TA teams now considerably downsized from where they were a couple of years ago.Proving TA's strategic and monetary value has never been more critical, so how can TA leaders make their business case against such a challenging backdrop?My guest this week is Sam Bethoud, VP of Talent Solutions at hackajob. Sam combines his experience working with a vast number of talent acquisition leaders with hackajob's huge dataset to provide some excellent insights into the tech recruiting market and highly actionable advice on tactics TA can employ to prove the scale of its value to the business.In the interview, we discuss:The current state of the tech recruiting marketTA's commercial impactHow does TA create measurable monetary value?The importance of dataHow else can TA be strategic?Changing job seeker behaviourWhat impact will AI have on the future?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

With the development and adoption of AI accelerating at an unprecedented pace, the demand for data scientists and data skills in general is snowballing. To recruit successfully in this competitive talent market, TA teams must understand the specific data skills their organisation needs and the intrinsic career motivations of the data professionals they seek to engage with.My guest this week is Akshay Swaminathan, Head of Data Science at Cerebral and co-author of a new book called "Winning With Data Science". In our conversation, Akshay offers an insider view on the data science talent market, what motivates data scientists to move companies and the most effective recruiting process for people with this skillset. Essential listening for anyone recruiting data science professionals or working in talent markets with similar skills shortages.In the interview, we discuss:The growing demand for data science professionalsThe specific data skills that employers currently needIs there any consistency in data science job titles?What would motivate a data science professional to move jobs?How should recruiters source and engage in this talent marketWhat type of hiring process will drive the most successful outcomes?Gig working and fractional workingCreating business value from AIWhat skills will be needed in the future as the development and adoption of AI ramps up?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Work and jobs are changing, and the speed of change continues to accelerate. Whether you are in the fourth decade of your working life or looking for your first job, managing a career against this background of disruptive, often unpredictable change is a challenge for everyone. Things are also being made worse by continuing pay inequality and workplace bias.My guests this week are Grace Puma, the former COO of Pepsico and Christiana Smith Shi, the former President of Direct to Consumer at Nike. Grace and Christiana have recently authored a book called "Career Forward - Strategies from Women Who Have Made It". The motivation behind writing the book was to empower women to maximise their career journey, get paid what they are worth and navigate the unexpected shifts that happen in the current world of work. There is some excellent advice here that Grace and Christiana believe is applicable to everyone looking to develop their career in our turbulent times.In the interview, we discuss:The Career Forward MindsetHaving a "Cardinal Direction" instead of a North StarThe importance of mentors and sponsorsSteering into the skid to deal with unexpected challengesBuilding career equityDealing with pay inequalityReinventing work-life balanceHow can employers make the workforce fair and equitable?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

The shelf life of skills is getting ever shorter, which has significant implications for talent acquisition. It is essential that TA leaders take an active role in developing the overall skills strategy for their business. If employers want to be effective skills-based organizations, it is clear that talent acquisition, talent management, L&D and strategic workforce planning must be closely aligned.My guest this week is Malcolm Taylor, Head of Capability at the UK Health Security Agency. In the last few years, Malcolm has led a highly effective initiative to use data to drive upskilling, talent development and talent acquisition. In our conversation, he shares valuable insights on skills strategy and some interesting perspectives on the likely role AI will play in L&D in the future.In the interview, we discuss:Why upskilling is so essential in 2024The shortening life cycle of skillsEngagement and retentionTeaching people how to learnMapping skills within the organizationCan AI create a common skills language across professions?Data-driven decision makingCommunity-based learningThe role of TA in skills-based organizationsThe importance of removing silos in the people function.What does the future look like?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts

Conversations about AI's impact on recruiting tend to focus entirely on the employer and recruiter viewpoint. However, it may well be that the most potent force of change for talent acquisition comes from AI-facilitated shifts in jobseeker behaviour. Employers are already seeing a rise in applications they suspect are being driven by AI tools that facilitate bulk applying. The use of LLMs to create or edit resumes is undoubtedly widespread, and we are also seeing examples of AI being used to hack online interviews and assessments. There is still much debate about where these activities fall on the scale, from legitimate assistance to outright fraud.What is very clear, though, is that this is an unstoppable tide that will have severe implications for recruiting processes. What do employers do when they are inundated by applications perfectly tailored to the role that are impossible to assess using current tools and techniques?My guest this week is Richard Collins, Co-Founder of CV Wallet. Richard has decades of experience in recruitment marketing and talent acquisition. He has recently been diving deeply into the issues caused by jobseeker use of AI and how the solutions to the problems might make recruiting better for everyone.In the interview, we discuss:The current talent marketplaceAI-driven changes in job seeker and applicant behaviourThe potential impact on the recruiting processChallenges of dealing with an increasing volume of applicationsUnreliable applicant dataPre-qualifying and pre-verifying without creating friction in the processWill we see a revolution in assessment and selection?How do we define what is cheating or fraud?A shift to assessing soft skillsHow does recruitment marketing need to adaptA cost-per-qualified application modelProactive versus reactive changeHow much change will there be in 2024What does the future of recruiting look like?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

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 584: Talent-Centered DesignEp 585: Embracing AutomationEp 586: Removing Silos to Improve Hiring and RetentionEp 587: Getting The Basics RightEp 588: AI, Background Checks and Quality of HireEp 589: Talent Acquisition As A Competitive AdvantageEp 590: The Road To 2030Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

The last few years have taught us that no one can predict the future. However, you can develop the insight necessary to make accurate forecasts with the right combination of trend analysis and strategic thinking.We are currently in a period of accelerated change in talent acquisition, and it is essential to understand the direction of travel even if we can't predict the final destination. We must anticipate the skills that will be required in the future, how we can recruit them, and how talent acquisition must change to be fit for this new purpose.My guest this week is Russell Beck, Director of Inspiration at ImagineThinkDo and author of a new book called "The World Of Work to 2030". The book looks at the megatrends shaping the future, and Russell's background and experience in RPO means he can provide some relatable insights into the likely future of talent acquisition.In the interview, we discuss:Six megatrends shaping the futureFuture skills and how we hire themAI is removing your uniqueness.From STEM to STEAMArtistic engineersThe cost of bad hiringHow does TA need to changeHow can we future-proof our careers?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

As the debates about the future of talent acquisition rumble on, it's important to focus intensely on the critical value effective hiring brings to the organization. Talent remains a key differentiator that drives competitive advantage for a company, and this will be even more true in the future.My guest this week is Simon Taylor, Head of Organization Effectiveness at Gap Inc., who has authored a forthcoming book called "Build Smart: A Blueprint for Building a High-Performing Organization." Simon has a TA background and, in the book, outlines just how critical hiring is for companies. In our conversation, he shares his insights into what makes great hiring and its role in high-performing organizations.In the interview, we discuss:Common talent issues companies are facing.How important is recruiting in 2024?Competitive advantage from high-quality talent acquisitionThe long-term impact of bad hiringWhat makes a great hireThe importance of potentialUpskilling hiring managers and changing their mindsetHow to get buy-in across the organizationLeveraging data to illustrate opportunitiesWhy AI will be huge for talent acquisitionListen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Background checking is an area we've never really covered on the podcast. In the past, it has just felt like a necessary but very functional part of the hiring process. However, with the explosion in our digital footprints and the power of AI, that has now changed.So, how can background checks now help prevent workplace misconduct and improve the quality of hire? Where does AI fit in, and how can we ensure everything is legal and ethical?My guest this week is Ben Mones, CEO and Founder at Fama, an online screening technology company working with employers worldwide. If you haven't looked at what is happening in background screening for a while, this conversation with Ben will help you get up to date with what is possible.In the interview, we discuss:The impact of workplace misconductTalent screeningHow background checks have evolved in the last 10. yearsThe "Cambrian explosion" of digital informationUsing AI to unlock the signal from the noiseThe importance of applying human expertise and judgment The dangers of hiring managers doing their own checkingHow does AI-driven screening workLegislation, Compliance, Ethics and BiasImproving the quality of hireWhat does the future look likeListen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.