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

There is a strong argument that Employer Branding has never been more relevant or important. The last few months have seen many employers making layoffs as they respond to market conditions and some sense of normalization after the pandemic. It's fair to say that some employers and potentially whole industries have suffered severe reputational damage because of this.So how can companies rebuild their reputations as employers? This is not only important from a talent acquisition perspective; it is a vital part of retaining the talent they already have.My guest this week is Emily Firth, Founder and Partner at The Truth Works. Emily is an Employer Brand and Employee Engagement expert, and it was great to get her view on how employers can rebuild and manage their reputations in the current market landscape.In the interview, we discuss:The post-pandemic state of Employer BrandingLack of delineation between internal and external communicationsTransparency and controlMoving away from a hyper-curated narrativeFoundations and frameworksRebuilding reputationsInfluencing and education leadershipGenerative AI and the future of employer brandingListen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.

Storytelling is one of the things that makes humans human. In recruitment marketing and employer branding, stories persuade, create empathy and drive the emotional connections that make people take action.With the rise of automation and generative AI, human-based storytelling will likely be a critical differentiator between employers. So do we understand how to tell compelling stories, and are our strategies around storytelling sophisticated enough to deal with a future of more disruptive change?My guest this week is Lauryn Sargent, Co-Founder of Stories Incorporated and an expert in storytelling for recruitment marketing and employer branding. I caught up with Lauryn at the recent UNLEASH America conference to hear her thoughts on the future of storytelling and listen to the great advice she had to share.In the interview, we discuss:Does TA understand storytelling on a strategic level?What are the elements of a great story?Psychological safetyStructuring the perfect story interviewMaking content work in different channels and formatsThe impact of generative AIThe future of recruitment marketingListen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.

I recently hosted a webinar on the future of talent acquisition and asked the audience to consider this question. Will there ever be as many recruiters again as there were in August 2022?The arrival of universally available generative AI and a harsh economic climate has caused the perfect storm in our industry. But how much long-term disruption of talent acquisition and potential elimination of recruiting roles could there be?My guest this week is Allyn Bailey, a highly experienced talent acquisition leader who previously held a global role at Intel and is now Executive Director of Hiring Success at SmartRecruiters. A couple of weeks ago, Allyn put out a challenge on LinkedIn that she was prepared to debate her belief that a major organization would move to recruiterless recruiting within the next 18 months. Because I consider her one of the most innovative thinkers in the industry, I took the opportunity at the recent UNLEASH America event to learn more about her hypnosis. I also got her thoughts on the future structure of talent acquisition teams and her advice around reskilling and retraining for those at risk of being displaced.In the interview, we discuss:Fungibility and flexibility of technologyCan you build a future-proof tech stack?Is it possible to implement a relationship-based recruiting strategy in a world of management by transactional metrics?Can AI be more human than humans?Can technology now address every step in the TA process?Will we see recruiterless recruiting within 18 months?The nuances of the hypothesisThe TA team of the futureTA Ops, system and experience designWill candidates push back?Legislation and regulationReskilling and retraining.Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.A full transcript will appear here shortly.

At the beginning of May, I attended UNLEASH America as a podcaster and panel host. It was UNLEASH's biggest event to date in the US, and the content and conversations were excellent. As you can imagine, the implications of Generative AI dominated the discussion. From talking to a range of practitioners, vendors, and thought leaders, it was clear that everyone agrees that Talent Acquisition will be changed quickly and forever by new technology. However, it is not just technology that is driving change; aside from the obvious economic issues, many employers are rethinking their whole approach to talent, and this was reflected in several conversations I had about the blurring lines between talent acquisition and talent management.Next week I'll be publishing some long-form interviews I recorded at the event, but in the meantime, here is a series of short conversations that capture the essence of the discussion at the show. Appearing in this episode:John Vlastelica, the CEO of Recruiting ToolboxSarah White, the Founder of Aspect 43Mervyn Dinnen, HR Analyst and my co-author on "Digital Talent."Crissy McConnell, Internal Recruiting Lead at Guild.Topics discussed include:Thinking holistically about talentBreaking down the silos between Talent Acquisition and Talent ManagementThe impact of Generative AIThe market for recruiting technologyLegislation and legal confusion around AIPsychological Safety and ERGsThe future of jobs and the end of everythingCandidate and consumer attitudes to AIRegenerating talent to open opportunitySurfacing internal talentTotal experienceThe future of talent acquisitionSubscribe to this podcast in 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 510: Candidate Experience 2023Ep 511: How To Be A Global Employer Of ChoiceEp 512: Being More AgileEp 513: Building Connection In A Hybrid WorldEp 514: Build, Maintain & Leverage Your NetworkEp 515: AI And The Future Of Talent AcquisitionEp 516: The Changing WorkforceEp 517: Aligning Benefits To ValuesSubscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts

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 facingListening to and understanding people's storiesBuilding culture nationally and internationallyHow do you handle compensation strategically across state and country boundaries?How can employers use benefits as magnets for talent?Aligning benefits with company valuesUnderstanding the needs of your employee populationResponsible transparencyWhat are the implications of AI for HR?What will the future of work look like?Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.

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 marketThe rise of contractors, freelancers, and fractional workersAccessing global talent poolsThe challenges of an evolving workforceWhat are the most innovative businesses doing?Building a culture that is inclusive of temporary and contract workersHow complicated is it to make sure everyone gets paidThe growing demand for early wage accessInnovative financial benefits to attract talentWhat opportunities does Fintech innovation open up for recruiting and talent acquisition?Listen to this podcast in Apple Podcasts.

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 marketThe difference between Generative AI and Conversational AIWhat 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 AutomationEnriching interactive conversationsTime reductionWhat is the art of the possible with personalization?The implications of "quick apply" on employer brand communicationPolarising messagesCalibration by the candidate reaction to AIWhat will the next two years look like, and where is technology heading nextListen 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 youBuilding deeper, more powerful relationshipsHow a whole generation has had no meaningful face-to-face connections at workThe power of small, consistent actionSeven types of relationshipsMinute 32 and the unpredictable nature of conversationsBeing more humanThe difference between a specific and a general askHow will networking develop in the future, and what skills will we need to learnListen 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 connectionThe consequences and cost of disengagementWhy returning to the office isn't the answerBringing people together in a memorable wayOffsites to increase retention and drive creative ideationWhich companies do this well, and how do they do itThe importance of environmentDesigning an effective offsite and why you shouldn't start with logisticsLong term planning to develop connectionWhat does the future of work look like?Subscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts