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

Economic challenges, technology innovations, changing attitudes to how and where we work, and a new, very different generation entering the workplace. These are just some of the forces driving change across the whole of the people function.In this second compilation episode of interviews I recorded at Transform earlier in the year, I speak to two of the most innovative HR Executives out there about the changing Talent landscape.My first guest, Donald Knight, Chief People Officer at Greenhouse, shares his insights on the current challenges for CPOs, the importance of developing curiosity, and the need to eliminate the laggard approach that has categorized HR for so long. My second conversation is with John Baldino, President of Humareso. This was the final interview I recorded at the conference, and we reflect on the event, our key learnings from it, and the future of HR in an AI-driven world.Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

It's been nearly 18 months since ChatGPT launched and sparked a lively debate about the future of Talent Acquisition. While it's important to consider the long-term implications, a crucial part of building a strategy is embracing the potential of current technology through experimentation and skill development.My guest this week is Andy Headworth, Deputy Director of Talent Acquisition at HMRC. Over the last few months, Andy's team has gone from lunchtime AI experimentation sessions to rolling out the platform they created across their organization. This has driven radical improvements to their hiring process, improving its quality while simultaneously saving many hours of hiring manager and recruiter time. Andy shares its impact, the lessons they have learned, and his advice for TA leaders on building strategies for an AI-driven future.In the interview, we discuss:The recruiting challenges at HMRCExperimentation, learning, and being brave with your thinkingUnderstanding the problem you are trying to solveRevolutionizing the hiring manager experienceBuilding platforms using publically available tools and data Implications for TA and HR software vendorsThe use of AI by candidatesAdvice to TA leadersWhat does the future look like?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.A full transcript will appear here shortly.

A few weeks ago, I spent a couple of days recording at the excellent Transform conference in Las Vegas, and this is the first of two episodes with a compilation of some of the conversations I had.My first guest is Danielle Farage, a renowned Gen Z Futurist, Educator, and Community Builder. Danielle shares her perspective on why it's crucial to give Gen Z a voice and discusses the current employee experience for the newest generation in the workforce.My second conversation is with Recruiter and Creator Joel Lalgee. Joel talks about his journey to reaching an incredible 600,000 followers across various social media platforms. He shares his insights on how recruiters and employers should use a combination of short-form video and face-to-face experiences to build an influential brand.Topics we cover:The disconnect between the C-Suite and early career talentIncluding younger voices in the conversations defining the future of workAdvice on building the workforce of the futureHelping Gen Z develop their careers is an appropriate way for the times we live inWhat will work look like in five years?Producing high-quality content for TikTok and InstagramWhy TA is missing a massive opportunityBeing Omnichannel and building relationships and trustFollow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Talent Acquisition stands on the edge of revolution, with AI tools promising to make recruiting faster and more effective. But will it make hiring fairer? Recruiting and HR are already a key focus for governments as they develop legislation for AI, and employers are already at risk of breaking existing laws if they use AI tools that discriminate against protected groups of people.My guest this week is Commissioner Keith Sonderling of the EEOC. In our conversation, we talk about the benefits and risks of using AI in hiring, what employers need to know to ensure compliance with existing laws, and the new regulations many countries will implement shortly.In the interview, we discuss:Background context of The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)Bridging the gap between policy-making and HR practiceWhat advantages does AI bring to talent acquisition?The potential for technology to make clearer, more transparent hiring decisions than humansThe dangers AI poses if incorrectly implementedHow AI is used in hiring already falls under existing employer equality legislation.Who is liable, the employer or the AI vendor?The EU AI Act and New York City Law 144Are there common themes in new AI legislation being developed around the world?Reskilling, upskilling and changing dynamics in the workforceWhat does the future look like?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Many employers regularly offer internships, but the role of these internships in long-term hiring strategies can be pretty tenuous. So what happens when a company puts internships at the centre of its hiring strategy and proactively leverages this to build long-term pipelines of valuable talent?My guest this week is Leah Bourdon, Vice President of Talent at staffing and consulting firm ALKU. For several years, ALKU has made internships the heart of its resourcing strategy. In our conversation, Leah shares precisely how they do this and the considerable benefits and value it drives.In the interview, we discuss:The market for recruiting recruitersHaving a unique focus on entry-level talentThe employer brand of a career in recruitingTraining interns during the school yearFaster ramp-ups and higher retention ratesTalent spottingHow are the skills needed to be a recruiter changingTraining interns in the same way as full-time employeesHow will recruiting change over the next five yearsFollow 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 597: Talent Acquisition ExcellenceEp 598: Building Exec Search In HouseEp 599: Data SophisticationEp 600: Did We Predict The Future?Ep 601: Quiet HiringEp 602: The Skills Mismatch In HiringEp 603: Talent Lessons From Elite SportFollow this podcast on Apple Podcasts

Companies can learn a massive amount from elite sports in terms of spotting and nurturing the talent required to build highly effective teams. Having an adaptable, flexible, and self-aware mindset is critical in these disruptive times, and professional sports have coaching models that can help leaders develop this mindset in their teams.I was lucky enough to speak to former England Cricket Captain Sir Andrew Strauss at the recent Transform conference in Las Vegas. After his playing career finished, Andrew ran elite cricket in the UK for four years. He is now the co-founder of Mindflick, a high-performance coaching business that uses psychology and technology to make the lessons from elite sports accessible to companies.In the interview, we discuss:What can elite sports teach business about leadership?Learning how to be adaptable in dynamic environmentsThe importance of self-awarenessUnderstanding how teams react under pressureWhat makes top talentUnderstanding and accepting weaknesses The role of technologyGetting buy-in and building an emotional connection with a group visionFollow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Skills-based hiring is a hot topic as many employers seek to better understand the skills they need in their businesses both now and in the future. With the shelf life of hard skills shortening by the day, companies need to bridge the gap between talent acquisition and talent management to ensure that they are hiring for the skills that actually drive value for the business.My guest this week is Jason Putnam, CRO at Plum. Jason has tremendous experience in the industry and is continually talking to senior corporate leaders about their skills strategies. He has some interesting and unique insights to share, and this is a must-listen for everyone trying to make sense of skills-based hiring.In the interview, we discuss:The current market challengesAre companies prioritizing talent management over talent acquisition?How is the relationship between the talent management and talent acquisition function evolving?The shortening shelf life of hard skills and the importance of soft skillsThe mismatch between the skills employers hire for and the skills they actually value in their organizationsSkills and productivityAre mapping skills within the organization necessary or even possible?How job seekers' use of AI will change talent acquisition.What does the future look likeFollow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

The podcast discusses skills shortages, digital transformation, AI revolution, hiring freezes, and layoffs reshaping talent acquisition. Rich Wilson talks about skills-focused hiring strategies, AI creating new opportunities, internal mobility, upskilling, and talent sharing. It explores future work trends, the importance of TA teams, and envisions the talent space in five years.

I launched Recruiting Future nine years ago to attempt to understand the future of talent acquisition. Back then, social media was the biggest driver of change, and we were starting to realize how much new technologies would change the world.Predicting the future is always risky; however, if you approach things correctly, you can spot the trends that will stick and get a sense of what is likely to happen.I'm actually launching a short digital course next month to teach you some tools and techniques to do this. You can join the VIP waitlist for early access and a discount by going to mattalder.me/course Back to the 600th episode. To celebrate this landmark, I invited my long-time collaborator and co-author, Mervyn Dinnen, to a studio in London to explore just how accurate some of the predictions we made in a whitepaper back in 2016 about the future of work were and to discuss what we think will happen over the next decade. There is also a video version of this podcast that you can find by following the link in the show notes.In the interview, we discuss:When I first told Mervyn I was launching Recruiting futureTasks, not jobs, in a skills-based futureHow the pandemic accelerated trends that were already thereIs "return to the office" HR's version of the culture warsWhy we thought recruiting would be "Tinderized."The long-predicted demise of the resumeTalent MarketplacesWhat does the next ten years look likeTotal Talent ThinkingWhere is the humanity in the AI-driven future of work?What is going to happen over the next 12 monthsWatch the video version of this episode on YouTubeFollow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.