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

We live in a world of work where understanding, interpreting and telling stories with data has never been more critical. Although Talent Acquisition has become more data-centric in recent years, many TA functions rely on summary statistics that don't provide a sophisticated enough platform to use data to inform and influence their organizations properly.So, what can TA leaders do to make their data strategies more effective?My guest this week is Ben Porr, Chief Customer Officer at Harver. In our conversation, Ben offered some highly actionable advice TA leaders can follow to level up and tell compelling stories with data.In the interview, we discuss:Why data is so essential in TAAnswering questions with data rather than with opinions or assumptionsWhat organizations are missing out on if they only use summary statisticsWhat are the innovative organizations doing?AI and automationWhat are the most critical data sources?Pivot table versus data visualizationHuman in the loopUsing data to shift strategiesHow AI will empower decision-making based on smaller sets of dataWhat will the future look like?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Executive Search is often considered so specialized that it should always remain the preserve of Exec Search agencies. However, an ever-increasing number of large employers are now choosing to build in-house executive search functions. So what are the advantages of doing this, how do you do this, and what is the ongoing impact from tighter talent markets and innovations in technologyMy guest this week is Katie Howard, Global Talent Acquisition Luxury and Lifestyle Lead at IHG. Katie made the switch from Search Agency to in-house just over a year ago and has been helping set IHG up for success in a highly competitive market for senior talent.In the interview, we discuss:The difference between agency and in-houseThe current challenges in the senior talent market within luxury hospitalityHow IHG differentiates itselfApproaching and engaging with global talent poolsNon-linear careers and talent mobility Managing stakeholders in large matrix organizationsMaking the candidate experience match the luxury guest experienceDE&IRethinking onboardingAdvice for anyone setting up an in-house functionThe role of AI in executive hiringWhat does the future look like?Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

I was delighted to hear two of my regular guests on Recruiting Future were writing a book together. “Talent Acquisition Excellence” by Kevin Wheeler and Bas Van De Haterd is now available, whether you get your books, and it is brilliant to welcome them both back to the podcast to talk about it.Kevin is the founder of The Future of Talent Institute and is highly respected for his skills in predicting how Talent Acquisition and HR will develop and evolve. Bas is a consultant whose keen sense of curiosity has helped him map the evolution of assessment technology and deliver an annual state-of-the-nation report on corporate career sites.In our conversations, they bring different perspectives to the concept of Talent Acquisition excellent, offer some actionable advice and give us a sense of what the future might hold.In the interview, we discuss:What is talent acquisition excellence?Why AI could be more disruptive than the invention of the InternetShifting mindsetsImproving selection by using scienceDriving the evolution of recruitment marketingHow the recruiting function will change, and what skills will recruiters needWhy employers aren't moving quickly enoughWhere will TA be in a year?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 591: Is AI Changing Jobseeker Behaviour?Ep 592: Understanding SkillsEp 593: The Career Forward MindsetEp 594: Recruiting Data Science SkillsEp 595: Proving The Value Of Talent AcquisitionEp 596: Expectations and ExperienceFollow this podcast on Apple Podcasts

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.