In the recent webinar sponsored by Day One, The HR World’s panel of experts discussed the challenges that HR faces as they search for talent across different employment sectors.
Sian WILSON is Co-Founder/Executive Director of DayOne. Claire Webster is HR Director at Avantia. Fiona Mason is Chief Human Resources Officer at RDT. They all spoke about the challenges in balancing the use of technology and the human touch, to ensure that all candidates are treated fairly, equally and efficiently. This webinar is worth watching as it’s packed with great ideas and best practices. The panelists answer two more questions below:
1: The technology is changing recruitment. Do you think that there will be a day when the computer will choose and schedule people to work in an organisation without any human input?
Sian WILSON: The technology is a major part of the TA’s journey. It is supporting high-time-constraint activities – auto screening, AI sourcing, AI sourcing, and interviewing, to name a couple. I believe we are close to this for some roles, where the sourcing and onboarding of work can be done entirely through technology. However, we must not lose sight of the values and culture that we build at the workplace and the candidate experience. I put myself in the shoes of the candidate – would I accept a position if I hadn’t met the people who work there or gotten a sense of the place? Ethics and fairness are also important to consider. I believe there should be a good blend of both – get rid of bureaucracy and time, and think of technology as your TA. Then your TA team can focus on onboarding and workforce planing.
Fiona Mason I see a future where recruitment will be purely driven by technology for certain roles, such as bulk recruitment for temporary jobs, lower-skilled work and jobs with a high turnover. It doesn’t matter if I think this is a good or bad thing. I can definitely see it happening. But I do see technology as a tool that will increase the amount of human involvement in higher-level roles and specialist positions.
2: I want to evaluate candidates based on their skills/potential but I worry that I’m getting too far from the actual abilities or track records of people. Is it possible to strike a balance here?
Sian W.: Yes. First, it is important to define the qualities you want in a role and make sure everyone involved is on the same page. It is important to be clear about what you are looking for in a role, in terms of skills and values. We have used simulations to help us identify and match skills. I would then calibrate the ‘potential” with stakeholders, such as hiring managers and colleagues to ensure alignment. For example, if a candidate did not have the perfect background or experience but joined quickly and learned fast – would they flourish in 6 months? What else could we gain from them if this happened? I have found that a balanced scorecard is helpful. It allows me to give equal weighting to current skills, potential, and proven experience.
Fiona Mason There is always a mix and it is likely to be different for each role and organisation. When you think about the role that needs to be filled, the first thing you should ask yourself is what we are looking for, and what our goal is. How much growth is possible in this position? Hire for potential and train for skill… But it’s impossible to get everything right. Every recruitment process has inherent flaws!
