How AI Can Help Identify the Right Skills and Build Stronger Teams

Building a strong business starts with assembling the right team and delivering a thoughtful, effective hiring process. As AI and related technologies rapidly evolve, they are becoming an increasingly common part of how companies approach talent acquisition.Tim Wesson, SVP of global talent acquisition at IQVIA, spoke with moderator Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, business reporter at the Seattle Times, about AI and how it can be used to create strong, long-lasting teams in the workforce during a fireside chat at From Day One’s March virtual conference. With a background in sales and sales management, Wesson eventually found his way to the talent acquisition field. Now, with eight years at IQVIA, Wesson has firmly settled into his role at the corporation that provides many vital services.“Our mission really is to accelerate innovation for a healthier world, and we do so by leveraging our domain expertise, our tech, our data and analytics, bringing it all together to innovate,” said Wesson.How the Pandemic Changed HiringWhen discussing how Covid reshaped hiring, Wesson noted that the virtual hiring practices that emerged during the pandemic are still widely used today. He also pointed to greater flexibility in career paths and the expanded use of technology, including AI, as lasting shifts that continue to shape hiring.Tim Wesson of IQVIA shared insights on TA during the session (photo by From Day One)When asked what challenges exist today, Wesson stated that having to do more or even the same with less is often a challenging feat. Budgets are usually tight and that has been amplified throughout the past years, which puts pressure on talent acquisition. There’s also a large increase in applicants for the various roles. “I think, primarily because there’s not as many roles, but also AI is certainly helping facilitate people to apply to roles,” said Wesson. “And so you just have this massive amount of applicants that are coming in on a day-to-day basis.”Some of the applications coming in aren’t from actual candidates and this leads to an increase in the number of applications the talent acquisition team has to go through to find the right person to hire for the job role, he says. How a Company Can Attract TalentAs for how a company can remain attractive to talent, “I wouldn’t say there’s this new playbook that you have to write in order to remain attractive. I think it’s still about knowing what’s important to the people in the various talent pools that we recruit in and then taking a tailored approach to that individual.”There are more than 2,000 different job profiles at IQVIA, ranging from clinical roles to tech roles, and everything in between, he says. Therefore, the approach must be tailored to reach those individuals in all the different job roles. The recruiters need to be well-versed in the roles that they’re hiring for, know how to provide meaningful information to the candidate, and run a well-constructed interview process. Most importantly, they must have good communication with the candidate throughout the hiring process. In addition to offering a competitive salary and attractive benefits, Wesson said that it’s also important to provide flexibility, learning and development, and career growth opportunities. Overall, it’s vital to know what’s important to the candidate and focus on those areas, which will help increase the attractiveness of the job opportunity. The needs of potential hires also vary from a generational standpoint. “Certainly, stability is very important, and flexibility is important for Gen Z and millennials. I would also say meaningful work is very important. Probably more important, I think, to the Gen Z group than the others.” For IQVIA, which has a global presence, Wesson says the fundamentals of talent acquisition don’t really change. However, you have to be aware of certain factors, such as cultural nuances, laws and regulations, and social platforms. When recruiting in different countries, you should be knowledgeable of the various cultures. Some companies have recruiters all over the globe, which makes it easier to hire with this type of consideration in mind.With that said, hiring managers do sometimes have to interact with candidates outside of their country. “What we’re running into is hiring managers, say, in the US, having to interview and interact with candidates in other countries, and they’re not used to how you go about interacting, interviewing, etc. So, in the last year or so, we had to put together playbooks for hiring managers, educating them on those cultural nuances and kind of setting their expectations as it relates to interviewing people in other parts of the world.”AI and Hiring DecisionsAI plays a role at multiple stages of the hiring process, Wesson says, particularly in the early phases of recruitment, where it helps shape messaging that attracts candidates.“In regard to finding talent, creating those talent pools, we’re also using it to assist us in assessing a candidate’s experience or level of skills. So that’s where it’s primarily being used,” said Wesson.Wesson continued that AI is also used to review the skills that currently exist with their employee base for internal mobility purposes.Looking ahead, Wesson said he’s watching how organizations will evolve in allowing talent acquisition teams to use AI, and to what extent. With recent lawsuits involving AI tools making headlines, the path forward may depend in part on how those cases are resolved and how companies use the outcomes to guide their approach.There may also be some employees who are resistant to using AI and other similar technology tools. “I think the change management piece is really important, as far as really helping people understand the reasoning behind the tool, whether it’s AI or not AI, or why you decided to use it, how it fits the expectations around using it, the training and support after it gets rolled out, and understanding that people are going to be somewhat resistant to change,” he said. “You have to account for that.”Kristen Kwiatkowski is a professional freelance writer covering a wide array of industries, with a focus on food and beverage and business. Her work has been featured in the Bucks County Herald, Eater Philly, Edible Lehigh Valley, Cider Culture, and The Town Dish. (Photo by NongAsimo/iStock)