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Balancing Technology and Humanity in Recruiting Today’s Workforce
Allied Universal Security Services hired a candidate for a recruiting role that had a “fantastic” resume but limited recruiting experience. She played sports in high school and college, worked as a lifeguard, and had skills in sales. Although she didn’t check off all the boxes, her values and mindset made her the top candidate. Kelly Hunter, vice president of global talent acquisition at Allied Universal Security Services emphasized that while many companies use skills-based hiring methods, the truest sense of a candidate’s capabilities can be seen through a personality lens. During an executive panel discussion at From Day One’s Philadelphia conference, leaders dove into how they are able to make employee recruitment and hiring a more efficient and inclusive process.Human Connections and ValuesWhen she was hired 15 years ago, Hunter says she didn’t check every box that recruiters were looking for but her personal values are what made her the company’s best pick. Her story highlights that hiring is about more than a checklist, it’s about identifying the qualities that align with a company’s culture and long-term vision.She also considered that there is power in developing connections with not only candidates, but also within the hiring team. “Very commonly, we’ll get an email back from a hiring manager saying, ‘not a fit.’ That's not enough for me. I need more,” she said. “It’s being able to pick up the phone and hold those leaders accountable to know why [the candidate] was not the right fit. Help me understand the strengths and the challenges that that interview faced and give us more feedback.”Steve Koepp, From Day One co-founder and editor in chief, moderated the panel discussion about "Making Talent Acquisition More Efficient, Inclusive, and Personalized"In the hiring process, it’s also important to identify whether a candidate aligns with the company’s values and leadership during the interview, said Shaunique Adams, vice president, human resource business partner at M&T Bank.“Someone can technically have the skills, or the experience and then how often does it happen, where they show up there’s an (employee relations) issue, or there’s other things that come up from more of a personality fit that was kind of masked to a degree,” said Adams.The talent acquisition team at M&T Bank is also connecting with its existing employees and supporting them through their career within the company. Adams shared that the team hosts open town halls across the organisation and offers opportunities for employees to have their resumes reviewed. “One of the things I first noticed when I started was people were decades in the organization, moving around, and often with that, your resume may be a bit stale or you may not even have a resume because you’ve been there so long,” she said. As Generation Z candidates enter the workforce, the age range of talent continues to widen. María Julieta Casanova, global head of strategic HR business partners & talent acquisition at Corteva Agriscience, noticed that younger workers have an urge to be challenged and to utilize problem solving skills. Hunter added that Gen Z are seeking engagement, in-person interactions, and a sense of connection after spending years at home during the pandemic. They are eager to immerse themselves in environments with leaders that can help them build on their skills. Where to Use AI, and Where to Avoid ItWith technological advancements, talent acquisition leaders are finding ways to improve their work by implementing artificial intelligence platforms. M&T Bank and Corteva Agriscience are using Microsoft Copilot and Eightfold, an AI candidate screener. “The guidance that I received from my partners is that they find Eightfold to be even more effective than LinkedIn, Indeed, and all of those sourcing tools,” said Adams. The platform is able to screen candidates and elevate top talent for recruiters and sourcing teams to review. It allows companies to “unlock capacity for everybody in the talent acquisition team to spend more time in human interactions,” said Casanova.Eightfold has also allowed recruiters to maintain a database of past candidates under a reserve of skills that they are looking for in other job opportunities, Casanova says. “This technology is not just a tool, but also it unlocks more time for recruiters to do other things that are more strategic.”AI can help benefit recruiters in many ways, but there are also looming perceptions of the technology as deceiving. Hunter mentioned that companies are seeing bots applying for people and candidates using AI to answer interview questions over video calls. As these concerns rise, she highlights the continuous need for the human element.“During the pandemic, there were so many offers that happened virtually and they never met anyone,” said Hunter. “Now we’re really making it an emphasis to meet people in person, even if all the interviews went great, like, has anybody met them in person yet?”Casanova added that AI also involves a stronger awareness of privacy and compliance policies, which differ across the world. As more companies introduce AI platforms and new technology, change is necessary, she says. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)
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