Written by: Shimron Equiano
Since the 19th Century, the advancements in Technology have changed the world beyond all recognition – especially in the last 10 to 20 years.
First, the automobile, then the aeroplane, then the personal computer, the smartphone, the electric / self-driving car; and now artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are taking the ‘robotics’ element of Technology to the next level.
I work in recruitment, so I’m going to discuss these advancements in relation to their effect on this industry.
THE END IS NIGH
Some commentators say that the role of recruiters will become redundant, just as soon as some ‘whizz bang geek visionary’ in Silicon Valley figures out a way to permanently eradicate them.
I must disagree.
Whilst automation is already getting rid of some of the ‘thankless tasks’ that all recruiters [have to] do, and whilst artificial intelligence is also helping to eradicate some the ‘mistakes’ that are still being made by the recruiter, there’s nothing’ that will remove the ‘human element’ of recruitment.
THE HUMAN ELEMENT
How could a ‘bot’ know:
-the hidden motivation behind a candidates’ reason for leaving a role having just received a promotion?
-how to question an employers’ reason for not wanting to employ a person of a certain sex, race or age?
-that what the CV says is merely the ‘top layer’ and until detailed conversations take place, the ‘real value’ of a candidate is unlikely to be unearthed?
-whether a 4-month old un-filled vacancy, needs the employer to have the job description re-evaluated?
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Whichever way we dress it up – ‘machine learning’ has and is likely to continue to have limitations in the recruitment sector, because ultimately, recruitment is a ‘people business’ not an ‘algorithm business’
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
Can the current (and future) Technology advancements in the recruitment sector help recruiters to be more ‘efficient’?
100%.
Can it also help to remove some of the ‘guess’ work?
Yes, it can.
Would I agree that ‘some’ recruiters will fall by the wayside?
Absolutely.
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SO WHAT NEXT?
AI & ML is going to continue to have a greater impact and it is up to the custodians of the recruitment industry to embrace it, utilise it and manage it appropriately to improve the ‘process’ and the ‘experience’ for all parties involved.
Aside from having children, or getting married, or buying a new home or a car …starting/changing jobs can be one of the biggest decisions taken by an individual and this can be the cause of lots of different emotions like stress, excitement, uncertainty and everything in between!
The ‘best’ recruiters who dedicate themselves to the craft will have the ability to process & manage the ‘emotional’ aspect of recruitment better than any piece of technology, past present or future.
I’d be happy for someone to pull this blog from the ‘cyber-vault’ in 2038 and prove me wrong – but I do think that a recruiter who has dedicated time & energy to understanding the culture, ambition and history of the employer and then carefully matching this to the wants, needs and idiosyncrasies of a potential employee will continue to ‘win’.
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If you are a client in search of a new recruitment partner, or a candidate looking for your next challenge, please email us on; Hello@JonothanBosworth.co.uk or call us on; 0845 299 6369 to see how we can positively assist you.
www.JonothanBosworth.co.uk
We have a number of open vacancies dotted across the UK at the moment and it’s an exciting time to be alive at Jonothan Bosworth…
Our clients are all reputable, dynamic businesses, looking to bring fresh talent to their ranks, and we are hoping that it could be you!
Are you a Business Development Executive based in Shropshire? How about a SQL Infrastructure Specialist in Greater London?… Maybe you know a strong Service Delivery Manager based in West London? We are also looking for Java Developers in Yorkshire, and UK wide. If you love the sea side, we have a 2nd Line Engineer vacancy based on the South Coast, and we have a requirement for a highly talented MVC Full Stack Developer is Buckinghamshire…
With plenty more happening behind the scenes and more roles expected to be rolled out over the next 4 weeks; now is a good time to be contacting the Jonothan Bosworth team.
The sun is out, the summer is almost upon us… Maybe it’s time for a change?
Contact us on +44(0)845 299 6369 or send your resume here: https://jonothanbosworth.co.uk/pledge/
Is it us, or does the world and everybody in it expect things to be done ‘yesterday’?
From what we understand, it has taken millions of years for our planet and the life that inhabits this place we call Earth to have evolved to the stage it’s at right now.
Judging by the behaviour of some – there is still a long way to go!
So with this multi-million-year evolution in mind – where does our current impatience stem from? Is it the media? Or is it part of our ‘timeline DNA’? Maybe we were always destined to be this way!?
We’re going to relate this current dilemma to the recruitment industry, and we’ll attempt to break down what we see in every day actions of all parties involved:
The Recruiter:
Almost all recruiters are guilty of this – (even if it happens only in the early stages of their careers), but why is it that recruiters expect decisions to made ‘immediately’ by candidates and / or clients, if the ground work hasn’t been done?
Before ‘giving the offer’ to your candidate, did you know that he/she had 5 other final stage interviews lined up as well as yours? What about the fact that the candidate who represents your ‘biggest deal of the month’ is going through a messy divorce and is unlikely to be in a position to start in 4 weeks’ time (as requested by the client), due to all of the ‘personal issues’ he/she has to deal with, before being able to focus energy into a new challenge with a new employer?
You may know that your client needs someone to start ASAP – but did you ask them the reasons why? Is it due to something positive like ‘plans to expand the business’? Or is it because the role itself is a ’75 hour working week’ with international travel – fit for 3 employees and not 1?
Maybe the last two people left the position due to ‘burn out’…
It is only with a ‘deep sea dive’ into the circumstances and the real motivations and challenges faced by your clients and candidates that you can then get on with providing a world class recruitment solution.
If, as the recruiter, you work only off the ‘titbits’ of information (presented by the employer and potential new employee) your quest for a ‘quick turnaround’ is likely to end in tears…
With experience comes the ability to see the tell-tale signs of such potential calamity – but it cannot always be predicted, and without a particular process having been followed, everything can come crashing down like a house of cards.
Cutting corners to achieve quick success is typical of an epidemic sweeping not only the recruitment sector, but that of our wider society as well. I call it the ‘microwave society‘ syndrome.
Recruitment is a great industry, but we think it is important to step back, take stock and view things with a ‘wide lens’ from time to time. This way, clients, candidates, recruiters and suppliers will have happier stories to share around the camp fire.
The Candidate:
Are you the person that applies to 5, 10, or even 15 jobs at a spin?
Well the games’ up!
There is very little chance of you being able to field dozens of calls from dozens of recruiters; and expect to perform at your optimum level… Especially if you are still committed to your current employer.
In my opinion, it could make more sense to ‘strategically focus’ your job search to a smaller number of roles by reading job adverts fully and matching your skills closely with what is being asked.
The expectation that ‘all recruiters are great recruiters’ and will be able to glean the information that they need from a generic CV, and then have the time and ability to extract even more relevant information from you over the phone, in a 5-minute conversation during your lunch break – and then potentially ‘repackage’ your resume specifically for the client that they represent, is quite fanciful to say the least.
As the candidate; it is important to recognise the very significant part that you play and it needs to be played to perfection.
If we were to break this contribution down to a percentage point, I think it would sit at around 33%.
So, 1/3 of the probability of landing the ‘ideal’ role is apportioned to your dedication and application as a candidate.
If you haven’t:
– taken time to produce a great CV
– targeted a small, relevant cluster of job roles/adverts to apply for
– put yourself in a position to answer calls from the recruiter (and the client)
the likelihood is, you’ll be staying in your ‘75 hour working week‘ job for a little while longer…
The Employer:
Before we get into this – if any of our clients are reading – there is a very strong possibility that this doesn’t relate to you! Jonothan Bosworth Recruitment Specialists have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most efficient and understanding employers, and we thank you!
However, there are some employers that have a ‘default setting’ and that is: they want the best employee(s), found within the least amount of time, for a ‘not-so’ market leading salary/package.
This is where the phrase ‘ready-made‘ really takes centre stage.
As employers; we recognise that it is not going to be easy to find ‘top talent’ because the best [recruiters] in the industry are typically being looked after by their current employers.
Without realistic and / or appealing offerings from a client, the recruiter ends up fishing in a stagnant pond – with very few ‘desirable’ fish to choose from.
Operating in these ‘marsh-like’ conditions can lead to unwanted results.
When most companies ‘start up’, there is a concentrated effort to train staff, to infuse new employees with the culture, and there’s always a desire to retain the best people…
As a business begins to grow, sometimes the training manual starts to collect dust on a shelf, the culture starts to shift because the CEO no longer has the time or energy to continue promoting his/her ‘message’ to the new people entering the fray. Ultimately keeping a watchful eye on the ‘wellbeing’ of all employees becomes a distant memory…
…Hiring more and more people into this melting pot can sometimes be a recipe for disaster; the ’employee conveyer belt’ starts to turn a bit faster and before you know it, job descriptions get written in a rush to counteract the ‘leakage’ – and are written without the spark they once had and the wrong people are hired because the recruiter is under pressure to deliver quickly. The ‘vicious cycle’ continues.
In Conclusion…
As recruiters, we need to share these feelings with our clients and candidates. If you lose the odd client or candidate because of your honest, but constructive assessment of their supermarket style ‘dash for the ready-made’, it simply means more time can be spent working on the ‘quality’ aspect of the service provided by your business.
If as a candidate you see a recruiter ‘doing the right things’ in order to enhance your ‘journey’ – let your new employer know… it may mean that the employer raises the bar across their whole supplier group; placing extra importance on the recruiter that provides the most thorough and professional service – which in turn can improve your working life, should you become a hiring manager.
…Maybe it’s time for all parties to put the ‘Super Noodles’ away, and get back to serving up ‘Michelin Star’ quality…
UK Recruiters Question The Value Of A Degree
A new study reveals how UK recruitment professionals are questioning the value of a degree in the current job market, with over half of those in the industry admitting that if they had their chance again, they would choose NOT to go to university.
The research, conducted by CV Library the UK’s largest independent job board, addressed the country’s leading recruiters to establish the main issues surrounding graduate employment and what it means to have a degree in today’s working climate. Over 700 recruiting experts responded and key findings suggest that the qualification is decreasing in value:
• 50.8% of recruitment professionals would choose not to go to university in this day and age, showing a clear split amongst those that best know the UK job market
• In today’s current climate, 84.1% of recruitment professionals believe a degree is becoming less essential to securing a job
• Looking forward to 2025, 47.2% believe that degrees will have an even smaller value
• In comparison, 33.6% of recruiters believe that degrees will be of the same value as they are today, leaving just 19.2% that think they will be more important
• The majority of respondents (68.2%) suggest that degrees are only important for securing jobs that demand one
• Under a quarter (23.6%) of job professionals think the number of graduate job opportunities will rise
Results clearly show that the advantages of having a degree are beginning to lessen, unless they are a prerequisite for entering a sector. In addition, due to the suggestion that there is a lack of growth in graduate jobs, it is unsurprising that 66.3% of respondents believe that graduates are having a tougher time today compared to ten years ago.
Despite this, recruiters firmly believe that the most employable candidates are those with both a degree and excellent work experiences, with 90.6% of recruiters favouring this over one or the other.
CV-Library’s founder and managing director Lee Biggins explains: “In today’s competitive job market, it’s unsurprising to see that recruiters have a split opinion on the value of a degree. There has been lots in the media recently regarding the importance of work experience and this really highlights that. Degrees can be a valuable tool to job-hunters, but it’s equally important for candidates to ensure they have a strong balance of work experience and qualifications if they want to be successful in their job search.”
Source of article: Recruitment Buzz: August 7th 2015
Recruiting for today’s current in-demand positions gives everyone involved with the process the ‘heebee jeebees’. Jobseekers suffer from spam, recruiters hate pestering people for a living, and ever-more-desperate employers wish they could just talk to some serious, intelligent people who know how to get the job done. These are just a couple of the secret thoughts…
Jonothan Bosworth Recruitment Specialists are calling for a reinvention of the entire “recruitment” process, starting with the way we talk, describe and explain it! With a change of mindset, we can actually start to change the age-old system and make everyone happier: employers & hiring managers, job seekers (both active and passive), and recruiters themselves….
Except, we have a new name for recruiters. We want to call ourselves ‘connectors’, and this is quite fitting, with one of our company-wide phrases being; ‘We Connect People!’
Serious job seekers want to talk with their fellow professionals and people that understand the process of ‘seeking employment’, not just the process of ‘fulfilling a vacancy’. They don’t want to be a number on database, and they don’t want to run through a gauntlet of recruiters and HR screeners who know nothing about their area of expertise. Hiring managers are jaded by hearing the same two dimensional sales pitch, when all they really want to do, is to deal with someone who has a genuine enthusiasm for their work and the role they’re aiming to fill, and a transparency in regards to the way they work too. Recruiters make them both shudder. However, smart, engaged, peer-to-peer conversations make them feel warm and fuzzy.
Let’s get everyone feeling warm and fuzzy about recruitment! …sorry, I mean about connecting people! 🙂
If you are a client in search of a new recruitment partner, or a candidate looking for your next challenge, please contact Jonothan Bosworth Recruitment Specialists on; 0845 299 6369
