With artificial intelligence making in roads into many sectors of the workforce, it’s only natural for this question to be asked.
But, as far as I’m concerned, you may as well be asking if Luke Skywalker will leave the resistance fighters to join the dark side.
Artificial intelligence is here to stay and has a place, but I cannot see it take over the recruitment industry.
Let me assure you I speak from a vast amount of experience. I have been in Digital, Data, and Technical recruitment for just on 20 years.
OMG. And hasn’t the time gone quickly.
You know the saying ‘time flies when you’re having fun’? Well, I think it should be, ‘time flies when you’re having fun and working hard.’
The main thing I’ve learnt over these last twenty years is nothing beats working hard and smart. This is not to say that artificial intelligence can’t do those things. On the contrary, I bet it can do them very well.
However, when I talk about hard and smart work in the recruitment industry, I’m talking about my amazing staff Dayna Stewart, Lexy Mitchell, Ben Bullock, Judy Hathorn and Wilma Castros. We are always , studying work trends, examining patterns and identifying needs in the market. Looking at dwindling job niches and those on the rise so we are able to cater to individuals looking for a specific job in a particular niche market.
All this requires a human being to oversee manage and control.
Relying on Machine Learning and AI is great but for example the concept of COMMON SENSE is often a problem not yet solved in AI or Machine Learning.
The concept of trying to quantify TRUST into an algorithm is still light years away.
To the outsider our firm may appear relaxed and easy going, and yet we work very hard behind the scenes. Early interviews with potential job candidates, taking calls and answering emails into the night, past normal business hours are part and parcel of what makes Big Wave Digital tick. And will continue to make it tick !
Our refined work practices mean we have been able to nearly perfect early talent identification in Digital, Data and Technical.
The suggestion AI will take over recruitment brings a smile to my face. Those who hold this opinion must know very little about what we do.
There are areas in the work force that will be taken over by AI, but recruitment won’t be one of them.
A critical element in recruiting is the face-to-face identification of the right candidate for the right job. In getting to know our candidates, we know where to place them. AI will never be able to do this.
Relying on ‘intuition & your gut feeling’ is a skill built up over years and years of experience.
Recruitment is about people interaction. AI is what its name says it is, artificial intelligence.
Conclusion
It is not unusual for someone to say recruitment is easy. It takes no skill. Anyone can do it. And yet that is not true. Anyone who holds this opinion does not know what he or she is talking about.
Our work is more than simply looking at a resume and running our finger down a list of job adverts until we think we’ve found one to match the document we’re looking at.
Oh no. Recruitment is so much more.
The best recruiters, and thankfully I work with brilliant recruiters right now, are awesome because they make it look easy. They’re able to project an image and hide how much work they actually put in behind the scenes.
Those of us, who know the industry and know it well, know how much hard work it takes to be good.
Hard, smart work = Amazing talent.
And that is exactly what we’re good. Hard, smart work.
At Big Wave Digital , Sydney’s leading technical recruitment agency, we have deep digital connections, experience and proven expertise, and the ability to achieve a win for all parties in the technical recruiting process. We can connect to highly coveted tech talent with the world’s best employers. To discover more, just give us a call at (02) 9380 4431.
Keiran Hathorn is the CEO & Founder of Big Wave Digital. A Sydney based niche Digital, Data & Technology recruitment company. Keiran leads a high performance, experienced recruitment team, assisting companies of all sizes secure the best talent.
