TA Connect: The Impact of AI on Recruitment

On the 17th of October, Tom Dover, an Associate Director on our UK team, specialising in the Commerce sector, held the second event in our TA Connect series looking at AI’s Impact on Recruitment. This series brings together Recruitment professionals to network, share knowledge and delve into trending topics.

In this session attendees learnt about the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the recruitment process. Our keynote for the evening was delivered by Nicky Garcea, Co-CEO of Cappfinity, a prominent voice in strength and skills-based recruitment, and talent development. Nicky's 20-year career has seen her lead and deliver on crafted solutions for multiple global organisations, including HSBC and Accenture.

Nicky spoke on the challenges those in TA have in detecting candidates applying to roles using generative AI platforms, the potential for AI to enable recruiters to become ‘super recruiters’, as well as legislation that may come into force in the future.

Key takeaways:

The Current Use of AI in Recruitment

Nicky highlighted that many recruiters are already incorporating AI into their recruitment processes for tasks such as automating resume screening, skill matching, and tracking candidate timesheets. Additionally, some organisations are utilising AI for generating job descriptions, which has traditionally been a labour-intensive process. These practical applications of AI are streamlining recruitment procedures and enabling HR professionals to work more efficiently thus demonstrating that AI is actively contributing to the daily operations of Recruiters in Talent Acquisition.

Removing the Fear from AI and Seeing the Positive 

The positive role of AI in recruitment was highlighted and the fear often associated with its use was dispelled. Nicky introduced us to the idea of the imminent rise of the super recruiter where AI and human recruiters would work hand in hand. She expressed her optimism about the future of HR, despite the rapidly changing landscape.

She emphasised that the speed of AI's influence on HR and recruitment was faster than anticipated and as businesses undergo transformation, keeping up with AI and technology advancements is integral to creating new opportunities and challenges.

Becoming a Super Recruiter

Nicky pointed out that automation and artificial intelligence would become essential components of the talent acquisition process and this transformation would ultimately lead to the rise of the aforementioned "super recruiters".

She presented various ways in which AI is affecting recruitment, from sourcing and assessments to interviews, onboarding, and career matching. The importance of designing engaging, and emotive processes was highlighted to counteract candidate cheating via AI, and the concept of AI-driven candidate detection to address these concerns was introduced. 

Legislation on the Horizon

The keynote touched on the emerging legal landscape surrounding AI in recruitment and urged attendees to be thoughtful about AI's use and its implications for case law. She highlighted the need for auditability, ethical use of AI, and the potential for AI-driven candidate cheating detection to address concerns in the recruitment process.

Nicky concluded the keynote with a powerful quote, "AI pushes us to do what we actually get paid to do, which is make decisions," highlighting the evolving role of HR professionals as they navigate the rapidly changing world of AI and recruitment.

Thank you to Nicky for providing a comprehensive overview on the impact of AI on recruitment, leaving the audience with valuable insights, new perspectives, and an understanding of what the future of HR in an AI-driven world could look like. Participants continued discussions over drinks and pizza, sharing their thoughts and experiences on the ever developing HR landscape.

If you would like to join further events in this series or any of our other future HR events across the globe, see our events page here and join our HR Community here.