More AI insight for recruiters… or is it?
Yet another email has landed in my inbox — this time promising that technology will solve all the world’s recruiting problems. All I need to do, apparently, is attend a seminar about AI-driven hiring and watch the magic happen.
Hmmm. That’s fine if you’ve got an unlimited supply of money in your back pocket. But most companies don’t — and even the big ones are still limited by budgets, compliance, and a good dose of realism.
Every few months, another shiny new platform pops up claiming to fix campaigns that don’t convert, job ads that miss the right people, or CVs that take too long to screen. And yes, some of it is clever stuff: smarter targeting, programmatic advertising, automated nudges, AI that can apparently “sense” who’s a good fit.
But here’s the thing — you can’t fix recruitment purely through automation. You’ve got to have a human behind it, making sure it’s right.
I remember a few years ago pitching for some business with a care client. I really resonated with what they stood for, and I was thrilled when they asked us back to finalise things. At that meeting, they told us why we’d won the business over larger agencies — because I’d been genuinely passionate about their company and how tech could help them achieve results that reflected their ethos and their clients. They said they could see it in my eyes — and that’s what sold them on the thinking and the possibilities. Boom - it was my idea, my input, my passion, and how technology can help facilitate the ideas that won it. Not the technology doing the work.
The limits of tech-first hiring
Don’t get me wrong — I love technology. The leaps and bounds I’ve seen since I started in this industry have been amazing. But AI tools can’t read between the lines. They don’t see the spark in someone’s eyes when they talk about what they’ve built. They don’t sense the difference between confidence and arrogance. They don’t notice the person who might not tick every box on paper but would walk over hot coals to learn.
And yet, we’re starting to let algorithms make those calls — based on whatever words someone typed into a CV or application form.
What if a candidate doesn’t use the “right” words?
What if they’ve got transferable skills but no keyword match?
What if the question format doesn’t let them show what they can really do?
People aren’t data points. Recruitment shouldn’t pretend they are.
The human side of hiring still matters
Face-to-face recruitment might not sound fashionable, but it still works. Talking to people still works. Seeing how someone interacts, reacts, and connects — still works.
Yes, Gen Z might prefer fewer phone calls and more DMs, but not everyone you recruit is Gen Z. And for roles that depend on teamwork, trust, and real-world communication, a handshake and a chat can tell you more than any algorithm ever will.
AI might help shortlist faster, but it won’t tell you who’ll turn up early on a rainy Monday. It won’t spot the quiet grafter who never misses a deadline. It won’t sense who’ll stay late to help a colleague, or who’ll make the place feel better just by being there.
Final thought
Technology should support good hiring, not replace it.
It’s a tool — not a talent strategy.
Recruitment has always been about people.
And until AI learns how to make a decent brew and actually care about the outcome, I’ll keep putting my faith in the humans creating greatness, whether they include AI or not.
