“Myth 2” of the AMS tech whitepaper explores a multitude of challenges that businesses face when trying to successfully implement “talent technologies” such as chatbots, video interview tech, automated onboarding software, available on today’s market. The latest AI technology has also introduced talent intelligence tools which match people to jobs. Businesses and organisations are no longer limited to one clunky, 20-year old, Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
But with an abundance of innovative solutions on the market, how should leaders choose which tech to invest in and how should they successfully implement it. The AMS whitepaper argues that focusing on a small number of solutions and making them a success is the best strategy.
Annie Hammer, Head of technology Advisory at AMS talks about the risk of introducing “swivel chair experiences” when implementing new technologies. This refers to an unsatisfactory work around which involves someone manually entering data into two different systems as they are unable to automatically interface with each other (swiveling their chair between each system!). Painful and we’ve all been there!
Tech challenges like this are not just limited to talent technology. When I think of our public sector customers, they are spending an increasing amount of time and money on technology interfacing with “interoperability” being a key digital strategy far and wide across government. There are huge efficiencies to be had in this space and having systems that can communicate and exchange information without creating time consuming duplicative tasks is paramount.
Once chosen and implemented the focus turns to adoption. User acceptance and adoption are key to the successful use of any tool or technology. On the PSR team, we periodically hold intensive IT training courses for our recruiters and sourcers, as well as having regular year-round coaching to make sure that we are making the most of the tools at our fingertips. We also review our teams tool usage, using data to help us pinpoint where we can improve most as well as to make cases for further investment.
Our approach to user adoption in PSR has also been to make sure our users have a voice so that suggestions for tech improvements can be made along the way. It’s this people centered approach to technology which can make the difference between success and failure. We have found that helping users to get actual real life success and efficiencies from using a new tool is the most organic way to encourage uptake for the long term.
Since the start of the pandemic, central government departments have accelerated the rate of digital transformation with many more face-to-face services moving online. As a result, we have seen a huge surge in user centered design vacancies where departments want to actively involve users early on in the design phase, as well as iteratively throughout the development process to ensure the system satisfies its user. The return on investment of this approach is clear when you think that a system will quickly be abandoned if the users feel it’s not fit for purpose. In the talent technology space this is of course also true, not only does this make sure that the tool is going to add value to the team, but it also helps with user adoption and maximises that all important return on investment.
Our approach to user adoption in PSR has also been to make sure our users have a voice so that suggestions for tech improvements can be made along the way. It’s this people centered approach to technology which can make the difference between success and failure. We have found that helping users to get actual real-life success and efficiencies from using a new tool is the most organic way to encourage uptake for the long term.
Recently, AMS launched the first chapter of its new Technology Whitepaper, “Exploding Digital Myths in Talent Acquisition” which focusses on exploring themes and misconceptions of digital technology used by Recruiters and Talent acquisition teams.
The first chapter argues that “Talent Technology” will never replace the need for recruiters, but that we are increasingly partnering with technology to complement our human skills. Put simply, technology is helping us to do things like provide workflow efficiencies and remove administrative tasks, so that recruiters and TA professionals can focus on more strategic objectives.
“Technology will be an enabler of recruitment; however, the people element will always remain crucial”
I wholehearted agree with this sentiment and it has certainly been my experience working on the Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) framework, which is managed by AMS.
On PSR we have harnessed everything from Chatbots to Advanced Programmatic Advertising campaigns to AI Sourcing Talent pools to list just a few. We also have access to vast amounts of data and reporting generated which we access via advanced business information tools like PowerBi as well as an incredibly useful bespoke rate analysis tool which allows us to actively assess live market trends and help our customers and delivery teams make evidence-based recruitment decisions.
The new technologies we have gradually been adding to our toolkit have helped us to work smart and make more efficient use of our time. This in turn allows us to spend more time and resources building relationships with clients and candidates, the stuff which only humans can do effectively. It’s our talented Recruiters and Sourcers who can optimise and effectively use the tools available to them. Having a good understanding of recruitment technology will certainly be crucial for recruitment teams moving forward.
One thing I learned very quickly at the start of my tech recruitment career is that long term success is down to building strong networks and relationships with people and holding on to them. Having an automated technology that can help us to stay in touch and build deeper, more meaningful relationships with candidates and hold on to these relationships for a longer period, and crucially at scale, will be a real game changer. These sorts of solutions are in their infancy but once optimised and harnessed correctly will have the potential to be revolutionary for talent acquisition.
The whitepaper argues that the impact of technology on recruitment is in its early stages and that the sheer volume of talent technology is accelerating, which as someone involved in the continuous improvement of our recruitment service at AMS is exciting.
One thing I learned very quickly at the start of my tech recruitment career is that long term success is down to building strong networks and relationships with people and holding on to them. Having an automated technology that can help us to stay in touch and build deeper, more meaningful relationships with candidates and hold on to these relationships for a longer period, and crucially at scale, will be a real game changer.
As with many industries the rapidly growing Life Sciences sector faces challenges specific to the hiring landscape.
For the first time we are seeing a greater willingness from existing talent to migrate out of Life Sciences. That does not mix well with the tendency of Life Sciences employers to hire almost exclusively from within the sector, with individuals who have very specific experience.
This is a clear call to creative strategies including skills-based hiring, upskilling, and reskilling, Additionally, an openness to hybrid and remote working arrangements and a focus on diversity increases the potential pool of candidates.
“Historically, the life sciences sector hasn’t done a good job attracting talent from outside the sector. Instead, it has had a very heavy reliance on hiring job ready candidates rather than investing in campus or internship programs,” says Jim Sykes, Sector Managing Director, Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences and Professional Services, AMS.
Increasing evidence points to the heightened “human” skills needed for great recruiters to close prospective employees looking for a new employer with strong purpose. Empathy being at the forefront.
With an energized focus on addressing mental health and other societal challenges, purpose-driven companies will likely continue to grow.
2022 has presented all of us with fierce competition for talent acquisition professionals. We are investing time, energy and money into bringing recruiters into our organisations to support one of the most challenging labour markets in decades.
Yet many organisations have failed to invest to enable their recruitment teams to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. Archaic systems and clunky processes are weighing down recruitment teams and keeping them from adding real value to their stakeholders and candidates. Aptitude Research’s study found that 50 percent of recruiters would join another organisation if it had better TA technology.
If you, like many, are talking to your business stakeholders about the candidate experience then you should also look inwards and ask your recruitment teams about their experience and then act on that feedback. A happy, engaged recruitment team with the right tools and processes will always drive better results.
A better recruiter experience = a better candidate and stakeholder experience.
One of the most important factors of the recruiter experience is facilitating efficient workflows so recruiters can focus on building relationships with candidates instead of being bogged down with administrative tasks or doing work that artificial intelligence tools can perform much more quickly.
According to Linked In, demand for Software Developers is second only to HR (including Recruiter roles) and there are some important trends in global supply and demand that will only make attracting and retaining great talent in this space even more critical.
Consider the following:
There has been a 126% increase in Q1 2022 Software Developer postings compared to pre-pandemic
Growth is not slowing with forecasters anticipating a 21% year on year increase in demand to 2028
More organisations are realising that the majority of the work can be successfully delivered from anywhere in the world (proven through remote work during the pandemic) so whilst the US has the most software developers today (4.4m of global total of 25m), India is forecasted to take the lead by 2023 with growth from 2.75m in 2017 to 5.2m in 2023
In response to these trends, AMS has been helping clients supercharge their talent pipelines with a mix of interventions including:
Specialist sourcing hubs focused on identifying and engaging talent pools by skill not location
Market insights to inform hiring and location strategies
Tools to identify and engage the passive talent market and to build dynamic talent pools. This allows for a more strategic approach to the engagement of underrepresented groups such as women (who make up only 11% of software engineers today)
Provision of always-on content telling the unique tech story of the hiring organisation. Unless you are a leading tech player (Samsung alone employs over 40,000 software engineers!), you need a compelling story to engage and retain talent in this highly competitive market
What is clear is that investment in a strategy for the long game is critical to ensure your organisation has a competitive advantage in securing the best and most diverse software engineer talent to deliver on your digital strategy.
The software development job market is growing faster than most IT jobs. Software developer jobs are expected to increase by 21% by 2028 and application developer jobs by 28%.
Read more at: https://www.cxotoday.com/ai/most-in-demand-tech-skills-for-2022-and-beyond/?msclkid=588f368cd0ea11ecbc7ca8e13b4b12a4
