I started my professional journey as a recruiting manager twenty years ago in an MNC. I have grown from strength to strength, and today, I am head of recruitment for a leading FMCG. Hiring for FMCG has always been challenging. I have focused on soft skills assessments. As a woman, I have shown sensitivity while hiring women in the workforce. Besides, I have achieved a 100% candidate turnover with my face-to-face interactions with them. There has been a paradigm shift in the recruitment process in the last two years. ML tools, Applicant Tracking Systems and Artificial Intelligence have replaced the traditional recruiting methods. I feel insecure. I fear that I may soon lose my position in chatbots and Apps. Is my fear legitimate?
Dear Ms. Soft Recruiter,
First things first- you aren’t going to lose your job to a chatbot or app! These tools you have listed are here to assist you. They can never replace the sense of perception and warmth of a recruiter, or a master at gauging body language like you.
Over the last two decades, you, as a recruiter, would have gathered the traditional skills required to get the best hire for a role. Some of these are a keen eye, a knack for spotting the hard-to-unearth talent, and sales skills—these will never go out of fashion.
Remember how many times you have gone beyond the resume to understand what the candidate is capable of? How many times have you seen the soft skills while interacting with the candidate and decided precisely about them being the best fit for the role?
These are skills a recruiter perfects over years. You also have an important role to play as the interface between the company and the community. The personal touch is always a winner here. The chatbot or app, at the max, only increases the speed of conversations and processes, scanning resumes (1000s of them). However, it is you who understands that breaks shouldn’t deprive them of the chance of getting back to work.
However, it is also advisable to be abreast of technology and see how you can adapt to it for making your role more effective.
Here is an article you might want to read to know companies are exploring talent mines:
Best wishes!
