Keep the Art in Talent Acquisition

In Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he wrote a chapter titled “The One Will Kill the Other.” This chapter deviated from the story as Victor Hugo argues the development of the printing press killed the art of architecture. His arguments make a lot of sense; the ability to disseminate beautifully crafted stories and literature became the avenue of art as we’ve seen the breathtaking sights of castles and cathedrals become a thing of the past.

Now, you may be wondering, “Chris, what does this have to do with sourcing and recruiting?” I would like to argue that AI and talent acquisition (TA) are similar to the printing press and architecture respectively. There are obvious differences in the comparison, and while both have their differences in their expressive art, there is a seeming competition between AI and TA in which there will need to be a victor (not Hugo).

TA has long been a beautiful dance and a carefully crafted art in reaching out to people, building connections, and growing a community. Each TA professional had had a uniquely artistic approach, and individual signature, if you will. With the introduction of AI technologies over the past few years, and the “speed is king” mentality, I fear that we are trending in a way where the artistic value of TA is fading.

Now, I don’t think that AI necessitates the diminishing artwork of TA, but it certainly invites it. Seeing the high levels of automation, and the push from platforms we use to generate outreach on your behalf, we are losing what made us unique. Lazy TA folks can automate their way through each week with fairly mediocre results with tools currently on the market. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge advocate for automation and innovation, but do so with intentionality.

So how do we bridge AI and art (aside from Dall-e, Midjourney, etc.)? Here are a few suggestions that I have to partner with TA, so that both TA and AI can coexist.

• Have AI build your outreach templates. The key word here is “templates.” This notes that it is just a base for your creative outlet. Before initiating your outreach, be sure to add your personal flavor to the contents and specifics that will stand out. Leveraging your AI generated template, the brain power of formatting has been alleviated and allows you to freely deposit your creativity into the contents of the message.

To do this:

1. 1. Open ChatGPT (no paid account necessary).
   2. Input a prompt along the lines of “What are 10 reasons a qualified individual would be interested in this opportunity?” and paste your job ad.
   3. Once you have your reasons, follow up with a prompt along the lines of “You are a recruiter reaching out to potential qualified candidates. Please generate a separate email for each of the individual reasons listed above. Keep the email brief and professional.”
   4. These are going to operate as your templates. Proof read and leverage these email templates, add your flair to them, and add personalization to them for your prospects.

• Have AI automate parts of your Boolean (but not all of it). With more and more companies (and individuals) adopting AI practices into their recruiting efforts, more and more searches are going to look the same. If everyone is using the same platforms or LLMs (Large Language Models) and asking it to create search strings for them, they are all going to find the same people in the same places. Instead, prompt your AI partners to provide data, build parts of strings using information you have, and then checking/adjusting for built in inclusivity will allow you to maintain your creative influence over your searching.

In practice, this may look similar to market research.

1. 1. Open your AI platform of choice.
   2. Ask it to generate a list of competitors for your company or client.
   3. Once it has generated that list, ask it to reformat the list in an OR Boolean string.
   4. Ta-da! You have a bite sized chunk of Boolean to input into your string.

You could also do this with a prompt along the lines of: “I’m looking for a candidate that has experience with “X”. What other words / tools / experiences would be an indicator that someone would have relevant experience using “X”.” Then take your results and ask the platform to turn those results into an OR Boolean string.

Congratulations, you’ve now broadened your scope of relevant potential matches!

• Have AI do your market research. Let this data be your partner in building relations with your hiring partners. Allow it to enable you to be a better talent advisor for your organization or clients. Your influence will enable your creativity to push the boundaries of what you and your organization are currently doing, stepping beyond the limitations of being an order taker and role filler.

This one is a game changer.

1. 1. Prompt your AI partner with something along the lines of: “I am a Recruiter/Sourcer/etc. that is putting together a presentation on hiring strategy for a new ROLE to join our organization. What hiring trends and challenges should we anticipate for this role in LOCATION? Be sure to include citations for your sources.”
   2. Once it has generated your data points, prompt it again along the lines of “Format this into a PDF that I can distribute to my hiring team.” This will elevate your presence in those intake meetings to becoming a strategic hiring partner.

Just like the printing press didn’t truly kill architecture, AI doesn’t have to kill the art of talent acquisition, it just changes the landscape. The challenge for us in TA is to embrace these tools not as replacements, but as partners in our craft.

We are the architects of connection, the storytellers behind the outreach, and the artists who bring heart to hiring. AI can enhance our work, but it’s up to us to keep the human element alive. So let’s not lose the art to automation. Let’s wield these new tools with intention, and continue to build something meaningful, one connection at a time.