Data is Great, But Let’s Not Forget the Human Factor in Talent Acquisition

Look, as you know I’m all for data in fact I’m a bit of a talent data geek. We’ve got all these amazing tools now that help us sort through thousands of applications, cut down on time, and spot trends we’d otherwise miss. My only issue is that it can only take us so far. In the end, what really makes a difference in talent acquisition is the human element. The authentic, genuine connections we make. That’s what recruitment’s all about in its rawest form. The rapport you build, the coaching through the process, negotiating with the hiring manager and the buzz of the hire!

So the argument is it’s the most critical element.

Anyone who knows me will know I love F1. And for those of you who don’t know him, Adrian Newey is one of the most successful and renowned engineers in the sport. He is known for designing championship-winning cars. So here’s a guy seen as the most successful engineer in F1 history. He’s working in a world where every car is kitted out with sensors collecting millions of data points. However, what does Newey still rely on? He unlike the newer generation sits in on the race debriefs, something pretty unusual in today’s data-obsessed F1. His success comes from balancing hard data with real human feedback. Because those conversations with drivers? That’s where the nuances live. It’s the kind of stuff data can’t fully capture.

How do we add the TA data points into the picture?

Now, let’s bring this back to TA Team. Sure, the tools can give us data on candidates skills, experience, how many keywords match the job description. But TA experts? They’re the ones who sit across from the candidates, who pick up on the unspoken cues, who get a feel for whether someone’s going to click with the team or thrive in the company culture, they are the ones that can add that human touch in the process, they are the ones thaht feel whats going on in the market. This stuff can’t be fully quantified, no matter how advanced the tech seems right now..

Again get me wrong, data is invaluable. But recruitment is a people business. It’s about understanding motivations, personalities, and those little things that can’t be plugged into an algorithm. But it should be considered in the decision making.

There is a Data Skills Gap

So, here’s where we hit a bit of a wall. A lot of TA professionals are brilliant at the human side of things, reading people, understanding team dynamics, and assessing cultural fit. But, not all of them are fully comfortable with the data side. There’s a gap Id argue quite a big gap. And if we want to make data-driven recruitment work (without losing the human touch), we’ve got to close it. So here are 3 things to consider: -

1. Get Comfortable with Data I’m not saying everyone needs to become a data scientist, but we need to make data literacy a core skill. TA teams should feel confident using metrics like time-to-hire, pipeline quality, and defining driver metrics, they’re signals that, combined with human insight, make for better decisions.        

2. Turning Human Instinct into Data Remember What I said about Newey’s debriefs? We need to do something similar systematically capturing those insights after interviews and interactions. The way a candidate answers a question, how they interact with the team, even those gut feelings about someone’s fit  those are all valuable pieces of data. If we can standardise how we capture and analyse that, it becomes part of the bigger picture.        

3. Data Enhancing, Not Replacing, Human Judgment: I’m not advocating to replace human judgment with data, but to use data to sharpen it. Data helps us see patterns and trends we might miss, but it’s the TA who adds the real context. and CONTEXT IS THE KEY ALWAYS It’s their experience, their instinct, that turns raw information into a meaningful decision.        

So what we need is a Human First, Data Supported approach

So, where do we go from here? We need to invest in closing the data skills gap for TA professionals, but always with the understanding that recruitment is about people, first and foremost. We can have all the tools in the world, but we get the best reulsts when data and human insight come together.

Adrian Newey’s approach is a reminder of this balance. He doesn’t rely solely on what the data tells him, and neither should we. Let’s embrace the tech and the tools, they’re here to stay, but let’s also remember that, at the heart of talent acquisition, it’s the human connections that really matter. Where we are going isn’t about choosing between data or gut instinct. It’s about making them work together, and when we do that, we’re going to see recruitment outcomes that are smarter, faster, and most importantly, more human.

What do you think?