Should we automate talent sourcing?

When I first joined Tata Consultancy Services and was assigned to the Talent Acquisition function, the first thing I worked on was talent sourcing. That meant understanding the job description, scouring the job boards for suitable candidates, connecting with them, sharing profiles with the business and scheduling the interviews. It all seemed so ‘operational’ at the beginning, but as time progressed, I realized how sourcing is the engine that propels the entire TA function, why everybody wanted the best sourcing member for their requirements, and why one can’t be a recruiter without having a good know how about sourcing.

However, as time progressed, we were introduced to various new ‘tools’ that would help in automating recruitment. That’s basically a software that would analyze the job description and give you the top profiles based on some pre-defined criteria. And it did not stop there. It also would schedule the interviews by connecting with the hiring manager & the candidate directly. Sounds heavenly, but such systems did have their limitations, and hence we did not go all out for their services.

Yet, it did showcase how the future could look like. Now, with the advancements in AI & machine learning, such systems are becoming smarter, and the business case stronger. It’s a sign that organizations may very well be going in for a much leaner recruitment teams using automated sourcing & scheduling tools to delivering quicker results, more analytics, better candidate tracking, etc., all of which at a lesser cost.

So, the question that arises is whether talent sourcing should be completed automated or not.

Proponents say that the sourcing tasks can be broken down into simple instructions which their software can replicate and do better. It can find more accurate results from a wider search base at the click of button. It can check schedules of candidates and panels and auto schedule interviews. It can give you better analytics and it comes as a SaaS, so it’s cost effective too! The recruiters can then connect with the shortlisted profiles and do the ‘real’ stuff of recruiting candidates

Those opposed to the rise of the machines highlight the fact that sourcing is not as simple as it looks. If that were so, every recruiter would be happily sourcing his/her way to glory. Sourcing is about your own brand; the way you connect with people; how you use your intuition to identify the right resource. These are things that a software can still not do.

So, what’s my view? I am all for tools that can help in better sourcing. Yet, it should not be automated as though it may be faster and may yield more results, it will not yield the right results. And more importantly, if the recruiter does not know how to source, how would he ever be able to build a stronger bond with the candidate!