This Week, In Recruiting - Issue 63

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Open Kitchen: The Robot Recruiter Myth That Just Won't Die

I shared a post in yesterday's Recruiting Brainfood newsletter (yes, there is another newsletter...??) not because it was a great article but precisely the opposite - it was an example of a bad article, which nevertheless served to illustrate a phenomena which I wish to explore further in today's Open Kitchen - the concept of 'Resonant Meta-narratives'.

A meta-narrative is simply an overarching story, into which all other stories we tell each other are nested. They are ideological frameworks into which we force complex reality and attempt to make sense of our experience of the universe. Strongly held beliefs - secular or otherwise - are all fundamentally based on a meta-narrative, which are always simple and can always be summarised in an ELI5 manner. It's actually quite a fun game to play (with good friends only!) to try and describe meta-narratives to that hypothetical 5 year old and still be able to maintain those friendships afterwards ??

Successful meta-narratives don't have to be true, but they do have to be resonant. A great deal of our problems today arise because we have created political and economic systems which reward stories that resonate, rather than those which are true.

The title of the article was "Finding it hard to get a new job? Robot recruiters might be to blame" and it dealt mainly with the idea that technology was making it harder for earnest job seekers by making erroneous and unfair decisions on job seeker applications.

It wasn't egregiously bad but I had a problem with the framing (more technology = worse outcomes), exaggeration of effect (technology operating as agent) and misrepresentation of the true role technology currently plays in today's recruiting process (auto-reject ≠ AI!). Incidentally, I had no issue with the recommendations at the end, which I thought were sound and which I will restate at the end this essay.

So let's talk about robots, their place in our imagination and why we need to be more true in our description of the role they play in recruitment.

1. The Meta-narrative of Robot Superiority

The surrender of human agency to technological overlordship has a long tradition in Western art and literature. We can go all back to 19th century when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, perhaps the first modern work of science fiction, to Fritz Lang's Metropolis, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (Saruman just foreshadows Musk IMO, they are just techno-utopians really!), to the writings of Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke in the 1950's and beyond. In my era, it was The Terminator, where Arnie's terrifying cyborg embodied the visceral threat to humanity posed by technology gone amok; one short generation later it is Keanu Reeves as Neo - explicitly the human hero who becomes the messiah, leading what is left of a degraded and subservient humanity against the awesome power of the Matrix.

They are all horror stories, they are all resonant and - as works of fiction - they are all clearly not true.

2. AGI Does Not Yet Exist

The boring reality is that the artificial general intelligence implied through the article - and explicitly stated in the headline - does not yet exist. Even Ray Kurzweil - the doyen of the Singularity - guesstimates that it will be around 2060 before we achieve AGI. When industry commentators say 'there is no such thing as AI' what they really mean 'there is no such thing as AI which is comparable or superior to human intelligence a.k.a. artificial general intelligence'. Instead, what we have are increasingly sophisticated programmes which are capable of performing actions without being pre-programmed to do so. These programmes have also been shown to adapt as new information is fed to it - they learn. We can, do and should call these artificially intelligent, but not generally intelligent and certainly not artificially sentiment.

If you want to learn more about where we are at with AI, particularly as to the application to recruitment, there is a whole section on the Brainfood Larder dedicated to the topic - feel free to search through the archive there.

3. Threat Inflation as a Journalistic Technique

Boring reality does not get clicks though, and as media is an industry with advertisers to satisfy, so prosaic reality gets transmuted through the alchemy of journalistic license into disquieting stories which resonate with our primal fears of losing human agency to innovations of our own making. Hyping up the threat - threat inflation - is a standard journalistic technique to ensuring an article 'lands' with the audience. And remember, this is an audience which has already been pre-conditioned with at least a century's worth of content promoting the meta-narrative of 'robots bad'. Incidentally, the perception of technology / robots may differ cross culturally, so worth examining how this is so in African and Asian narratives, but this would have to be a segue for another time.

4. Real World Manifestation of Erroneous Meta-narratives

None of this would be problematic if it all stayed as entertainment. But as we've discovered in politics, nothing stays as entertainment. The jokes we make today might well become policy tomorrow. Disquieting stories which resonate with the audience seeps in the cultural subconsciousness that this thing must be so. Carelessly (or strategically?) repeated, the erroneous meta-narrative that technology is something to be feared, less humanity become slave to it - continually gets reinforcement, until it erupts again to the surface as legislation with real world outcomes.

I am not a lawyer - a fact for which I'm sure both legal profession and any potential plaintive is no doubt very thankful - so I cannot comment about the minutiae of the bills being passed, but I suspect much of it is well meaning legislation designed to protect human beings from threats that aren't there. What the wider public imagine as intelligent machines deciding the fate of human beings is really just other human beings using a tool to automate and scale decisions they would have made anyway. Those decisions won't get better if we have to scale back to manual processing; indeed, as human beings mentally fatigue rather easily, there is a good chance those decisions will get worse.

These laws also presume one key condition - that the human only recruitment process is free from the challenges of bias and is inherently somehow better. The fact that the entire history of our industry suggests otherwise is somehow not as resonant as 'robots bad'.

5. Caveat on Advice to Job Seekers

All this is not to say that its senseless to optimise your application to be read by machines. It does indeed make sense to avoid unconventional formatting which might confuse parsing technology; it not bad advice to do a (little!) bit of keyword stuffing in case there is crude frequency search function; and yes, it is pretty standard advice to remodel your CV to match job descriptions in order to tap into pattern matching bias.

But such advice applies equally well for human reading and so cannot be considered specific recommendation to 'get past any robot'. I get that there is a story to sell - I get it that there are job seekers to support - but if the outcome of prioritising erroneous meta-narratives in order to sell more advertising is a restriction in the development or use of technology which can improve recruiting processes, elevate candidate experience and increase the accuracy of matching person-to-job, then we recruiters will be doing a disservice to our profession, to our employers and most importantly, to jobseekers if we do not oppose it.

What is the Call to Action?

We need to better educate journalists on how recruitment technology is actually being used. We need to better educate job seekers on why technology assisted human recruiters is default and that this is superior to technology free human recruiters. And we need to better educate ourselves that emotionally satisfying, resonant meta-narratives can and often are, mostly wrong.

Anyway, I heard The Matrix Resurrections was pants.

Out of the kitchen, onto the lounge ??

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What's in the News?

Velocity Global raises $400M in Series B

If there is one worktech sector which is going to 'thrive regardless' its going to be tech platforms which enable access to a global talent tool whilst ensuring local compliance. Another mega round for another key player in the market, race to future market share is still very much on. PR here

Flexa raise ￡2.3 Million

Demand for flexible work is a guaranteed market in the post pandemic era, and this London based job board is perfectly positioned to take advantage. Already with 500,000 candidates on board, I can only see NE trajectory. Read more about the news here

Greenhouse launch Sourcing Automation

Significant and exciting new feature from Greenhouse, the top ranked ATS according to Recruiting Brainfood community members. Finding and engaging candidates ahead of funnel was something recruiters traditionally needed a CRM for, but it looks like Greenhouse have built their own, which is available for existing customers to buy now. Find out more here

If you are a recruitment service provider or technology business and have any news to share,?comment below,?this is your application to get into next week's addition of This Week, In Recruiting. Make sure to @ mention me so that I see it

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What's On Offer?

25% off for the FIRST 15 who sign up to Benchmarx!

Anyone who has been following my mate Steve Gard will know how important the Circle Back campaign has been, setting an industry standard commitment for uplifting candidate experience. His tech platform enables employers to collect, visualise and analyse your CX, benchmarked across industry. Find out more here and mention this deal to claim your discount!

If you are a recruitment service provider or recruitment technology vendor have any exclusive offer for the community, comment below with your offer in order to be included in next week's edition of This Week, In Recruiting. Make sure to @ mention me so that I see it.

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What's Going On?

Global HR & Recruitment Forum, 30 May - 3 June, Online

Quite an amazing line up set up at short notice by the awesome Oksana Kikhtenko? - a 4 day conference with some of the biggest names in industry such as?Irina Shamaeva,?Johnny Campbell,?Balazs Paroczay?and many many others are coming together to talk recruiting and simultaneousl support the defence of Ukraine. Register?here and donate what you can.

Founder's Focus - Ep28 - Up close and personal with Ilya Brotzky, CEO of VanHack, Tuesday 31st May, 8am PDT / 4pm BST

Some people have set up companies which really do make a difference; Ilya Brotzky is one of those, whose VanHack platform has helped hundreds of software engineers relocate and change their lives for the better. What inspired Ilya to do this? What has he learned along the way? It's time to get up close and personal with one of the great guys in recruiting. Register here

Founder's Focus - Ep29 - Up close and personal with Viktor Nord & Adrian MacDonald of Adway, Wednesday 1st June, 12pm BST / 1pm CEST

Businesses can form in many ways; sometimes the inspiration of a single moment, others a clear sighted strategy from entrepreneurs who know how to find a problem to solve. We are going to be up close and personal with Viktor Nord and Adrian MacDonald to find out which one is Adway. Rare opportunity to get these two on screen - must watch for any entrepreneur - register here

Brainfood Live On Air - Ep157 - How To Organise A Sourcing Jam, Friday 3rd June, 2pm BST / 3pm CEST

This Brainfood Live was inspired by a post written by Tereza on how she organised (and motivated!) a team of software engineers and engineering leads to work with TA to rapidly build a contact list of highly skilled, in-demand candidates. If you're a tech recruiter, this is mandatory attendance! With Vanessa Raath, Founder (Talent Hunter), Tereza Machackova, Head of People, Deepnote, Joey NK Koksal, Lead Tech Talent Acquisition Partner at PVH & Matthias Schmei?er, Global Director of Talent (Beamery) - register here

Talent Acquisition and Solutions Communities Fundraiser for Ukraine, Thu 16 June

I am honoured to support this event organised by my friend Steven Rothberg and Andrew Stetsenko. It is an update state of the job market for Ukrainians, as well an education on how online job posting operates. If you want to get better applicant flow from your job ads and you would like to support Ukraine in its fight against invasion, then register and donate here.

Hired!BCN - The Talent Acquisition Conference, Thu 16 June, Barcelona, Spain

Finally going to be presenting on data collected on recruiter-as-candidates - answering questions such how recruiters like to be assessed, where we find most of our opportunities, what the significance of employer brand is when making decisions, what salary do we expect and more. Going to look at this through nationality, ethnicity, seniority, category and identity lenses to see whether we can learn any insight. Looking forward to building the presentation - discover the findings with me, and grab a ticket here (PS: I think I can discount 10 x tickets, so if you wanna go for a lesser price, comment below and I will privately DM you a code)

Politics, Religion & Sex in the Workplace, Jun 21, 11.00AM EST

The professional world is no longer separate from the personal and the old management technique of 'leave your opinions at the door' on the topics of politics, religion and work are no longer tenable. What do we, as TA / HR leaders need to do about this? How do we manage it? I don't know but I think we need to have a conversation about it. Join me and?Alex Murphy?and lets have a civilised discussion about it. Register?here

DisruptHR London, 6 July, The Royal Institution, London, UK

DisruptHR is the type of event which is guaranteed fun and educational - standard format for all the speakers, who have (5 mins?) to talk on their specific topic and then have to handle the crowd. Hosted by the amazing Tim Sackett, this is the perfect appetiser for Recfest the next day. Get your ticket here

Recfest, Thu 7th July, Knebworth, UK

Look at the line up at the Employer Brand & Experience stage. Myself and Christine Ng will have the honour of hosting this incredible line up with guest speakers coming in from US and Europe to talk about how to connect with present and future employees. It's one of FIVE stages that will be going on during the day, never mind the hundreds of sponsor stands, live entertainment, and - I daresay - a fairly convivial atmosphere. It's going to be the TA event of the year folks - get you and your team to it, fantastic team building & L&D - get your tickets here

If you have an event, webinar or podcast going on next week and want it featured on next week's newsletter,?comment below?with the link and event details. Don't forget to @ mention me so that I see it

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Who's Hiring?

Talent Acquisition Lead, GSK, London, UK

Technical Talent Sourcer - Remote, ThoughtSpot, Remote USA

Sales Recruiter - EMEA - Remote, ThoughtSpot, Remote UK

Talent Acquisition Lead - US, GSK, San Francisco, CA, USA

Technology Acquisition Partner (Go To Market EMEA), Join Talent, Remote Global

International Talent Acquisition Specialist, iDeals, Berlin, Germany

Talent Acquisition Manager (German Market), Choco, Berlin, Germany

Talent Acquisition Manager, Choco, New York, NY/NJ, USA

Business Recruiter, Choco, Berlin, Germany

Technology Talent Search Partner(Zurich or Prague), Join Talent, Remote Global

Talent Search Partner (Fully Remote InHouse), Join Talent, Remote Global

Technology Talent Partner (Zurich Focus), Join Talent, Remote Global

Talent Search Partner(Fully Remote, Zurich Focus), Join Talent, Remote Global

GTM Talent Partner(German Market), Join Talent, Remote Global

GTM Talent Partner(Turkey), Join Talent, Remote Global

Senior Executive Recruiter, JLL, Chicago, IL, USA

Recruiter, JLL, Miami, FL, USA

Human Resources Generalist, JLL, Chicago, IL, USA

Director, Compensation, JLL, Miami, FL, USA

Human Resources Business Partner, JLL, Atlanta, GA, USA

Global Talent Sourcing Leader, Vaia Talent, Remote EU

TA Manager Tech (in-house), Join Talent, Remote Global

Talent Partner - Germany, KANDIDATE, Remote Global

Tech Sourcing Partner, On Running, Berlin, Germany

Senior Recruitment Specialist, Cielo, Remote EU

Resourcing Partner - 15 months FTC, Insights Learning & Development, Remote EU

Talent Acquisition Partner - R&D, On Running, Berlin, Germany

Talent Acquisition Partner (Tech & Digital), On Running, Berlin, Germany

Client Engagement Manager, Allegis Global Solutions, London, UK

Talent Acquisition Manager (Pharma) - 12 month FTC, Allegis Global Solutions, London, UK

Talent Manager, Hubble, London, UK

Partner, Life Sciences, SE Asia, Horton International, Remote Global

Principal Consultant, Logistics, SE Asia, Horton International, Remote Global

If you want to get your job featured, post jobs on the Brainfood Jobs Job Board?here

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Who's Moving?

Dougie Loan joins SourceWhale as Commercial Ops Director, after a superb 5 year stint at Odro. One great company to another great company, significant hire for the whole business at SourceWhale, as much as it is a tough loss for Odro!

Matthew Hill joins Scottish Government as Digital Recruitment Service Lead, having previously worked with gaming tech business Firesprite and travel tech giant Skyscanner. Will always remember Matt as one of the first users and evangelists of Workshape - no question he will bring the same interest in innovation to the Scottish Govt!

Donna Dolfe joins Dollar Tree Stores are VP of Talent Acquisition, having previously lead the TA departments in leading national retailers such as Walmart, Sears Holdings, Lowes and more. Having credentials isn't everything but it is something, especially in leadership roles. Maybe something to talk about in a future Brainfood Live....

Ilya Mikhalev?joins MapBox as Senior Recruiting Manager, having spent most time leading the talent function at Smartly.io. Ilya's creative community building style of tech recruiting made a huge impression on me - looking forward to seeing what you get up to in the new role.

Kim Goddard joins Point Nine Capital as Director of Talent, after having spent time supporting the portfolio at Blossom Capital. Portfolio recruiting is something of a super niche field, I guess somewhere in between agency / RPO / in-house vibe. Be good to do a Brainfood Live on this I think

Anik Conley-Das joins Array as VP of People Partners, having previously held exec lead positions in tech startups such as Superpedestrian, Isee.ai, Nutonomy and LevelUp. I very much doubt if anyone is better networked in the Boston, MA area, significant hire by Array

Finally, some promotions to celebrate: Pawel Adrjan goes up to Director of EMEA Economic Research, Indeed.com, Camille Rines promoted to Senior Manager - Global Talent Sourcing at Expedia, and Nick Mortimer who goes up to Regional Director Europe at Troi - congratulations all!

If you have made a senior exec appointment to your business,?and feel the wider community needs to know about it,?comment below?with the details and see it featured in next weeks issue.?Don't forget to @ mention me in it so that I see it

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What Are You Doing?

There's probably loads but I've missed a lot this past week since I've generally been off the interwebs. Comment below if you have any news you want to share.

If you are doing something new,?comment below?with what it is and share a link to where you want people to go. Don't forget to @ mention me in it so that I see it

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End Notes

Seems like a lot of us are on holiday right now?

In the UK, we have the Diamond Jubilee, the celebration of Elizabeth II extraordinary 70 years long reign as Queen of England. Its always a surprise to the friends who know my politics that I'm a Monarchist - at least as far as the UK is concerned - and a great deal of this is due to the person currently on the throne. When she goes, I suspect the beginning of the end of the monarchy will ensue and I do wonder what kind of republic(s) will emerge in the aftermath. I'm not confident it will be anything better.

Anyways, it's a 4 day weekend, so lets enjoy that. Have a good one everybody

Hung

Hung Lee is the curator of?Recruiting Brainfood, and now This Week In Recruiting. Subscribe to both if you are into recruiting or HR or just interested in world of work.