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Writer's pictureTavish Towner

The unexpected truth about hiring and AI: It surprised me

Updated: May 8

After talking to 20+ tech and climate companies about their recruiting process, one key takeaway- AI will only make the human-element of decision making more important




76%

of hiring managers admit attracting the right job candidates is their greatest challenge.

I’m sure as a hiring manager, you can relate to not finding top talent quickly.


Most likely it’s probably because it’s not your full time job. You have other responsibilities, projects, and tasks to complete by the time the sun goes down. This might possibly even be your first hire.


Recruiters, I’m sure you feel like you have a broader, more realistic view of availability, diversity, and quality of candidates vs a hiring manager’s narrower and more idealistic view of skills, experience and fit?


I don’t blame you. You’ve been there day in and day out screening hundreds of resumes.

Candidates- I don’t even know if I need to say it… we’ve all been through that one experience of 42 days, 12 interviews, and get ghosted at the end.


The problem? Alignment. Recruiters and hiring managers don’t share a clear and consistent vision of the ideal candidate, the hiring process, and the expectations for each role. If the two parties looking for hiring aren’t aligned, then no amount of technological advancement will overcome that challenge and ultimately will leave the candidate high and dry.


What’s more, the hiring market, talent pool, and macro conditions change. Businesses change. How does one maintain a constant alignment between vision of the company and the ideal candidate? AI will help; however, here is why the problem will persist:


1. The Intuitive Element: Beyond AI’s Keywords

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many sectors, and recruiting is no exception.


Today, AI tools can sift through thousands of resumes in seconds, identifying keywords that match job descriptions. This efficiency is undeniable, but does it guarantee the right hire?

Hiring is as much an art as it is a science. While AI can identify a candidate with the right skills, it cannot gauge cultural fit, passion, or potential. These intangibles often come down to a hiring manager’s gut feeling



This reliance on intuition means that even as AI becomes more sophisticated, the human element of decision-making remains irreplaceable. And where there’s human judgment, there’s room for misalignment.


2. The Ever-Changing Talent Landscape

The world of work is in constant flux. New industries emerge, old ones transform, and the skills deemed essential today might be obsolete tomorrow. At the same time, companies hit critical inflection points of growth, needing to expand their workforce in days vs months. This dynamic nature of the talent market and business lifecycle mean that hiring criteria will always be changing.


Consider the rise of roles in data science and AI over the past decade. These positions were virtually non-existent in many companies a mere ten years ago. Now, they’re pivotal. Hiring for these roles requires a different set of criteria than traditional tech roles.


As the talent market, candidate pool, and market conditions continue to evolve, hiring managers and recruiters will perpetually play catch-up. The moving target of “the ideal candidate” ensures that alignment in hiring remains a challenge to pin down.


3. Prioritizing the Candidate Experience

In today’s competitive job market, the candidate experience is paramount. Companies are no longer just assessing candidates; candidates are assessing companies. To attract top talent, the hiring process must be smooth, transparent, and engaging.


Achieving this requires impeccable alignment between hiring managers, recruiters, and ultimately the candidate. All parties must be on the same page regarding hiring goals, market conditions, and the inevitable trade-offs in the quest for the best talent. A recruiter might find a candidate with a stellar track record, but if the hiring manager believes they won’t thrive in the current market conditions, disagreements arise.


As one climate tech company I interviewed put it, “Putting the candidate first means we’re not just hiring for today, but for the future. And that vision of the future isn’t always shared uniformly across the board.”


The World Will Change, Alignment Must Change

Process is crucial. Sourcing is crucial. Onboarding and incentives are crucial.

But alignment as the glue. The recruitment process breaks. The quest for alignment in hiring is akin to chasing a mirage. Just when you think you’re close, the landscape shifts, and you’re back to square one. Whether it’s the intuitive element of decision-making, the ever-changing talent landscape, or the emphasis on candidate experience, perfect alignment remains just out of reach.


Yet, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This continuous pursuit of alignment keeps companies agile, pushing them to revisit their hiring strategies, refine their processes, and ensure they’re always on the lookout for the best talent. In a world that’s always changing, having clear alignment between hiring managers, recruiters, and candidates will be crucial.


Feel free to get in touch with me on linkedIn or via email!https://www.linkedin.com/in/tavish-towner/ | tavish@tscaler.io

Tavish Towner is CEO and Co-Founder of Tscaler. An AI platform used to help hiring managers and recruiters align on the ideal candidate. A process that can take weeks and end up in several mis-hires costing companies millions a year.

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