There’s been so much talk of technology replacing the need for recruiters and executive search consultants lately. Whether it’s Linked In or some Silicon Valley start up, there’s always a buzz around the next big technology startup to take human interaction out of human capital and the equation of finding a new team member for your organization. Frankly, it’s become a bit ridiculous.
To be certain, technology has vastly improved the capacity to research and source talent on the internet. But having the capacity to do something and having the wherewithal to actually do it are two different matters entirely. It gets confusing as so many people who hold the title of “recruiter” don’t actually recruit. Many internal and external contingent “recruiters” simply post jobs to various job boards and sift through resumes for keywords. And when abetted by all the latest technology like Linked In, an inexperienced recruiter incapable of communicating effectively with executive level talent will simply be an inexperienced recruiter incapable of effectively communicating with a wider range of executive level talent.
Linked In is a great communication tool, but to assume that “all recruiters use Linked In exclusively” is a complete fallacy (perhaps amending this to say “many lazy, ineffective recruiters use Linked In exclusively” would be more accurate). We do utilize Linked In but it is usually somewhere around the 5th or 6th step in our process to provide our clients with a solution to their talent acquisition needs. The first is having an intelligent, open conversation about where their organization is currently, where it wants to go and what skill set/talent/acuity needs to be added to the team to move the organization forward.
There is no technology available to help a client set reasonable expectations for their open role or course correct should they happen to be looking for the wrong type of talent for their organization. For example, many times our initial consultation with a client has revealed that their desire to find one talent would be better served in looking for a different one; a VP of Marketing should really be a search for a VP of Customer Success, an SVP of Operations search should really be for a Managing Director. The amount of time and energy saved from that initial consultation is immense. And a technology that abets a search that is headed in the wrong direction is not a solution at all.
One of the dirty little secrets about LinkedIn is revealed in the blog linked above: some of the profiles on Linked In are fake or incredibly misleading. While it is considered unethical to lie on your resume there is no such ethical barrier with Linked In. We’ve encountered numerous instances where a Linked In profile states that a talent is currently a Director of XYZ at ABC company when we know for a fact they have not been with that company for a prolonged period of time – in some instances up to 2 years. But there is always the excuse that because LinkedIn is a social network that they simply haven’t had the time to update their profile or they don’t usually go there or they forgot, etc. And that’s a major issue that technology can never correct. Someone must take the time to research the candidates and verify their backgrounds and career path. Technology enables the research for sure, but it cannot replace the common sense judgment of an experienced search professional.
And while technology can certainly ease some tedious processes through automation, there is no technological way to replace genuine human interaction to convert a passive talent who is not looking for an opportunity to consider something new. We’re not talking about trying to sell something to someone who does not want it, but rather about bringing a great opportunity to someone’s attention that can potentially change their life in a positive way; perhaps they get to move to a city they have always wanted to live in, get the promotion they always dreamed of and deserve, get to work on an amazing product with an amazing company that gives them a new opportunity that makes getting up in the morning exciting every day. There has to be a basic human understanding (and human decency) behind what motivates and inspires a talent to take a risk and make a change. Technology can’t do any of that. And it will never replace the value of a dedicated talent acquisition professional who wants to bring together a great talent with a great opportunity.