Forget Resumes. AI is Picking the Best Candidates Now.
Imagine waking up tomorrow to find that AI has already decided your next job for you. The hiring process is changing faster than we ever imagined.
Last week, I attended yet another conference on the future of work. And once again, Trevor Noah was there. I should probably find out where he’s headed next, because we clearly share similar interests. 🙂
Hosted by Indeed, the conference featured Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo and one of the most successful business leaders of our time. The overarching theme of the conference was how AI is reshaping hiring.
Understanding the current hiring process is key to seeing where the future of work is going. The conference was designed for HR and talent acquisition professionals. I’m neither, which made what I heard that much more eye-opening.
I first used Indeed over a decade ago, back when it was a simple digital job board. Today, it’s evolved into something far more sophisticated, a reflection of how AI has revolutionized the hiring process, especially since the release of ChatGPT.
“With each technology disruption, new jobs are created and existing jobs evolve or change. With this AI moment, that’s true as well.” - Donal McMahon, Indeed Vice President of Data Science
“There will certainly be an evolution in jobs in much the same way we saw when the personal computer first came out.” - Hannah Calhoon, VP of AI, Indeed
AI is taking over hiring…And it's just the beginning
AI isn’t the future—it’s the present. According to Indeed’s survey, 87% of HR and talent professionals are already using AI for everything from writing job descriptions to summarizing resumes.
On the other side, 70% of job seekers use AI to craft cover letters and prepare for interviews. AI is fundamentally transforming how talent connects with opportunity.
But this is just the beginning.
The Rise of AI Talent Scouts and Agents
AI-powered talent scouts and agents are flipping the hiring process on its head.
With AI-powered talent scouts, the traditional job application process is reversed. Employers receive curated lists of candidates based on AI recommendations and then invite candidates to apply.
AI-powered talent agents take it a step further. Just as actors and athletes have agents who understand their strengths and bring them opportunities, AI can now offer that same level of personalized representation to job seekers.
Imagine having your own AI agent who understands your strengths, aspirations, and career goals. This AI agent isn’t just about finding you a job. It’s about guiding you toward the right path and surfacing opportunities you may never have found on your own. In seconds, you could have a job match tailored to your goals.
We saw demos of these AI tools at the conference. Some features are already live, while others will be launching soon. The demo of the AI-powered talent agent was especially impressive. It’s particularly helpful for people unsure of their career path or looking to transition into a new field.
Skills-First Hiring: A New Era
Skills-first hiring is on the rise. More companies, often called Skills-First Organizations (SFO), are prioritizing real-world skills over degrees.
According to the same study, 68% of employees prefer a skills-based hiring process to reduce bias in traditional hiring.
While degrees aren’t going to become obsolete anytime soon, this shift signals a significant change in how companies assess talent.
“The majority of candidates, especially the younger workforce, now prefer skills-based assessments, and 90% see it as a fairer way to showcase their abilities and secure their dream jobs.” - Wouter Durville, Co-founder and CEO, TestGorilla
This might explain the increase of countless candidate assessments that I became aware of during my interview with Oliver Savill, Founder of Test Partnership.
As more organizations adopt a skills-based approach, candidates who can prove their abilities will gain a significant edge in the job market.
Reinvent Yourself or Risk Being Left Behind
The key takeaway from the Indeed Futureworks 2024 conference is that if you’re not reinventing yourself, you’re falling behind. Refining your skills and embracing new technologies like AI is essential to staying ahead in a job market that’s evolving faster than ever.
“The full impact of the steam engine gradually accelerated over many generations. But the travel, retail and music industries were turned completely upside down by the internet in less than a decade. With AI, it’s conceivable that college students might now find themselves learning skills that will be obsolete by the time they graduate.” - Chris Hyams, CEO, Indeed
"With AI-powered talent scouts, the traditional job application process is reversed. Employers receive curated lists of candidates based on AI recommendations and then invite candidates to apply."
I'll remain healthily skeptical about AI in this realm but if it could perform the above in some improved new way, that would be a rather welcome development for the very messy...and taxing process of job searching for candidates.
My sense is that all of the 3rd party recruiting has popped up as a symptom mitigating measure for orgs that "just don't have the time to find candidates" but it's made things worse than better, thus, it's likely to be beneficial to remove this problematic layer from the system.
The only thing is if the AI is being trained on the data of everything we've been doing wrong to date, then we can expect that it might also simply makes things worse over time. Garbage in garbage out.
Again, if it can somehow learn to perform the above role differently, then that might be a welcome development and great use of AI.
Do these AI talent agents already exist or were these predictions of what is to come?