For more than a century now, science fiction authors have told tales of nearly sentient technology in order to magnify the importance of inter-human connection. Today, as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes ubiquitous, we are simultaneously seeing people increasingly seeking community and connection.
 

In talent acquisition (TA), the year ahead will be centered around balancing tech tools with a human-centered approach. Furthermore, trends suggest continuing shifts in the most-valued characteristics of talent. While background and educational attainment have long reigned, employers are finding that teams might be stronger when hiring decisions instead place emphasis on candidates’ actual skills, their potential, and their ability to learn and adapt.

AI’s Recruiting Impact Is Multiplying Daily

It’s almost old news that AI is agitating recruitment and selection worldwide. Still, we’ve only just begun to see the ways it will help organizations and candidates find each other. Candidates are using AI support for crafting resumes and cover letters, with some evidence suggesting that AI-assisted documents can yield faster and more lucrative job offers¹.

On the employer side, AI is efficiently automating time-intensive tasks like screening, sourcing, and scheduling. In one survey, TA professionals who used AI tools for interview scheduling reported doing so 36% faster than those who scheduled interviews manually.²

But if AI is saving us time, what should we do with all those fresh minutes? As AI frees up TA teams from tasks now deemed mechanical, that time will be best used to develop and implement person-centric approaches.

Time can be devoted to carefully identifying the most effective methods and schedules to connect directly with candidates. It can also design better practices for cultivating candidate relationships and build stronger connections with the candidates who pass through the initial selection stages.

Amid the Tech Frenzy, Don’t Forget the EX

In our post-COVID environment, today’s candidates are expressing a stronger desire for connection and community. Yes, they do care about salary and benefits, but the employment experience (EX) has become central in new ways. People want to know how they can contribute to the organization and what the organization can provide for them.

They want to know not just about the job, but increasingly about the work environment. How inclusive is the culture? How flexible is the job, both geographically and temporally? What’s the EX? Will I be able to have meaningful connections with my coworkers? What are the learning, development, and career opportunities?

These aren’t new questions, but the soaring priority candidates place on the answers is new. Using the time saved via AI to provide those answers in ways that nurture interpersonal relationships will lead to more reliable hiring decisions and stronger working teams.

Authenticity Is a Watchword

Of course, all of this relies on honesty. The temptation to woo rare talent by telling candidates what they want to hear is strong, especially in tight job markets. However, keeping the high cost of turnover in mind will help successful organizations present an authentically positive picture.

Perhaps more importantly, organizations must intentionally and actively nurture their culture so that the way people work is in harmony with the work they do (i.e., the mission). Candidates, too, will find a better occupational fit when they manage the job hunt with veracity. In a person-centered TA system, time is devoted to developing relationships that have room for genuineness.

While leveraging AI in the beginning stages of selection, TA teams can then shift to face-to-face conversations to better understand candidates’ skills, aptitudes, and attitudes. Candidates can get a clearer picture of the role and the organization’s culture. A less rushed, more person-centric process is linked to higher job satisfaction and increased retention.

AI Disruption Brings Benefits and Risks

It’s no secret that HR’s increasing use of AI in recruiting is both a blessing and a curse. According to Addison Group's 2025 Workforce Planning Guide, there’s been a 118% rise in recruitment fraud in the past year related to technology. Scammers are targeting candidates using public data they’ve gathered using AI and impersonating legitimate recruiting firms to phish for more sensitive data to exploit.

Conversely, more fraudulent job applicants are abusing recruitment systems to bypass processes, steal organization data, or even get hired and paid without actually working. In a perhaps lighter form of fraud, technology is also enabling applicants to get hired into roles that are well beyond their true capabilities.

TA teams who openly recognize both the benefits and risks of expanding technologies will be the most likely to succeed. They will develop comprehensive systems that balance the technological and human elements of recruitment in order to enjoy the increased efficiency of AI tools while minimizing the risks.

One part of that system might be making face-to-face conversations mandatory (either in person or via video), in ways that both verify the applicant’s humanity and also nurture the interpersonal connections that are at the core of successful organizations.

Realigning for Applicant’s True Skills

Another realignment for TA teams to focus on in the next year relates to the characteristics they seek in candidates. Traditionally, academic degrees have held the top priority position in selection systems. But it’s becoming clearer that many people without those types of academic backgrounds bring three critical attributes: job-related skills, adaptability and an outlook favoring learning.

Successful TA teams will re-tune their processes to assess and prioritize applicants’ true skills, including their ability and desire to grow and adapt. This will require a significant shift in thinking and action that is likely to open doors to hiring highly effective people who, without that change, might have been overlooked.

2025 is the year of the human-centered approach to talent acquisition, integrated with the support of technology to go faster. Candidates want to be treated as more than a number, they want to be seen as a human being. People already in the organization crave community and connection as well. Effective TA teams will not rely only on AI – they will provide a person-centric approach that aligns with organizational culture. With foresight and collaboration, successful organizations will be those that harmonize technology with keeping the human in human resources.

Resources:
1. Workforce Planning Guide – Addison
2. https://assets.phenom.com/hubfs/02_Assets/ebook/230616_EB_EN_Talent-Board-Report_2023.pdf

Author Bio

Cathy Maraist, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is the Vice President of People Strategy at Addison Group. She is an Industrial/Organizational psychologist with more than 20 years of experience in the field, including employee experience, organizational culture, selection/hiring, leadership development, and coaching.

Error: No such template "/CustomCode/topleader/category"!