Recruiting at Arm’s Length: Is AI making hiring less human? 

Recruitment Industry Spotlight 

The dust has settled – over 10,000 attendees and 160 keynotes later, the Agentforce World Tour London is over, and it was a showcase for the power of Agentic AI. The modern technology industry is on the precipice of evolving, and Agentic AI is driving it into the future. Salesforce believes this, the industry clearly does, but the question is, is it evolving for the better or the worse? 

Recruiters help drive the industry by helping match the best talent with the best businesses – a sort of technological cupid. Relationships between that talent and those businesses form the centre of what we do at Steadman Brown – people are priority number one. The anticipation of what Agentforce offers, as showcased by Capita at the World Tour, has been bubbling away for some time – and now you could argue that it’s about to boil over. Some may see this as a massive fork in the recruitment road – do you flip and follow in Capita’s footsteps with agentic automation in candidate screening processes, or do you stick and prove that human connections in recruitment always comes out on top? We can certainly say that Steadman Brown are sticking to what we do best; build relationships, look after our clients and candidates, and deliver recruitment experiences second to none.  

Capita - an Agentforce company: Recruiters or Agents of the Algorithm? 

UKI CEO Zahra Bahrololoumi presented a strong case for Agentic AI as a solution, and a means for businesses to grow. Many businesses within the industry today have adopted the mantle of an ‘Agentforce Company’ and it was Capita who stood in the spotlight at the World Tour. This was touted as a step into the future but also to those within the industry, valid concerns about the authenticity of recruitment were raised. As much as Agentforce enables Capita to streamline their recruitment process – saving time on mundane administrative tasks and the screening phase – do jobseekers want to interact with a bot, or would they rather deal with a recruiter who is genuinely interested in them and their aspirations? 

Capita, founded in 1984, are a hugely successful organisation – there is no taking away from the success they have achieved. However, in an era where human connection is becoming more and more virtual through AI and social media, is automating a process where people are at its core, a step too far?  

The Capita demonstration in the main keynote was a testament to the growth of modern technology. As someone who watched it start to end, I was impressed when Salesforce SVP of UKI Solutions Paul O’Sullivan had a screening conversation, live, with AI. I must admit it was unexpected, but I was concerned that by adopting AI Agents for the screening stage that recruiters’ reputations and the industry as whole lose client and candidate trust.  

Automation: Progress or Abdication? 

People are fundamental when it comes to recruitment – from the initial introduction to the screening stage, to the interview process, and till close. It’s a process that can either be extremely stressful when handled badly, or extremely rewarding and empowering when done right. The best in the business is those who handle their clients and candidates with care and attentiveness. That is something that should always remain a constant. The dilemma with Agentforce, Agentic AI, or any AI powered chatbots, is that it is not human. It never will be. No matter how developed and convincing it becomes, it will never be human. The main thought I have in mind when it comes to this, irrelevant of technological enhancement, I – or anyone – will always know it is not a person and there will be no relationship built.  

Then from a recruiter’s perspective, the question is that are recruiters who invest this heavily into AI automation into their processes, giving up too much ownership over how we hire. I completely understand that AI can help the mundane administration in our hiring processes, however replacing those key conversations where the relational foundations are constructed will take much away from the recruitment process.  

I am not anti-tech by any stretch of the imagination. I would even go to the extent that I am pro-tech when it comes to streamlining business processes. But there is a limit. I wouldn’t want it to replace entire systems, especially in recruitment, where the screening process is vital when determining how qualified someone is a for a role, and when it comes to building relationships. I would describe my stance on AI in recruitment not as anti-tech, but pro-discernment.  

The Loss of the Human Touch 

I have touched upon the emotional, relational side of recruitment already – but it shouldn’t be underestimated how important this is. For clients, they are putting faith in recruiters to find the right people to help their businesses succeed. For candidates – which is much more my world – they are putting their faith in recruiters to find them a role. This requires a huge amount of trust, especially when you consider situations where people are struggling financially or have families while being out of work. Not only is this a period of doubt and concern for candidates, but it is also a stressful time too. That is where great recruiters are distinguished from the ‘wolf of wall street’ type recruiters. To make sure that candidates, and clients, are comfortable and feel like their trust is well-placed, building a relationship with those people is arguably the most important detail of all.  

That relationship is established in the first interaction. Taking the time to care about the candidate and their needs will instantly make you stand out as a recruiter, and you’ll instantly build trust. This foundation is vital when creating the human connection behind a recruitment process and if you remove human interaction from this initial process – that relationship is not there, and neither is the trust. If it was me – I’d rather build a relationship with a recruiter who knows me and what I want. AI cannot replicate that. 

Where We Stand: People Over Process 

At Steadman Brown, we pride ourselves on our people first approach. We are given the right tools to provide the right touch. This is why our relationships with client and candidate drive our success as a business. This value is at the core of our business and something that will become even more important in an industry that is slowly becoming more and more automated.  

AI has its uses – there’s no denying that. From a technological standpoint it is impressive and in certain circumstances, I understand its use. When it comes to mundane administrative tasks, or meeting notes – things that do not intervene the human side of our business, I believe it makes sense to use it here. But to replace the relational foundation process of our business? Absolutely not. 

I’m not anti-AI. I am pro-intention. And our intention is to build the best relationships we can with client and candidate alike. This is why in a world of AI, automation, and algorithm, we stand out and will carry on focusing on being people first.