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The world of staffing and recruiting is changing faster than your LinkedIn connections can send you congratulatory messages. The culprit? Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.
These aren’t just buzzwords anymore; they’re rapidly becoming the backbone of how businesses in this space operate. Matt Fischer, President and COO of Bullhorn, took some time on The Chad and Cheese podcast to lay it all out: AI isn’t here to steal your job, but it might just make it a whole lot easier.
Let’s be honest—recruiting has never been anyone’s dream job because they love spending hours sifting through résumés or crafting the perfect Boolean search string. As Fischer put it, “Your value isn’t in building the best Boolean search string in the world or asking knockout questions over the phone.” Preach. AI can handle that monotonous stuff, leaving recruiters to focus on what they actually do best—building relationships and making sure the right people get hired.
Fischer didn’t shy away from acknowledging the fear some recruiters have about AI coming for their jobs. But he’s quick to remind us that every technological leap has historically led to more jobs, not fewer. “I understand the apprehension, but when you think about it, it’s about optimizing the human and the things they do best,” Fischer explained. In other words, AI isn’t the Terminator; it’s your new sidekick.
Here’s the kicker: AI is no longer just a nice-to-have—it’s becoming a must-have. The staffing industry is moving towards a fully tech-enabled recruitment process, and companies that don’t get with the program are going to be left in the dust. Fischer’s advice? Adapt or get out of the way. “If you’re not following that type of approach, you’re going to be losing share,” he said. And let’s face it, nobody wants to be Blockbuster in a Netflix world.
What really gets Fischer excited (and let’s be real, what recruiter doesn’t want to hear this) is the sheer amount of data that AI can handle. “We have almost a billion candidate profiles in our system,” Fischer mentioned, as if talking about the latest number of Instagram followers. This data isn’t just sitting there collecting dust; it’s being used to train AI models that make recruiting smarter and faster.
And then there’s the integration of AI into business processes. We’re not just talking about adding a chatbot to your website and calling it a day. Fischer emphasized that AI needs to be woven into the fabric of your operations. Think of it like adding bacon to a burger—once it’s there, everything just works better. “The best part about this whole thing is that AI isn’t just a marketing stance; it’s actually better together,” Fischer noted. Because who doesn’t want something that’s not just hype but actually delivers?
But don’t get too comfy just yet. Fischer also hinted at the fact that the staffing industry is only going to get more competitive. Companies that aren’t embracing AI will find themselves up against tech-enabled juggernauts that can do everything faster, cheaper, and probably with fewer typos. So, if you’re not automating, you’re basically bringing a knife to a drone fight.
So, what’s the takeaway? The future of staffing is bright, but only if you’re willing to change your game. AI is here to stay, and it’s not just making recruiters’ lives easier—it’s transforming the whole industry. As Fischer put it, “People need to keep an open mind and think about their jobs differently.” So, strap in, get friendly with AI, and maybe even have a little fun with it. After all, it’s not every day that you get to work with a technology that could make your job not just easier, but actually enjoyable.
