Public Finance Blog

Yesterday, I was invited to join a webinar about top recruiters and what makes them so successful.  It was put on by recruiting industry experts, many I listen to on a regular basis to keep me up to speed on my industry thoughts and tactics.  The gist of this (and a hundred other webinars) for our industry cries out that in order for all of us to be “Big Billers,” we must embrace Artificial Intelligence (i.e., AI) to reach that pinnacle of a “Top Biller.”  Well, I am here today to shed some light on what you, the hiring manager and candidate, may not be aware of.

It’s An Invasion…Not Just An Innovation

AI has invaded the recruiting industry in so many negative ways that I thought it was time to share my personal viewpoints on this ever-increasing (in my mind, rampant) problem.  I am also aware that I am in a great minority when it comes to embracing this technology.  I personally have not and will not subject my candidates or clients to my usage of AI.  First of all, the public is not aware of how much AI is used in the recruiting industry: from marketing, sourcing, handling objections, presentation of a candidate, and all the way to closing the candidate.  The personal trusted advisor is gone out the window because AI is “doing it all,” and anyone who is not using AI is not going to make a large income in the recruiting field (as told by these industry experts).

Subpar Performance At Best

Let’s discuss the recruiting industry changes for a minute. For example, as a candidate, you would receive a marketing outreach letter that used to be painstakingly drafted and finally written by a recruiter so it was personal to you.  It’s not anymore.  Hundreds of people are getting the same letter… written by AI.  Your response is to a non-personal, boilerplate approach.  When you contact a recruiter and ask questions, a recruiter literally does not have to think anymore.  As you are asking the question, they are typing in your question to AI and getting the answer they immediately share with you, whether it pertains to your particular situation or not.  Let me emphasize that last part again: the answer you receive to your questions may or MAY NOT pertain to your particular situation.  The sourcing of a candidate by sifting through a database, which is the way we find that perfect candidate, has been replaced with a question to AI resulting in a list of potential recruits is disclosed immediately.  Again, no guarantee that they are the right fit or that they have the requisite skills.  In essence, a hiring manager can be inundated with unqualified candidates they now have to go through.  This all sounds great, but where is the personal touch that our industry was so well known for?  Gone are the days with most firms really getting to know their candidates before submitting resumes to the hiring managers, as evidenced by the plethora of resumes submitted to HR departments to be sorted out.

AI Sounds Helpful, But Is It For The Recruiting Industry? 

On the surface, AI sounds like the “be all, end all” to the recruiting industry.  I am here to share my personal opinion: I think not.  I think AI cannot and will not replace what a recruiter does best, which is to truly know their candidate, hiring manager, and position that needs to be created and filled.  In our opportunistic approach, there is no role for AI today and certainly not tomorrow.  Zero tolerance.  If you truly want a personal experience in your hiring scenario, ensure you’re talking with a recruiter who is not following the bandwagon, but doing it the old-fashioned way.  What’s the old-fashioned way?  Caring about you and your situation, and not letting a technological bot be your guide.  In closing, this blog above (and none of my other blogs) was not written by AI, but by a lonely recruiter at his desk, with his dog, Corkee, by his side.

Conclusion

You don’t need a resume to chat with us! If you would like to discuss your options, please reach out for a confidential conversation at 760-477-1284 or email at harlan@hfriedmansearch.com. He can also be reached on LinkedIn. Harlan publishes a blog every Thursday here. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here, which is a compilation of our weekly blogs, so you never miss one. We have also been mentioned in Forbes this year, click HERE to read more.  

About Harlan Friedman, JD & Founding Member, H. Friedman Search LLC. Harlan is a thirty-year veteran Public Finance Banker turned recruiter who specializes in the placement of all levels Public Finance Bankers, Healthcare Bankers, Municipal Advisors, Compliance Officers, Issuers, and Bond Counsels.