Tell us your career path before you were in TA
Like a lot of people I know in the industry, I 'fell' into it really. I had been working in the events industry for a few years at the 2012 Olympics, Wimbledon and Wembley but decided to make a change. Initially I worked at Pearson in their training event team before transitioning into a Recruitment and HR role as it was part of the wider 'Operations' team and I was put forward for the role by my manager at the time. Since then I've had a number of roles in TA and HR before finding myself in AdTech for the first time about 4 years ago
From your personal experience what's the best thing about being in talent acquisition?
I've been on the other side of TA a few times in my career when looking for a new role and it can be an incredibly tough experience. The best thing about working in this industry is the ability to provide a positive experience for candidates regardless of the outcome for them. Like many things, communication is absolutely key to this and I'm really proud of the feedback we've received from both successful and unsuccessful candidates who have taken part in our TA process at Venatus.
Since you've been in TA, how have you seen it change?
I began my TA career around 12 years ago and it has changed significantly since then! The availability and accessibility of ATS systems has been a huge part of that, the number of them now in market is staggering but they have led to (if used properly!) a much more efficient process for both the TA team and candidates. The behemoth that is LinkedIn has become the seemingly go-to place for many people with over 1 billion registered users across the world, it is source for job hunters, recruiters and others to post and find roles and learn about companies. Another change is the huge impact that the COVID pandemic has had. The ability and willingness to hold interviews via video call has, I believe, been really positive and allows both parties to make initial assessments before having to take the additional time and effort to meet in person. Finally, we are currently in a period where there are 5 different 'generations' in the workforce and trying to meet the different demands and requirements of each of them during a recruitment process can be incredibly tough, requiring TA specialists to be very adaptable and have the ability to understand what the differences are and how best to approach them.
How do you see AI impacting the future of talent acquisition?
AI has the potential to make talent acquisition much more efficient by removing some of the manual tasks it involves. While I'm not an advocate for AI 'recruiters' conducting interviews, there are definitely areas that could improve the process for both candidates and TA professionals. The speed at which AI seems to be developing means that we will all need to monitor it closely to ensure it is used in the right way and doesn't create unfair bias at any stage.
What advice would you give to job seekers today?
Use your network! Regardless of where you are in your career, a willingness to use those around you to help with your search is invaluable. Attend both face to face and online sessions on your chosen field to build your network further and don't be afraid to reach out to peers, recruiters and potential companies so they are aware that you are looking for a role and may think of you as/when something comes up.
The biggest piece of advice I would give to everyone, whether they are actively looking or not, is to remain aware of what is going on in the talent market. If you find yourself in a position where you need to find a new role relatively quickly, the groundwork put in by doing this will mean you're not starting from step one and will definitely help in securing your next role.
James Collett, Head of People at Venatus