Using AI for talent sustainability forecasting system, the CEO and CHRO should estimate the current and future talent needs vs. the current available pool. Identify managerial training needs to qualify for planned future movements to key positions. A comp

MY friends tell me that I write about the future much of the time. First, the future is where we shall spend the rest of our lives. Second, my prescriptions seem futuristic, like AI in HR, because they’re not yet practiced in many Filipino enterprises.

In March 2023, the Guardian reported that “one-third of Australian businesses currently use AI tools in recruitment,” and a Mercer report in 2020 found that 55 percent of HR leaders were already using predictive algorithms in hiring. In one of the recent global surveys, “50 percent of HR teams anticipate a struggle in meeting demand with their current talent model,” while 56 percent of HR leaders say that hiring volume will increase, but 66 percent say that recruiting teams will stay the same. Lastly, 52 percent of talent acquisition leaders admit difficulty identifying suitable candidates from a large applicant pool.”

All these point to the need for ways to ensure talent sustainability in organizations.

Recruitment vs talent acquisition

Usually, recruitment starts by trying to fill up a job opening. It is a reactive process. Talent acquisition is a longterm, systematic and proactive approach to creating a talent pipeline of external and internal candidates and matching talent versus roles today and in the future. The former is transactional, administrative or operational; the latter is strategic.

The steps are almost the same as in the past, except that technology can now be embedded in the process.

– Pipeline and pool. The first important step is to create a talent pipeline and pool. Online and in-person conferences offer opportunities for talent acquisition practitioners to market their organization as an employer of choice, using their unique EVP (employee value proposition) and building relationships with people who could meet current and future talent needs or who could point to them.

– Sourcing. Actively search for candidates using job boards, an ATS (applicant tracking system), networking events, referrals and social media. Technology helps simplify the search and broaden the field.

– Screening and testing. Use paper and video resumés to shortlist candidates with the right skills that fit the organization’s culture. Use written tests, skills assessments, preliminary interviews to validate resumés and references, and background checks. Psychometricians can use HR algorithms to enhance the screening process.

– In-depth interviews. Conduct phone screen and in-person in-depth interviews to assess skills, behavior, personality and overall qualifications.

– Selection. Determine the most suitable candidate/s for the role, using feedback from screening and interview processes. AI algorithms can help remove biases in selection.

– Offer. Extend a job offer, including job title, role scope and details, compensation, start date, and other important terms. Secure clearances and pre-employment medical exams.

– Onboarding. Integrate the new hire using in-person and online onboarding processes. Introduce the organization and its key people and clarify expectations with the new employee.

– Monitoring and enhancing employee experience (EX). Monitor and support the new hire, maintain communication, feedback, support, and build positive relationships. Gather factual and evaluative data and feed them into the skills inventory to improve your talent pipeline and pool.

Throughout the hiring process, HR and the line manager must provide a positive candidate experience (CX) and a welcoming, physically and psychologically safe environment. Beyond the acquisition phase, managers must enhance the employee experience (EX) at every possible touchpoint in the employment stage.

Talent acquisition strategy

As earlier emphasized, talent acquisition is a systematic approach to ensuring that the organization is staffed with the right quality and quantity of talent as they are needed now and in the future. Recruitment is a part of it.

McKinsey, Forbes and other sources say that talent acquisition strategy includes such important elements as organizational branding, workforce planning, a streamlined recruitment, selection, and placement system, a competitive pay package that ensures internal and external equity, and a thorough onboarding process. After talent acquisition, the company must have systems and programs for talent engagement and retention, including programs to motivate and induce productivity, learning and career growth.

Some companies’ practices, like IBM’s, and global consultants’ survey findings and prescriptions, are useful inputs in developing a talent acquisition strategy. Here are some important elements in ensuring talent sustainability beyond talent acquisition.

– Employer branding. Develop a strong branding message that includes the company’s purpose, values, culture, benefits and career opportunities. Create a brand that will make your company the employer of choice in the industry.

– Talent inventory. Use a comprehensive HR information system (HRIS) that captures all factual and evaluation data about all employees, including skills, career aspirations, work experience, performance evaluation, leadership experience and potential appraisal (if any). The last item is for the CEO’s and CHRO’s eyes only, for use in succession planning.

– Talent forecast. Using a talent

Ernie Cecilia is the chairman of the Human Capital Committee and the Publication Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham); chairman of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines’ (ECOP’s) TWG on Labor and Social Policy Issues; and past president of the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). He can be reached at erniececilia@gmail.com.