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2025-02-27
I still remember my first experience in recruitment back in 2006. It feels like a lifetime ago now, but I can still recall that mix of excitement and uncertainty as I stepped into this world for the first time. I had just graduated—young, curious, and full of energy—ready to prove myself, even though I had no idea what recruitment was really about. All I knew was that it involved people, conversations, and helping companies grow, and that felt like a good enough place to start.
Recruitment back then was a completely different world. There was no LinkedIn with millions of profiles at your fingertips. In Poland, Goldenline was the closest thing we had to a professional network, but its database was small. Finding passive candidates felt more like detective work than a recruitment process. We relied heavily on manual search, endless cold-calling, and creative strategies to find and connect with the right people. Piecing together bits of information to get the full picture was almost an art form.
Every successful hire felt like solving a challenging puzzle. There were no advanced search algorithms to help us. Instead, we built relationships, stayed curious, and kept asking the right questions.
Convincing someone to change jobs back then wasn’t about sending a carefully crafted message. It was about real conversations—listening to people’s stories, understanding their motivations, and finding a way to align their goals with the opportunity we had in front of us.
And the tools we had? Excel. Lots and lots of Excel. It was our everything—candidate tracker, reporting tool, CRM, and personal assistant all rolled into one. I still smile when I think about it because, honestly, Excel hasn’t gone anywhere—it’s still a mainstay for many recruitment teams today. Even with all the modern ATS and automation tools available, Excel is a hard habit to break.
But the recruitment world has changed dramatically since those early days. First, social media transformed how we connect with candidates. Then, ATS systems brought structure and efficiency to our workflows. And now, AI is changing everything once again. It feels like we’ve entered a new chapter—one that’s both exciting and a little intimidating.
This is one of the most common questions I hear these days: “Will AI take over recruitment?” And it’s understandable. AI is already automating tasks that were once at the core of a recruiter’s job—sourcing candidates, drafting outreach messages, and even conducting initial screenings.
So, will recruiters still be needed in five or ten years? Absolutely. But not in the same way.
Companies will likely need fewer recruiters overall, but the ones they keep will play a much more strategic role. The recruiter of the future won’t just be someone who fills open roles—they’ll be a business partner, workforce strategist, and internal consultant.
The focus will shift from operational execution to big-picture thinking—helping companies plan for future talent needs, aligning recruitment with business strategy, and providing insights based on data.
But here’s the twist: As AI takes over the repetitive, administrative tasks, recruiters will have more time to focus on people. The future of recruitment will be more human-centric than ever. Instead of being bogged down by data entry, scheduling, and manual candidate screening, recruiters will spend more time interacting with hiring managers and candidates.
This is the part I find truly exciting. We’ll have the freedom to build deeper relationships, create more personalized candidate experiences, and be genuine advisors to the business. Ironically, AI might make recruitment feel more human than ever before.
Here’s an analogy I often use when explaining how recruiters engage with AI: It’s a lot like using LinkedIn Recruiter. Some recruiters type a job title and location into the search bar and stop there. Sure, they’ll get results—but they won’t necessarily get the best ones.
The real magic happens when you use advanced filters—adding skills, experience levels, industries, and more. Suddenly, the results are far more relevant.
AI works the same way. The better your input, the better your output. If you give AI a generic prompt, you’ll get a generic response. But if you take the time to refine your inputs—experiment, adjust, and fine-tune—you’ll get much better results.
For example, when using ChatGPT to create a job ad, don’t just paste a job description and ask for a rewrite. Start by defining your candidate persona: What do they care about? What motivates them? What kind of language will resonate with them? Once you know that, AI can help you craft something truly meaningful and engaging.
AI enhances thinking—it doesn’t replace it.
I’ve had plenty of conversations with IT professionals about AI, and they always remind me: “What we’re calling AI is really just advanced machine learning.”
They’re right. From a technical perspective, most recruitment tools today aren’t truly “intelligent.” They’re predictive models—analyzing data, identifying patterns, and offering suggestions based on probabilities. It’s not the kind of AI that can “think” or “reason” on its own.
Why does this distinction matter? Because it sets realistic expectations. AI can’t make strategic decisions for you, but it can give you the tools to make better ones. It’s still evolving, and we’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s possible.
As AI continues to reshape recruitment, the role of recruiters will evolve. We’ll become more like strategic consultants—working closely with business leaders to plan for the future. We’ll focus on workforce planning, talent market intelligence, and long-term hiring strategies.
Success in this new world will require a new set of skills:
Data Literacy to make sense of recruitment analytics.
AI Proficiency to use new tools effectively and creatively.
Business Acumen to align hiring strategies with company goals and organizational needs.
Not every recruiter is prepared for this transformation. And that’s okay. For those who prefer a different path, there are so many other opportunities to explore.
Last year, I attended RecFest 2024 in the UK—one of the most exciting recruitment events I’ve been to in a long time. RecFest is known for being at the cutting edge of recruitment innovation, and it didn’t disappoint.
One tool that stood out to me was Scotty AI, an advanced conversational AI for initial candidate screening. Scotty can conduct phone interviews, ask pre-defined questions, and shortlist candidates based on their responses.
For high-volume roles like customer service, logistics, and production, Scotty AI is a game-changer. But can it work for senior specialist or managerial roles?
For entry-level candidates, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha, an AI-powered phone interview might feel normal. But for senior professionals, the human touch remains essential. I can imagine using Scotty for bulk hiring, but for more experienced candidates, I still prefer a human-led conversation—the kind where you can dig deeper and truly connect.
One of the most memorable lessons I ever learned was from my chemistry teacher, who used to say: “Always pour acid into water, never the other way around.”
In recruitment, culture, values, and strategy are the water, and AI is the acid. If you pour technology into a poorly prepared culture, it will create chaos. But if you build the right foundation first, AI can enhance everything.
Technology should serve us—not control us.
A former manager once told me: “We need people who know how to dance in the rain.” That phrase has stayed with me ever since because it perfectly describes what’s happening now. The job market is full of uncertainty, but those who can adapt and stay curious will thrive.
AI is here to stay, but it will never replace human intuition, creativity, and emotional intelligence. It’s a tool—a powerful one—but it’s up to us to use it wisely and stay in control.
How do you see your role evolving in this AI-driven world? Have you started using AI tools in your work? I’d love to hear your thoughts—what excites you, what concerns you, and how you see the future unfolding.
Let’s continue this conversation and learn from each other! >>>