THE GET-OPTIMAL VIEW #5 - WILLIAM TINCUP

October 13, 2022

Our engaging blog series sails on, and we’re not losing speed. So far, we’ve ruminated on The Great Return by Joe Slavin, How Optimal’s AI frees up time for the best bits of the job by Gary Elden, Torin Ellis on the DEIB journey employees want and Dave Rees on how Optimal’s solution Destroys Dyslexia.

If you missed them, hop back and give them a read!

For our fifth blog, Willam Tincup takes us on a hallucinatory trip through the corridors of the HR Tech in Vegas, in true Gonzo style.

Take it away, William.

Expo Hall, HR Tech - Vegas

William Tincup

Four themes dominated as I travailed the Expo Hall at HR Tech in Vegas. 

One - every third booth said AI (artificial intelligence)...

…but meant ML (machine learning), NLP (natural language processing) conversational bots and more. It’s clear that the acronym AI has lost almost all meaning to vendors and practitioners. Oddly Reejig is the only vendor with ethical and independently audited AI. I conclude only they use AI as I’d technically define it. The question, then - is how do we universally define AI in a landscape that seems undefinable?

Two - the emerging category of "talent intelligence" seems like workforce planning that's been spiced up.

Who the ***k owns talent intelligence? I don’t know. What’s worse - talent intelligence is primarily reactive and or sexy dashboards. Why? No one is doing passive signalling, which is where actual intelligence should come from. Why create the information when it’s already out there? Feed clients in from external sources, and it’ll genuinely bring in passionate and qualified people in the shortest time.

Three - Employee Experience (EX in case you've lived in a cave for the last few years) is pleasant, but wtf does it mean? 

We've been talking about Candidate Experience for almost 15 years, and I'm still not sure that people give a s***. Experience (candidate, employee, alumni) comes down to two basic human things: (a) give a s*** about the people you interact with and (b) be transparent and communicative with the folks that you care about. I think EX is a trojan horse to retention. Not a bad idea, but let's call it what it is. Again, as with talent intelligence, who the ***k owns EX? Everyone and no one. Great, just great. Once again, we’re left with an undefinable concept. This is a problem.

Four - 16 vendors in the Expo Hall were background checks/identity verification…

…which isn't interesting at all, but combined with the fact that we are going through a tectonic shift from prescreening to constant monitoring, it's newsworthy. The economic model for First Advantage, HireRight & Sterling is moving more towards pure SaaS, (Software as a service), which is interesting. In the old days, we’d run a background check before an offer letter was created, and if you passed, you'd be hired. These days companies are getting savvier. What happens if you’re charged with a major crime a month into your tenure at the said company? That's a high risk for the company's image and brand. Companies are unable to play stupid. But, we must counter this with an employee's right to privacy…if that exists? Humm. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. 

William Tincup

President & Editor-at-Large, RecruitingDaily

About Get-Optimal

Work with us at Optimal, and your response rate for open positions will soar by a minimum of 24%. Let our AI choose the most readable parts of your job ads to display, and you’ll save the precious time you would have spent combing through old or plagiarised job ads to ensure you’re conveying the correct image in the new world of attracting suitable and diverse candidates. No longer will applicants be put off by the vacancy or how it’s been advertised. Optimise once and post in multiple places - your new ad is provided in a downloadable, editable form to drop in to whichever job board or multi-poster you like!

We are also integrated with Bullhorn and Salesforce. We ensure your ad is Diversity & Inclusion compliant, meaning you’ll be the top choice commercially and win business over other, less enlightened competitors.

Ready to join forces? Why not book your demo today and get started with Get-Optimal?

THE GET-OPTIMAL VIEW #5 - WILLIAM TINCUP

October 13, 2022
Download Case Study

Our engaging blog series sails on, and we’re not losing speed. So far, we’ve ruminated on The Great Return by Joe Slavin, How Optimal’s AI frees up time for the best bits of the job by Gary Elden, Torin Ellis on the DEIB journey employees want and Dave Rees on how Optimal’s solution Destroys Dyslexia.

If you missed them, hop back and give them a read!

For our fifth blog, Willam Tincup takes us on a hallucinatory trip through the corridors of the HR Tech in Vegas, in true Gonzo style.

Take it away, William.

Expo Hall, HR Tech - Vegas

William Tincup

Four themes dominated as I travailed the Expo Hall at HR Tech in Vegas. 

One - every third booth said AI (artificial intelligence)...

…but meant ML (machine learning), NLP (natural language processing) conversational bots and more. It’s clear that the acronym AI has lost almost all meaning to vendors and practitioners. Oddly Reejig is the only vendor with ethical and independently audited AI. I conclude only they use AI as I’d technically define it. The question, then - is how do we universally define AI in a landscape that seems undefinable?

Two - the emerging category of "talent intelligence" seems like workforce planning that's been spiced up.

Who the ***k owns talent intelligence? I don’t know. What’s worse - talent intelligence is primarily reactive and or sexy dashboards. Why? No one is doing passive signalling, which is where actual intelligence should come from. Why create the information when it’s already out there? Feed clients in from external sources, and it’ll genuinely bring in passionate and qualified people in the shortest time.

Three - Employee Experience (EX in case you've lived in a cave for the last few years) is pleasant, but wtf does it mean? 

We've been talking about Candidate Experience for almost 15 years, and I'm still not sure that people give a s***. Experience (candidate, employee, alumni) comes down to two basic human things: (a) give a s*** about the people you interact with and (b) be transparent and communicative with the folks that you care about. I think EX is a trojan horse to retention. Not a bad idea, but let's call it what it is. Again, as with talent intelligence, who the ***k owns EX? Everyone and no one. Great, just great. Once again, we’re left with an undefinable concept. This is a problem.

Four - 16 vendors in the Expo Hall were background checks/identity verification…

…which isn't interesting at all, but combined with the fact that we are going through a tectonic shift from prescreening to constant monitoring, it's newsworthy. The economic model for First Advantage, HireRight & Sterling is moving more towards pure SaaS, (Software as a service), which is interesting. In the old days, we’d run a background check before an offer letter was created, and if you passed, you'd be hired. These days companies are getting savvier. What happens if you’re charged with a major crime a month into your tenure at the said company? That's a high risk for the company's image and brand. Companies are unable to play stupid. But, we must counter this with an employee's right to privacy…if that exists? Humm. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. 

William Tincup

President & Editor-at-Large, RecruitingDaily

About Get-Optimal

Work with us at Optimal, and your response rate for open positions will soar by a minimum of 24%. Let our AI choose the most readable parts of your job ads to display, and you’ll save the precious time you would have spent combing through old or plagiarised job ads to ensure you’re conveying the correct image in the new world of attracting suitable and diverse candidates. No longer will applicants be put off by the vacancy or how it’s been advertised. Optimise once and post in multiple places - your new ad is provided in a downloadable, editable form to drop in to whichever job board or multi-poster you like!

We are also integrated with Bullhorn and Salesforce. We ensure your ad is Diversity & Inclusion compliant, meaning you’ll be the top choice commercially and win business over other, less enlightened competitors.

Ready to join forces? Why not book your demo today and get started with Get-Optimal?