Acara Account Executive, Carrie Calamel, illustrates the reasons why technology will never replace the personal touch a recruiter brings to the modern job market.

To celebrate my recent 20-year anniversary as a recruitment industry veteran, I treated myself to a craft beer while reflecting on my career. Technology has progressed from the dark ages of resume faxing to the brighter days of advanced technology, search engines, ATS, onboarding tools, and now AI. While these advancements have shaped us into a more competitive field, I maintain that there is personal “craft” involved in recruiting the talent you need to remain ahead of the pack.

Some in our industry feel that technology and AI may someday deem recruiters unnecessary. I argue that technology and AI are “power tools” that increase our efficiency, but the human experience found within our sourcing, recruiting, and onboarding process will remain important for the new hire experience. There is much to be said regarding the talent and craft of sales and recruiting experts. What factors have encouraged my passion for remaining a consultative recruiting partner within the digital age?

Relationships — My passion to integrate and build relationships with our clients helps me to understand their brand, mission, and vision. It allows me to advise and develop a hiring profile, inclusive of the technical skill sets and behavioral traits needed for a successful hire. From there, it necessitates human interaction and conversation to understand a job seeker’s motivations, skills, and behavioral traits and then match those to our customers’ various needs.

Reputation — As an account executive, few things are as fulfilling as when I observe my customer making a great hiring decision the first time around. I have witnessed the damage that a rushed hiring decision can incur. They are not only expensive but damaging to morale and the brand that a company works so hard to maintain.

Value Pitch — The art of connecting a person with a value pitch that illustrates why they should consider a job, even if not presently looking, is something that I do exceptionally well, and something a machine could never replace.

The race to remain ahead of competitors can sometimes remove the human touch from an organization’s hiring experience. For those who agree that human capital is a company’s greatest asset, you may also concur that, in a candidate-driven job market, it is critical to provide potential employees and new hires with positive interview and onboarding experiences. While technology helps, an old-fashioned conversation with your recruitment advisor builds and strengthens partnerships that not only further business goals, but allow for continued trust.