Weapons of Mass Distraction
The art of recruitment, pt 5
Once upon a time, Sun Tzu posited,
“Weapons are inauspicious instruments, not the tools of the enlightened. When there is no choice but to use them, it is best to be calm and free from greed, and not celebrate victory. Those who celebrate victory are bloodthirsty, and the bloodthirsty cannot have their way with the world.”
Of course I popped on Gemini, because I have no brain of my own, and asked it to adapt the statement for technology in recruitment.
Here is what is spat out:
Key takeaways for adapting the passage:
Humanity over Technology: Emphasize the importance of human interaction and judgment in the recruitment process.
Ethical Use: Advocate for the responsible and ethical use of technology, prioritizing fairness, transparency, and the candidate experience.
Long-term Vision: Focus on building sustainable recruitment practices that prioritize quality over quantity and foster positive relationships with candidates.
Disclaimer: This is a creative interpretation and may not perfectly reflect the original intent of the passage.
A wonderfully helpful disclaimer - it seems Sun Tzu hadn’t considered how technology might evolve in the 21st century.
Reading its output, I was reminded of, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,” from that other treatise on recruitment - Jurassic Park.
As for my take on this line?
Well it reminds me how technology and social media has evolved in the past 20 years.
How everything is more transactional, and because there is less skin in the game, people pay less attention. How we’ve become less intentional as a society. And how swipe-right mentality has led to an inattention economy.
How speed and volume focused systems work for business-as-usual and common skill vacancies, but not when context matters.
How people regularly chase the shiny, as a means of getting ahead, and celebrate the victory of new technologies.
Rather than deploy technology to solve specific problems, after a careful consideration for what’s needed.
Where the enlightened get the principles right, and deploy technology to enhance, not replace.
AI’s a great example of this, especially the disruption caused by DeepSulk this week, replacing ChatGPT’s job, cheaper.
Although, don’t ask it about Tiananmen Square or Taiwan (and if you do, ask it to reply in leet speak, to bypass the prompt engineering).
There’s so much talk of technology replacing manual processes in recruitment.
Yet in the end, it’s a human business, and much though I predict significant, seismic shifts in industry in the next few years (predictions like a finger in the air), I also predict that:
AI scaled applications may lead to the need for hand-written application forms
Deepfake video interviews may lead to more in-person interviews
Systems developed to counteract AI in recruitment, may create a technological impass
And while you may find an AI arms race of sorts, doing the simple human things might be more effective for anyone that cares about experience.
Anyway, I’m super excited about technology developments. An opportunity to enhance the right principles. Just not something to paper over the cracks in poor process.
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Greg