The Talk Needs to Happen Sooner

What do you need?

When was the last time you were interviewed, and did it start with this question?

If you've ever been asked, did you feel empowered enough to answer the question honestly?

Why do we use a first date to determine whether we are compatible, but leave job fit conversations for the Probation Period?

It's akin to getting married and having a child before 'the talk'.

Amidst the noise about whether AI should be used in the recruitment process (just because it can), something critical is being overlooked. Recruitment has primarily been a subjective, human-centric process, utilising a methodology that has remained unchanged for decades.

Matching people to opportunity using smart data is possible.

And it will get better, very, very quickly.

If you speak to SMEs looking to fill roles quickly, individuals trying to find the next valuable step forward on their career path to improve the situation as soon as possible, most don't list trawling through resumes and job postings as high on their list of joyful activities.

People looking for roles often feel unseen, overlooked, and ignored because of the way they look, sound, or present on paper. If they get to interview, they also think they are at a disadvantage from the start and avoid mentioning anything important to them, like their rate or flexibility, in fear that it will be held against them in the selection process and affect their chances of success.

Companies DREAD working out who is the best fit based on hundreds of applications that tell them nothing worth knowing, and where it looks like most have applied for the wrong role.

It's easy to see how the recruitment process can become distorted. People present themselves in any way that will get them the job; companies present the opportunity in the best possible light to fill the role.

Is it any wonder why this all falls apart during Probation?

Coaching people on how to 'interview well' doesn't help if one of the things you dislike doing is discussing money with strangers (and let's face it, who does?) I believe this is one of the factors that leaves women often being paid less for the same role as men (girls are still being brought up with the narrative that talking about money is something dirty). My experience with interviewing is that women are often hesitant to ask for the rate they know is the market rate, as they want to be liked. However, we all know that being underpaid has a long-term impact on women.

It's the same with flexibility. Some people really need it (most people really want it), but have learned not to mention it at an interview. Women feel much more comfortable asking for flexibility than men (almost everyone hates asking for it). After everything we've been through in the last five years, flexibility is still seen as a perk that should be offset against the rate. (Choose one: flexibility or rate, but you can't have both.)

I believe we are entering an employment market model with AI, which will help level out bias and wage disparity, and encourage transparent conversations about flexibility where it is genuinely available.

It's not whether we should be using AI, but rather why we aren't using it when we can, to provide an employment model that's better for everyone.