As I watch all these headlines roll out about what AI is going to do in the future, I find myself running scenarios in my mind. For example, going to a car wash and only seeing robots running the machine. Or maybe we could end the seemingly never-ending wait time when I call my health insurance by creating a bot to take care of the little stuff. Benefits enrollment could go more quickly, too.

While I love the hypothetical of shorter wait times, the issues with AI’s replacement of people become obvious very quickly. Machines don’t know what to do when things go wrong. While you can code for common issues, it’s the one-off things that could literally kill people. What if someone didn’t disclose a medicine they were allergic to? How could the machine know what to do?

Machines can’t tell the truth or tell when people aren’t. They can’t tell you when they’re being biased or the logic is flawed. That means in a world where machine-based hiring is on the horizon – you need a different action plan.

How Humans Help In Hiring

I find myself going to ChatGPT and Google with the questions I used to ask people. It is faster; at least that’s what I told myself. I assumed I could figure it out with the digital intel.

However, as much as the technology was faster, AI just provides a list of suggestions without the part that make people so valuable: the context. The part where people told me why something mattered or how it worked for them. People who have been there before can tell you the stuff AI can’t conjure up, because most people don’t post their business advice online. They think it has already been done. Damn their imposter syndrome. 

So, as we plan for a future where new technologies transform the way we work and success sometimes feels far away, my advice is that you invest in connecting more. 

Your Free Inclusive Hiring Workbook

That’s why I created this new ebook. It started with a three part series on building inclusion into different parts of the hiring process (candidate experience, interview process, and onboarding). After working on it, I realized that one person’s perspective doesn’t make anything more inclusive. So I invited a few friends to help us out.

These people work across talent from sourcing to DEIB and employer brand. They shared their ideas for inclusive candidate experiences from application to onboarding.

• Sarah Morgan
• Rhona Pierce
• Pamela Loving
• James Ellis
• Nicole Roberts
• Robin Schooling
• Jen Davis
• T. Tara Turk-Haynes
• Kristina Minyard
• Nicole Stephens
• Shaina Semiatin
• Erin Mathew
• torin ellis
• Maisha Cannon
• Heather Bussing

Who Is This For?

Candidates and career talent professionals that want to make a more equitable field for anyone looking for work. This isn’t just for talent professionals who work in DEI! Junior and more experienced workers all can find something new here – even if it’s a new connection. Download your copy here.

What I Need From You

I’m giving this thing away for free. My ask of you? Two things.

First, share this ebook page. The more hands this ebook gets into, the better. It will take as many people as possible to make transformation (not machines).

Then, find 1 thing to do. Whether it’s educating another job seeker or adding a new destination on the 2024 road map, find some way to pay it forward. The work we’re writing about is a legacy you can leave on any organization and this world as you create opportunities for people to belong at work.

Wait, one more thing.

Say thank you to these amazing contributors. I wouldn’t feel comfortable releasing an ebook on this topic without their thoughts. They helped me make this inclusive by design. You can connect with each of them on LinkedIn by clicking on their names above. You can hire some of them, too.

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