In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Billy Davis, known on LinkedIn as The Staffing Automation Guy! He’s an AI and automation product manager at Herefish by Bullhorn, where he helps recruiters increase revenue and efficiency by embracing automation.

Listen in as Billy defines staffing automation and how it differs from—but can be complemented by—AI. He breaks down what he calls the “three pillars of automation”: data health, self-service, and the ability to use information to fill knowledge gaps.

He gives his thoughts on the ChatGPT phenomenon and what the latest breakthroughs in the AI space could mean for the recruiting industry.

Finally, Billy explains why he encourages all agencies big and small to go for a “half-robot, half-human” approach to automation, in which there is a huge opportunity to scale without sacrificing the human element.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• [01:46] Defining “staffing automation”
• [05:26] Applying automation to different parts of the recruiting life cycle
• [08:46] Why both big and small agencies need an automation strategy
• [11:56] Why you can’t automate relationship development
• [12:43] The biggest myth about automation and recruiting
• [14:20] How to talk to agencies about employing automation
• [17:51] How to use automation for sourcing
• [19:19] Billy’s thoughts on ChatGPT and using AI for recruitment
• [24:50] Billy’s favorite recruiting automation tools
• [29:28] Herefish’s three-pronged mission
• [32:04] Scaling with automation without losing the human touch
• [36:51] Where LinkedIn fits into all of this

Key quotes:

• “Staffing automation is an ‘if this, then that’ functionality. That unlocks a near-limitless amount of potential.”
• “If you’re fully-automated, that’s not going to work. You can’t fully replicate or replace the consultative impact of a great recruiter.”
• “Automation isn’t here to replace the recruiter. Automation is here to optimize and amplify the recruiter.”
• “When you have confidence in your own data, then that’s the first place you look to source from.”