In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Jonathan Langley, Executive Vice President & Chief Talent and Technology Officer at NextGen Global Resources, which is a part of KELLY’s SETT (Science, Engineering, Technology, and Telecom) Business Unit.

He’s got over 20 years in tech staffing, and he’s an experienced Recruiting Leader who’s built world-class sales and recruiting teams to serve global wireless and telecoms clients

And when he’s not doing all of that – you’ll find him outside in the garden  – looking after his chickens and ducks!

Listen in as Jonathan discusses the role of technology in the recruiting process. He explains that, while the most successful recruiters are also among the most technologically savvy, they still rely upon the fundamentals.

He discusses why he believes that understanding candidates is paramount to where we go as an industry, and that it is impossible to automate relationship development.

Jonathan encourages recruiters to look beyond LinkedIn profiles that check all the widely accepted boxes, and even beyond LinkedIn Recruiter itself, in order to find amazing candidates that they would not have found otherwise.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [03:45] The limitations of technology in recruitment

●      [09:14] Standing out by asking the questions that other recruiters don’t

●      [14:38] The best way to utilize technology as a recruiter

●      [20:50] Setting expectations with candidates and educating the hiring manager

●      [24:58] Demonstrating your expertise as a recruiter

●      [27:52] Hiring for attitude, training for skills

●      [32:36] Building a strong relationship with your candidate

●      [35:55] Beyond LinkedIn Recruiter

●      [42:48] Reading between the lines when looking at a LinkedIn profile

●      [45:07] The dangers of automation for outreach

Key quotes:

●      “There is an element of ‘transactional’ that has come into recruiting; but, if you’re the recruiter that takes a bit more time and understands why someone would want to do something, you’ve got a leg up on your competitors.”

●      “You have to ask the questions that other recruiters don’t want to ask because they might get the answer that they don’t want, which is that they won’t take the position for x or y reason. You should know that before anyone else.”

●      “Technology does help but, ultimately, it’s a people business for people.”