ON Partners Champions Soft Skills and Human Engagement in AI-Enhanced Executive Search
07 Mayo 2024 - 7:52AM
This month, ON Partners, a pure-play retained executive search firm
building C-level and board leadership teams, validates that while
it integrates cutting-edge AI technology into executive recruitment
processes, this scientific advancement is not intended to
substitute for the assessment of soft skills. As AI evolves and
becomes more sophisticated in its ability to sort through talent
data and more quickly identify top talent, it continues to lack the
nuanced and high-touch communication necessary to assess executive
leaders across industries.
“We can’t over science the intuition in retained executive
search,” said Bryan Buck, Partner at ON Partners. “While there’s a
significant influx of AI investment in HR technology today, we’re
still in the early innings of effectively applying AI to executive
recruitment. GenAI can assist in making the recruitment
process more efficient, but it's important to understand where the
blind spots still exist. AI does well in pattern-matching the
industry and functional fit, but it relies heavily on peer-to-peer
interaction to understand critical soft skill assessments like
culture fit, executive presence, communication style, and
compatibility.”
A recent article by Business Chief and a survey conducted by
Salary.com reported that nearly a quarter of employers are already
experiencing a critical skills gap. As a result, four in five
HR professionals are placing a stronger focus on soft skills, which
is an aspect that generative AI does not address. In
addition, as early as 2020, a Deloitte study found that 92% of
companies believe that human capabilities or soft skills matter
just as much as hard skills in the process of filling roles for
companies across various industries. Skills such as effective
communication, adaptability, leadership, critical thinking,
innovation, and teamwork are some of the numerous known soft skills
that will become more vital as AI continues to
evolve.
“In building and evaluating technology available in Executive
Recruiting, we continue to lean into core strengths. For example,
we stay away from any offerings that aim to speed up and automate
the outreach or messaging process. Human-to-human communication is
a valuable medium for assessment and evaluation – and it’s not
something we want to replace with ChatGPT or canned scripts – no
matter how much more efficient it is,” said Jin Ro, Chief Product
Officer at ON Partners. “Evaluating a candidate’s leadership,
motivation, drive or integrity are at the core of what makes our
recruiting partners so valuable to our clients and cannot be
automated.”
Despite the widespread adoption and innovation of AI
technologies, ON Partners has observed a deeper client desire and
demand to gain insights into candidates beyond professional
qualifications. Clients are increasingly interested in
understanding what drives candidates' life ambitions, not just
their career objectives. There appears to be a connection between
these motivations and their achievements. While AI can provide
valuable data, the human touch remains essential in delving into
these nuances to ensure that the right individuals are matched with
the right roles.
“We are at the front end of ensuring AI is used to make the
recruitment process more efficient, predictive, and inclusive,”
said Brad Westveld, ON Partners. “However, there is no substitute
for human engagement, and we believe human interaction is key to
understanding when a leader fits the organization. You must be
aware of their motivation and be able to confirm if it is what the
company desires as well. These are factors that are not
AI-driven.”
“The talent pool will continue to expand and shift, thus driving
new expectations for executive leaders in the space,” continued
Westveld. “As a result, the overall market will continue to evolve,
creating new possibilities while uncovering new challenges that
CEOs and boardrooms must be prepared to solve. While AI can be
strategically leveraged in the beginning and the end of the
recruitment process, it’s that critically important space between
where human interaction is still quintessential for proper
candidate assessment and selection.”
Learn more about ON’s approach to executive search data
innovation representing the talent market by downloading its recent
talent intelligence reports, including the 2024 Women’s Report and
2024 Variance Report.
About ON Partners
Established in 2006, ON Partners is the only pure-play executive
search firm building diverse C-level and board leadership teams. We
rebuilt the institution of executive search in the way you work,
with an approach that includes present partners who engage with
clients from the first brief to the final decision, individually
crafted solutions unique to each client, and an easier experience
overall. Named by Forbes as one of America’s Best Executive
Recruiting Firms and to the Inc. 500/5000 List nine times, ON
Partners is consistently ranked among the top 20 retained executive
search firms in the U.S.
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