Tell us your career path before you were in TA
I started agency side when I was 18 years old as a Data and Tech recruiter in the IT space, I was there for two years before I was then made redundant and moved in to different roles across Essex, even doing some freelance recruitment before settling into two different recruitment roles in London. One of them being my current role at Omnicom Media Group.
Overall 6.5 years in Data, Tech, Analytics and now AI recruitment.
From your personal experience what's the best thing about being in talent acquisition?
My answer hasn't changed since I first started agency side. As recruiters, we harness the power to give candidates their dream jobs and money, that level of excitement you hear and feel when at offer stage with a candidate that you have built an amazing relationship with during the process is an unmatched feeling. You will struggle to find a similar level of pride in any other industry.
Since you've been in TA, how have you seen it change?
10 years ago, it was very manual work. Even before the recent AI surge over the past couple years, we have had RPO's, marketplaces, niche job boards and everything else in-between. Everyone has been trying to pivot into a technology-first industry, reinventing the wheel. Bit by bit, removing some of the human element to our industry.
How do you see AI impacting the future of talent acquisition?
I am unsure, to be honest and I think a lot of people have strong opinions on where they see it going. Right now, LinkedIn are arguably the biggest player in the European job market with a vast amount of money and resource to work with and their AI is not where it should be so I struggle to get behind the idea of other AI tools that are selling this idea that "This is the solution the recruitment world needs"
Yes, some manual work can be done through AI automation but how much does that infringe on DE&I? There is such a human touch in our industry, how can we trust an AI mind to replicate ours and make the correct and fair decision?
What advice would you give to job seekers today?
Persistence and be genuine. I know the market is tough right now but tough times make tough people and finding a job, is a job within itself. It requires hours of dedication.
In markets like the current one, you cannot just fire off a CV and hope for the best, you have to network and get creative. Think of how it feels from a TA perspective? We are seeing an unprecedented amount of applications, help us understand how you stand out from the rest.
Get creative with your CV, your outreach, your portfolio, your social media, etc.
Tell us a little about the company you hire for and what makes it so great?
We are very people driven. We have dedicated resource to HR, DE&I, early talent, company culture and benefits.
Billy Savery, Senior Talent Acquisition Manager at OMG