Welcome, Talent Visionaries.

In this issue, we’ll dive into a concept that's reshaping the workplace: the rise of digital workers. If you haven't been keeping up, prepare for a shift in your work environment within the next year or two.

Imagine being part of a mid-market company's talent acquisition and recruiting team, which includes a talent leader, several human colleagues, and a few digital workers.

You arrive at work to find that digital workers have already tackled the tactical and repetitive tasks, such as ensuring every candidate is engaged and followed up with, launching surveys and analyzing feedback, bringing new prospects into your inbox or applicant tracking system (ATS) daily, scheduling interviews, and expanding talent pools.

You and your fellow human colleagues then dive into the strategic and soft skill tasks that are best handled by humans. Whether for better or worse, this scenario is likely to be our future.

Now let’s get into it…

In today’s issue:

• Meet your new digital coworkers

• 5 products

• How to tailor content for the candidate journey

Meet your new Digital Workers

In this issue, we're diving into the digital toolbox to explore a transformative aspect of the future of work: the digital worker.

These are not your ordinary bots; they represent a significant advancement in how Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology is integrated into our daily work lives, offering a glimpse into a new era of work and the jobs of tomorrow.

The rise of digital workers is propelled by breakthroughs in AI and machine learning. These are not mere rudimentary bots programmed for basic tasks; they are sophisticated, AI-powered entities designed to collaborate with humans, enhancing efficiency and personalization across various organizational roles.

Artisan AI, a company supported by Y Combinator, is at the forefront of this innovation, crafting the next generation of digital workers to seamlessly integrate with human teams, significantly boosting their productivity.

Consider the sales industry, where representatives spend countless hours on tasks like researching prospects, crafting emails, and scheduling meetings. In 2023, Artisan AI introduced "Ava," a digital worker poised to revolutionize outbound sales.

Ava automates the entire sales cycle, from prospecting to booking meetings, serving as an invaluable addition to the sales team.

She boasts a unique personality, integrates effortlessly into the workplace, and engages with colleagues on platforms like Slack, continually learning about the company's operations.

With a vast database of contacts and the ability to send targeted email sequences to thousands of prospects monthly, Ava significantly enhances productivity.

She responds to inquiries, adapts her communication style to boost conversion rates, schedules meetings directly into coworkers' calendars, and seamlessly exports potential prospects into the company's CRM system.

The impact of Ava on sales operations is profound. She can perform the work of ten sales assistants, constantly improving her efficiency and effectiveness.

Ava's ability to operate around the clock, coupled with her cost-effectiveness - being only a fraction of the expense of hiring a human for the same role - makes her an invaluable asset in the sales industry.

Ava's capabilities are dynamic; they evolve, learning from interactions and data, optimizing her functions to better serve the team she works with. This evolution marks a shift from viewing digital tools as mere utilities to recognizing them as dynamic team members.

The development of digital workers like Ava reflects a broader industry trend towards deeper AI integration. This direction aims to augment human capabilities, creating a symbiotic relationship between AI's analytical power and human creativity and emotional intelligence.

Meet Emma, The Recruiter

As Ava transforms sales, similar advancements in recruitment are on the horizon. Meet Emma, set to launch soon from the same company, poised to revolutionize Talent Acquisition and Recruitment.

Emma automates labor-intensive aspects of the recruitment process, such as sourcing, screening, and engaging with candidates, allowing human recruiters to focus on the nuanced facets of their role.

This shift “promises” to make recruitment processes more efficient and enhance the quality of hires, as recruiters can spend more time on personal interactions and strategic decision-making.

In Talent Acquisition and Recruitment, digital workers like Emma could eventually work alongside humans in various ways, such as:

• Automated Candidate Sourcing: Identifying potential candidates from a vast pool of online profiles and databases.

• Resume Screening: Using AI algorithms to filter resumes based on specific criteria, saving recruiters time.

• Initial Candidate Outreach: Sending personalized messages to potential candidates to gauge their interest in a position.

• Scheduling Interviews: Coordinating interview times between candidates and hiring managers.

• Candidate Engagement: Keeping candidates engaged throughout the recruitment process with timely updates and information.

• Feedback Collection: Gathering post-interview feedback from candidates and hiring managers to improve the recruitment process.

• Onboarding Assistance: Helping new hires with onboarding paperwork and initial orientation schedules.

• Diversity and Inclusion: Ensuring a diverse candidate pool is considered for each role.

• Market Intelligence: Analyzing industry trends and competitor movements to inform recruitment strategies.

• Talent Pool Management: Maintaining an organized database of potential candidates for future opportunities.

• Employee Referral Program: Facilitating employee referral processes to leverage existing networks for recruitment.

• Performance Analytics: Tracking the effectiveness of recruitment campaigns and strategies for continuous improvement.

In navigating the future of work, the integration of digital workers like Ava and Emma presents both opportunities and challenges. The promise of enhanced efficiency and the potential for more creative and strategic roles are exciting prospects.

However, concerns about job displacement and the need for workers to adapt to a changing employment landscape are also valid.

The challenge lies in leveraging these technological advances while ensuring that the workforce evolves alongside them. The future workplace is likely to be one where digital workers and human employees collaborate more seamlessly, each complementing the other's strengths.

This transformative shift - in the form of an intelligent, physical robot or a GPT-type digital coworker or something else entirely - has already arrived to HR, and it’s not only about technology; it’s about reimagining the way we work.

It might not be immediately noticeable, like the proverbial frog in boiling water, but we're already entering a future where humans and digital workers collaborate within Talent Acquisition and Recruitment.

You might already be using a digital assistant like Otter, the AI-powered meeting tool, or ChatGPT, which could be taking over the role of a content editor on your team. With AI-enabled tools for video editing, research, sourcing, and image generation, digital support is increasingly becoming a part of our work environment.

In a single day, a talent associate might use Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot, DALLE, Notion, Grammarly, Claude, ChatGPT, Copy AI, Framer, Zapier, Zupyak, Pictory, or other AI-enabled tools. These tools may not have a physical presence or perform at the level of a human, but it's a start and just the beginning.

The big question remains: will the combined efforts of humans and digital workers lead to greater innovation, productivity, and job satisfaction? We'll find out soon enough. 😧

Useful products

Aware - Capture sentiment to improve the employee experience. (link)

Salary Navigator - ChatGPT Salary advisor to help figure out salaries. (link)

HeyGen - Create corporate training videos in minutes. (link)

Vizard - Turn long videos into social-ready clips. (link)

Chat With PDF - Upload a PDF and then chat with it. (link)

Tailor Content to Your Candidate Needs Throughout Their Journey

Understanding the candidate journey is crucial for talent leaders. Candidates seek various information at different stages, but they typically don't consider all aspects at once. Here's how to tailor your content and media to meet their needs at the right moment:

Awareness Phase:

Candidates encounter your business; many make a yes/no decision here.

In this initial phase, candidates are looking for a broad overview of your company. They want to understand what your company does, its mission, and the overall work environment. This is the stage where you can make a strong first impression and spark interest in your company.

Effective Media: Utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram to share engaging content about your company culture and values. Create short, captivating videos that showcase your workplace and highlight employee testimonials. Utilize digital ads to reach a wider audience.

Research Phase:

Candidates dive deeper; they want to know if the business is reputable and solvent in the coming years.

At this stage, candidates are seeking detailed information about your company's history, stability, future growth plans, leadership, and team dynamics. They want to know if your company is a place where they can see themselves thriving in the long term.

Effective Media: Develop in-depth blog posts that delve into your company's journey and achievements. Use your LinkedIn company profile to highlight your leadership team and company milestones. Create "day in the life" videos to give candidates a glimpse of what it's like to work at your company. Share employee stories and testimonials on your career page and social media.

Application Phase:

Candidates seek confirmation that the experience will be positive and fair; they want to learn about career paths and opportunities.

Candidates are looking for clarity on the hiring process, what the onboarding experience is like, and what kind of career progression they can expect. They want reassurance that their application will be handled fairly and that the company offers opportunities for growth.

Effective Media: Provide a comprehensive FAQ section on your career site that addresses common questions about the application process. Ensure your job descriptions are clear and detailed, outlining the role's responsibilities and growth opportunities. Use email campaigns to keep candidates informed about the status of their applications and what to expect next.

Selection Phase:

Some candidates will self-select in or out at this stage; they want a fit for themselves or the moment.

In this phase, candidates are looking for insights into the company's core values, its impact on the industry or community, and the criteria used for selection. They want to feel that their values align with the company's and that they will be a good fit for the role and the team.

Effective Media: Personalized email communications can provide a human touch to the selection process. Host virtual meet-and-greet sessions or webinars with team members to give candidates a sense of the team dynamics and company culture. Share stories of employee achievements and company initiatives on social media to highlight your values and impact.

Decision and Onboarding Phase:

Candidates imagine themselves in the role and may reassess or affirm their decision. Some second-guessing occurs here.

Now that candidates can envision themselves in the role, they may take a step back to reassess their decision. They are looking for information on inclusion, diversity, the sense of community, opportunities for learning and growth, work-life balance, and elements of fun in the workplace.

Effective Media: Send welcome packets and onboarding guides via email to help new hires feel prepared and valued. Create introduction videos featuring team members and leadership to foster a sense of belonging. Utilize your intranet or a dedicated onboarding portal to provide resources and information that new employees will need to succeed.

By understanding that candidates seek different information at different stages of their journey, talent leaders can tailor their communications to provide the right information at the right time, enhancing the candidate experience and attracting top talent.

Wisdom in small steps

TalentSum Tidbits is read by thousands of talent leaders and specialists around the world. Share a tool and we’ll consider it for a future issue.

You can do it…

Tackling overwhelming projects like building a content engine or integrating AI into recruitment can be daunting. The key to success is breaking down the big task into smaller, manageable steps.

Start by acknowledging the complexity and allowing yourself to feel the emotions. Take a deep breath to refocus, then assess and prioritize the most critical components.

Begin with the most important tasks, celebrating each small victory along the way. Don't hesitate to seek support or adjust your plan as needed. By focusing on one step at a time, you can navigate through the project with greater ease and effectiveness, leading to successful outcomes.

If after reading this you still aren’t sure where to begin, just reach out and we’ll set schedule a brief (free) call to get you moving in the right direction.