Efficient But Empathetic: Putting The Soul Back Into Talent Acquisition

Has AI stripped the heart from hiring? Our experts discuss the essential human qualities that technology can’t replace.

There has always been a tension between the human side of recruiting and the science of matching the right people to the right roles. That tension may be reaching a high point. Today, AI and automation handle everything from sourcing, filtering, and assessment to scheduling interviews and personalized outreach. Talent leaders appreciate the efficiency and time savings and, for the most part, are eager to let technology take the wheel wherever possible. 

But as recruiting becomes increasingly streamlined, what’s lost when we let algorithms do the heavy lifting? Are recruiters at risk of automating themselves out of a job? And how should the next generation of talent professionals adapt to thrive?

We explored these questions at our recent JobSync Roundtable, Future Proofing Our Profession: How to Build the Talent Teams & Leaders of Tomorrow. Here’s what industry experts said about the enduring value of human connection in an automated world.

Why Automation Can’t Replace Empathy

Talent acquisition isn’t the first—and won’t be the last—industry to face threats of obsolescence from automation. In almost every case, the destructive effects of technology are grossly overestimated. Professor Leslie Willcocks, Emeritus Professor of Work, Technology and Globalization at the London School of Economics, points out that only 

9% of whole jobs can be automated. It is tasks and activities within jobs that get automated, not the whole job itself.

Katrina Collier, recruiting veteran and author of The Robot-Proof Recruiter and Reboot Hiring, says she has seen this scenario play out endless times in her 20+ year career. “I was working in the National Australia Bank several decades ago when they brought in the teller machine. The engineer was saying ‘you will be out of a job soon,’ but guess what? There are still cashiers in the bank. The same goes for supermarkets with self-checkout—there are still people there to help you with your groceries.”

These roles remain because we grossly underrate the uniquely human skills technology cannot replace. As Professor Willcocks notes, “Humans have strengths—especially using skills in combinations—that machines are unlikely to replicate any time soon.”

Still, the line between human and machine is blurring as AI becomes more sophisticated, particularly in how it communicates. Recent advancements in natural language processing can mimic empathy to a degree. But AI, as it stands today, still relies on algorithms and data patterns. While it can process vast amounts of information quickly and accurately, it lacks the emotional depth and intuitive understanding that underpin genuine empathy. 

“As recruiters, we’re trying to put people through a process that takes high empathy. We’ve got to understand what candidates are not saying. We’ve got to persuade them, and move them, and pull them through a process. Everyone keeps saying, ‘let’s automate it end to end!’ And it’s just not possible,” Collier says. “Are there teams reducing in size because of technology? Absolutely. But there will always be people to recruit people. There will never not be.”

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What Do Candidates Want?

A quick scan of r/recruitinghell on Reddit reveals widespread candidate frustration with technology-driven resume screening, assessments, and interviews. For all the talk of AI levelling the playing field and supporting fairer hiring, most candidates see it as just another barrier. They worry that AI will miss potential that a human recruiter would catch.

This skepticism isn’t just anecdotal. Job Sync’s Q1 2025 Candidate Pulse Survey found that 67% of candidates were ‘indifferent’ to or actively ‘disliked’ using chatbots in the application process. Additionally, 57% said they would abandon—and had abandoned—applications that required creating an account. Chatbots and applicant tracking systems that require logins are prime examples of technology creating friction in the candidate experience. “Ultimately, you want the best possible people to see your brand, interact with it, apply for a job, and succeed,” says Justin Schmidt, VP of Marketing at JobSync. Technology standing as a roadblock to that is “really not good,” he says.

“Why are we doing this to people?” Collier adds. She notes that TA teams are dealing with people’s lives and livelihoods; decisions with major life impacts that require careful handling.  Chatbots are great for self-serving answers that don’t require a conversation, but their mechanistic responses will never have the heartfelt connection that candidates seek when deciding where to spend the next several years of their lives. “It takes human skills to guide  candidates through the process; technology should stay firmly in a supporting role,” Collier says.

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People, Process, Then Technology

Alison McCutcheon Barcz, Executive Partner of Glowe Connective and a self-described “technology fan,” insists the right order for adopting technology is people, then process, then technology. “You start with the people, go through the process, and then add technology. You don’t take the technology and force people to reconstitute their process based on something that an engineer dreamed up.” She says that talent professionals should always be curating their “garden of relationships,” and technology is just a tool to connect human beings, align them, and spark interest.

While this may sound obvious, the rise of AI is challenging these priorities. Similar to the digital transformation wave a decade ago, some organizations are now rushing to replace legacy systems with AI, hoping it will drive productivity and growth.

Barcz identifies this as a bandwagon effect. “Often leaders hear something about AI, whatever the trend is, whatever HBR or Gartner are preaching, whatever they hear at a conference, and they think, ‘this has to be in our strategic plan.’” She cautions against jumping on AI trends without fully understanding their implications, warning, “Until you know what you are doing, please don’t invest a million in tech!”

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AI is Only as Good as a Recruiter’s Skills

By now, we’ve all heard about the bias and data security challenges of AI in recruitment.  Without active oversight, AI can reinforce existing stereotypes and exclude diverse talent, adding more problems than it solves. When considering technology, Collier says “TA needs to test every product and make sure the technology has been created either by recruiters or with recruiter input, not a developer who has decided they can fix recruitment.” This requires digging into the AI—understanding what it’s actually doing, how its algorithms work, and whether it might introduce problems into candidate relationships.

But even the best algorithm cannot fix a broken process: “It doesn’t matter how great the parsing technology is if you’re matching a poor job description with a poor resume,” Collier says. “Starting with a great job description would be much, much better, and then you get fewer applicants to deselect.” When recruiters get the basics right, there’s less reliance on AI to make up the difference.

The Skills that Set Talent Leaders Apart

When it comes to the foundational skills recruiters need to navigate a tech-driven environment, our experts agree that critical thinking tops the list. “Critical thinking helps build trust [in the process], something AI can’t do,” Collier says. AI might generate a job description in seconds, but there’s an art and science to writing a job description that attracts top talent, unifies requirements, and resonates with candidates.

When asked what advice she would give to a 24-year-old just starting out in recruiting, Barcz was clear: technical skills are important, but success hinges on handling ambiguity, building trust, and adapting with intention. Master those soft skills, and you can learn any system.

Resilience is another non-negotiable, Collier adds. “This is a really hard job. We reject the vast majority of the people we talk to, and talent professionals shy away from those difficult conversations. But ghosting has real consequences—87% of applicants feel down or depressed when ignored. We can’t forget the human side.” She says that resilience is critical for managing those “tough conversations” and the “ambiguity” of recruiting. You have to keep bouncing back.

As a final word on this topic, both experts agree that you cannot work in a human-centered sector like talent acquisition without the personal leaching into the professional. Self-awareness and emotional control—both fundamental components of emotional intelligence—help us get our own house in order first. “Self awareness is learning that emotions are real, and we all have them, positive and negative, and we need to learn how to manage them,” Barcz says. “It’s not easy,” Collier adds. “But as work becomes more tech-focused, ignoring our emotional wellbeing will only hold us back.”

As the session closed, our panelists offered advice for the next generation of senior leaders in TA. Barcz cautions leaders against “burning out to perform.” She advocates for “regenerative leadership,” the ability to replenish your energy and wellbeing, not just push through exhaustion. You can’t lead if you’re not able to be present. It’s how we make sure the work stays human, no matter the tools.