After more than 25 years in recruitment, one thing has become very clear to me: technology changes, but people don’t.
I’ve worked through every major shift our industry has experienced—from paper resumes and fax machines to ATS platforms, AI sourcing tools, automation, and predictive analytics. Today, we can identify talent faster than ever before, automate administrative tasks, and generate hiring data with the click of a button.
All of that is valuable.
But none of it replaces the human connection that sits at the heart of successful hiring.
Throughout my career, I’ve led recruitment teams supporting everything from specialized professional hiring to large-scale recruitment programs involving hundreds of hires. Technology helped us scale. It helped us move faster. It helped us become more efficient.
What it didn’t do was build relationships and trust.
When I think about the candidates who accepted offers and stayed with organizations long-term, it wasn’t because an automated workflow impressed them. It was because someone took the time to understand what mattered to them. People want to know they are more than a resume. They want to know that someone understands their goals, concerns, motivations, and aspirations.
One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is believing they must choose between technology and human interaction. The reality is that great recruitment requires both. Automation should handle repetitive tasks so recruiters can focus on the work that creates value: building relationships, assessing fit, advising hiring leaders, and creating exceptional candidate experiences.
I’ve seen organizations invest heavily in technology only to discover that candidates still disengage from the process. Technology doesn’t create engagement. People remember how they were treated. They remember whether they felt respected and whether someone genuinely listened.
Technology can help identify skills, qualifications, and experience, but it cannot evaluate the human nuances that often determine whether someone will succeed in a role. Adaptability, emotional intelligence, leadership presence, communication style, team dynamics, and alignment with an organization’s culture are often revealed through conversations and professional judgment. Some of the best hires I’ve seen over the years weren’t perfect matches on paper. They succeeded because they brought qualities that no algorithm or screening tool could fully capture.
I learned this lesson firsthand during a large hiring initiative. We had a candidate who checked every box. The role was strong, the compensation was competitive, and the opportunity offered significant career growth. Yet the candidate hesitated.
Instead of focusing on selling the opportunity, we focused on understanding the individual. What emerged was that compensation wasn’t the primary concern. Leadership support, flexibility, and long-term growth were. Once those concerns were openly discussed, the decision became much easier, and the candidate went on to have a successful career with the organization.
That experience reinforced something I’ve seen repeatedly throughout my career: candidates rarely make decisions based solely on a job description or compensation package. They make decisions based on whether they feel understood and valued.
AI and automation will continue to reshape recruitment, and they should. The opportunity for talent acquisition leaders is not to resist technology but to use it strategically. The organizations that will win in the years ahead will be those that use technology to create more capacity for human connection—not less.
After 25 years in this profession, I remain convinced that recruitment is ultimately about people helping people make important career decisions. Technology can support that process, but it cannot replace it.
The human touch remains one of the most powerful competitive advantages in hiring, and organizations that balance innovation with authentic human connection will continue to attract, engage, and retain exceptional talent.
By Ted Pierni
Head of Delivery | Robertson & Company
Ted Pierni is Head of Delivery at Robertson & Company. With more than 25 years of experience in Talent Acquisition, RPO, workforce strategy, and recruitment leadership, he writes about emerging trends shaping the future of hiring.
Source: Roberston & Company, Data as of June 11th, 2026, Job Appeal Survey n=310 respondents
