Despite the optimism, high-tech hiring remains in the early stages. Most human resources departments are wary of automation, and few are using it in a way that saves time because humans are heavily involved in managing it, said Katrina Kibben, CEO of Three Ears Media, a recruitment consulting firm.

​Adoption will accelerate as “people who grew up with iPhones in their hands” take over and technology advances, she said. For now, though, employers risk alienating applicants with chatbots that spit out canned responses, or wasting time with resume filters that can’t distinguish between apple the fruit and Apple the company, Kibben said.

Don’t brand yourself as a generalist. “People have to know what to go to you for,” says Katrina Kibben, CEO of Three Ears Media in Boulder, Colo. Focus on honing your expertise in a specific sector, like small businesses or startups, or in a subject matter area, such as onboarding or talent acquisition. 
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“Find a particular area in HR that you’re passionate about, or find a particular problem in the industry that you have the keys to solve,” advises Joey Price, CEO of Baltimore-based Jumpstart:HR LLC and host of the podcast “Business, Life, and Coffee.” 

Imagine this: I’m sitting in an interview for a job I really want. I took the afternoon off and I was feeling confident that this would be my next big move. It was my third time at the office and this time, I was meeting a panel of people. “This is a good sign,” I thought as I turned up the music while driving from my apartment to the office.

The person who would be my manager met me at the front desk and walked me into the room to meet two faces I had never seen before. “Hello,” I said with a big smile. “I’m Kat.” As we sat down from our brief introductions and handshaking, I scribbled down the names quickly on my notepad. I didn’t want to get them wrong. This was my moment to impress, after all.  
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After a series of questions about my work history and experience, the person to the right asked one of those really standard interview questions. This was the time period when creative start-up interview questions were all the rage, so I was expecting it. I was just thankful this one didn’t entail any clock math like so many others did.  

Employer brand is relatively new considering how old some of the archaic recruiting tactics we use really are. For anyone just recently discovering the concept, employer brand is marketing for the employee experience. It’s a series of pillars, values, and experiences that captures an employer’s reputation as a place to work, as opposed to the more general corporate brand reputation and value proposition to customers.
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Honestly, I’m not sure where or when employer brand was born or the environment it thrived in before, but I watch many companies turn to it as an answer for talent issues during challenging markets. Ten years ago, I’d never even heard of employer brand, but challenging talent markets create opportunity. And now? It’s the hot answer for talent pipeline issues: Stand out! Be known! Become a preferred employer. ​

UKG partnered with four distinguished leaders to share advice on talking about sensitive matters in the workplace in our white paper, The Talk: A Tough (and Necessary) Workplace Conversation.

If your intention is to nurture a transparent and positive culture in your organization, you must be open to facing topics that are often avoided. You may find yourself struggling about how to discuss difficult matters with your employees, but the truth is it’s important to have such conversations.
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To help you face “the talk” head-on, we’ve teamed up with some of the most brilliant minds we know to share their insight on approaching these discussions and practical steps you can (and should) take to do so.