Once Upon a Blinktime - Andrew 'Woody' Wood, Co-founder at Willo

Name: Andrew Wood a.k.a “Woody”

Company: Willo

Role: Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer

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Q. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing HR over the next 12 months?

Woody: My area of expertise is recruitment, and the number one challenge I hear about is the increased volume of identical applicants. Everyone’s CV now looks like a carbon copy of the next, much of which is due to AI and ChatGPT. Deciphering what makes a good candidate has become ten times harder than before and affecting people’s chances of being hired even if they’re amazing.

Q. So how can companies best spot talent, and how can applicants differentiate themselves?

Woody: From a candidate perspective, everyone thinks they’re AI-enabled because they’ve used AI to produce something they think is unique, customised, and relevant to the job - but so has everyone else. The result is that all applications now look the same, making candidates appear 'AI-disabled' because they’re unaware of the reality. Candidates need to focus on putting their unique personality and ability into their applications.

The first thing companies can do is educate their candidate audience on what’s acceptable and what’s not when it comes to AI use. For instance applicants for apprenticeships, who are digital natives, often think showing they can use AI tools gives them an edge. However, companies may view this as cheating. It’s not cheating - it’s using the tools available, but companies need to provide guidance on what they deem acceptable.

Secondly, companies should focus more on demonstrated skills than on experience. Highlighting skills and providing ways for candidates to showcase those skills effectively will help them stand out in a competitive hiring process.

Q. How much are recruiters using AI themselves to filter candidates?

Woody: That’s the scary part. It is being used in places but it’s often bad AI assessing bad AI, or poor algorithms judging poorly written responses. This creates significant problems. Recruitment professionals should focus on using AI to automate tedious tasks, allowing them to concentrate on quality information for decision-making. While AI excels at handling administrative tasks, it cannot make nuanced judgements about a candidate’s personality, team fit, or skills needed for specific roles.

Q. Is this a problem that Willo is helping to solve?

Woody: Absolutely. From Willo’s perspective we provide visibility into the person behind the CV. Through video, we enable candidates to tell their stories, which isn’t possible on paper. For example, we might ask, ‘Tell me about a situation where you’ve demonstrated resilience.’ A candidate could then share an interesting story from their life or work experience. This adds depth and context you’d never get from a traditional application.

Q. Because you are involved in the early stages of recruitment, how much are you seeing flexibility coming up in early conversations?

Woody: That’s a great question. I participated in a panel on ‘Hiring Junior Talent Into Startups,’ and one key takeaway was that these candidates care less about salary now than they once did and far more about flexibility and the psychological safety it brings. Getting this right is critical to hiring the best emerging talent.

If a company claims to offer flexibility but has managers reprimanding employees for using it or disapprove of it making them feel judged/guilty, there’s no psychological safety, and then you’ll lose talent. Companies need to set clear parameters and have adult conversations about flexibility to meet employees’ needs while maintaining accountability.

Flexibility also needs to be fair and universal. Historically, it has been seen as a privilege for employees with children - or even comparable to how smokers would take multiple breaks, causing resentment among their peers. Today, flexibility must be equal for everyone. Without this fairness, employees will either abuse the system or not use it at all, leading to disengagement and dissatisfaction.

Key Takeaways:

1. The overuse of AI tools by candidates has created identical applications, making it harder for companies to identify top talent, while recruiters also face challenges with ineffective AI-driven filtering systems.

2. To address these challenges, companies should educate candidates on acceptable AI use, emphasise skills over experience, and create platforms for applicants to showcase their personality and unique attributes.

3. Flexibility is now a universal demand, valued even more than salary by emerging talent, and companies must ensure it is fairly and clearly implemented to retain and attract employees.