Barry Phillips (CEO) BEM founded Legal Island in 1998. Since then, the company has become the leading workplace compliance training company in the island of Ireland. He was awarded a British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours List 2020 for services to employment and equality.
Barry is a qualified barrister, coach and meditator and a regular speaker both here and abroad. He also volunteers as mentor to aspiring law students on the Migrant Leaders Programme.
Barry is an author, releasing his latest book titled 'Mastering Small Business Employee Engagement: 30 Quick Wins & HR Hacks from an IIP Platinum Employer' in 2020 along with Legal Island MD Jayne Gallagher.
Barry has worked at the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation in Geneva before qualifying as a lawyer in 1993.
He has travelled extensively and lived in a total of eight different countries considering himself to be a global citizen first, a European second and British/Irish citizen last of all. His guiding mantra in life is “Never react but respond. Get curious not furious.”
Barry is an Ironman and lists Russian language and wild camping as his favourite pastimes.
This week Barry Phillips considers whether or not employers are really winning the battle to recruit more efficiently using AI.
Transcript:
Hello Humans! And welcome to the podcast that aims to summarise in five minutes or less each week an important AI development relevant to the world of HR.
This week we’re looking AI and the recruitment process.
Let’s start with a key observation: many employers are now drowning in applications. Jobs that used to attract maybe 30 or 40 CVs are now pulling in hundreds—sometimes thousands. Why? Because jobseekers are AI-enabled too. With tools like ChatGPT, candidates can churn out tailored CVs, cover letters, even full application forms in minutes. What used to be a time-consuming slog is now basically “copy, paste, submit.” And that changes the whole recruitment game—for better or worse.
So let’s break this down stage by stage and ask: is AI really helping us, or is it just adding another shiny layer of complexity?
1. Job Definition & Description
AI promises to help write job descriptions that are “inclusive,” “engaging,” and “SEO optimised.” Great in theory. But here’s the kicker: most of these descriptions still end up as the same bland soup of buzzwords. If everyone uses AI to write their job ads, we’ll all sound identical. HR needs to inject actual voice and culture, something AI can’t quite fake yet.
2. Sourcing & Advertising
AI-driven job boards claim they can push ads to exactly the right audience. But let’s be honest: sometimes the “targeting” looks a lot like throwing spaghetti at the wall. You get irrelevant candidates anyway. Yes, programmatic advertising can save budget, but it doesn’t magically conjure up great candidates where there aren’t any. Supply and demand still rules the day.
3. Screening & Assessment
Here’s where AI has both teeth and risks. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) now do the first cut, scanning for keywords. But if candidates are also using AI to stuff those same keywords in, you’ve basically got robots fooling robots. Plus, we risk excluding good humans who simply don’t know the “AI game.” AI-powered assessments? Some are clever, but many are still unvalidated toys. And that opens you up to bias and legal risk.
4. Interviews
Video interviews scored by AI—tone of voice, facial expressions, even “enthusiasm levels.” Sounds futuristic, but the science is flimsy at best. It also creeps candidates out. Let’s not kid ourselves: most HR teams quietly ignore those AI scores and go with their gut anyway. Which begs the question—why bother?
5. Talent Intelligence / Market Insights
Now this is an area where AI shines. Real-time data on salary benchmarks, competitor hiring trends, even emerging skills in your sector—that’s gold dust for HR. It helps you stop flying blind. The caveat? Garbage in, garbage out. If the data pool is shallow or biased, your “insights” might be dangerously misleading.
6. Offers & Negotiation
There are AI tools that claim to predict the “minimum salary a candidate will accept.” Useful? Maybe. But negotiation is as much about human nuance as it is numbers. AI doesn’t catch the candidate who really values flexibility over salary, or who’s desperate to escape their toxic boss. Those things surface in conversation, not algorithms.
7. Onboarding & Post-Hire
Chatbots that walk new hires through admin tasks? Fantastic. Automating the dull stuff is a win. But when it comes to embedding culture, building belonging, and giving people that “we’re glad you’re here” feeling? That still requires humans. AI can send reminders, but it can’t make someone feel welcome.
Conclusion
So, is AI as good as we’re led to believe? In some places, yes—especially around data and automation. But in other areas, it’s more smoke and mirrors than substance.
Here’s the takeaway for HR: AI is a tool, not a magic wand. Use it to cut through admin, but don’t abdicate judgment. Remember—if candidates are AI-enabled, and employers are AI-enabled, the real competitive edge will come from the human layer in between.
Thanks for listening. I’m Barry Phillips. Until next week bye for now.