Humans of HR: The story behind the leading lights – their career, motivation and achievements.
An evolving career, and one which has always had people and their careers at the heart of it, Adam Hawkins, Head of Search & Staffing, EMEA & LATAM, LinkedIn reflects on his past and the future of talent acquisition.
08 October 2024
Story by
Simon Kent, Head of Content – The HR World
An evolving career, but one which always has people and their careers at the heart of it, Adam Hawkins, Head of Search & Staffing, EMEA & LATAM, LinkedIn reflects on his past and the future of talent acquisition.
Adam Hawkins’ career in recruitment stretches back some 24 years. His first role was in technology recruitment and it’s been a sector and function which he has been passionate about ever since. At an essential level, Hawkin’s career has been about influencing other peoples lives – certainly the lives of people he’s placed through the organisations where he has worked, but through that there’s been a bigger agenda – to make life and work better for everyone.
An ever changing industry
His early career saw him working with many well-known technology and engineering brands at a time when the industry was undergoing expansion and change. Even now, his early motivation is still with him: “If I think far back to the first role – let’s remember where we start as a recruitment consultant you’re consulting with a customer and candidate and using soft skills to position and persuade people and companies and achieve a strong fit – I don’t think that’s left me. You’re just doing it in different situations.”
Since those days he’s worked across diverse businesses and contexts, including overseas positions for The Adecco Group where he was able to advise and contribute to other companies as they grew their own international footprint. Having also worked in various advisory capacities for major firms, he found himself consulting for LinkedIn before taking on a permanent role there to lead the search and staffing team.
But while the work may have been around the use, evolution and implementation of technology, Hawkins always kept a people focus: “A lot of my purpose was around human connectivity,” he says. “For me technology and now AI is really connected to doing good – Adecco was about making the future work for everyone, and now my work at LinkedIn is about connecting the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful . Ultimately, I want to help people go to work and give them the right opportunities.”
Technology and recruitment becomes complex
Hawkins acknowledges that the role of the recruiter has changed significantly over the span of his career, but he believes change has accelerated over the past few years. “We’re faced with a world that’s in a heightened state of change and complexity,” he says.
“The challenges that HR and recruitment are trying to solve are in complex areas that are hyper connected.”
As part of this Hawkins believes there has been a strong shift among recruiters to assume more advisory roles for their clients in order to key into some of the challenges HR faces. He compares the current situation to that of 10/15 years ago when technology brought huge change through the rise of the ATS and concurrently more flexible recruitment models such as RPOs and MSPs. Technology today and the rise of AI is again having a significant impact on the industry, offering new opportunities and the chance for businesses to do more.
Indeed, the change ahead may yet be more significant than that already made: “The skills needed to do our job will shift by 68% by 2030,” he says, “So even if you’re not moving jobs your job will move on you.”
Central to the current change is AI, and Hawkins is clear that this technology should be used to improve both candidate and employer experience in the recruitment arena. “AI is transforming the world of work,” he says. “It is also changing the world of job creation. I think it’s a positive game changer for recruiters – it can shift them away from the repetitive tasks towards delivering more human and strategic elements of the work.”
A responsible approach to technology
From his position, Hawkins can see the experimentation and development of technology tools within his sector and beyond. He notes the need for an ethical and responsible approach to using technology, and says his customers are already willing to be a part of the conversation around its use. In this way he believes the issues of regulation and best practice will evolve as the technology does.
But the technology is not just for improved services and processes. For Hawkins, technology also means better data and insights for the recruiter. The extended levels of information made possible through technology means recruiters can have more meaningful conversations with customers, offering them more insight into their talent needs and the possibilities out there.
“There’s never been a more important time for recruitment businesses and consultants,” asserts Hawkins. “It’s an exciting time and things are evolving – both in terms of jobs generally and the role of the recruiter. But whatever happens you have to make sure the soft skills you have remain in tune with the way ahead.”