Early Warning

Desiree Smith

Desiree Smith is the director of talent acquisition at Early Warning Services. Driven by a passion for enhancing people's lives, her 15-year journey in recruitment showcases her expertise in the industry. With a PHR certification and a master’s degree in leadership, she is equipped to design and implement strategies and programs that align with the company's vision, values, and goals.

Professional Journey

I started my career in human resources with the University of Phoenix, moving into recruiting as my chosen line of interest. As I progressed in my career, in order to round out my experience, I took three years’ time to work as an HR generalist. After that time, my decision to move back into recruitment was driven by my motivation to be a part of positively contributing to an individual’s life through obtaining a new role. Throughout my experience, I have been able to learn new skills in that allow for my recruitment approach to affect and contribute to company strategizing and planning. Using these skills as a leverage point, I moved into roles that allowed me to develop out my leadership style while working with direct reports. At present, I work as the director of talent acquisition at Early Warning Services – the company behind Zelle® and the Paze℠ online checkout solution.

Addressing the Challenges

Leveraging metrics and data for compelling recruitment storytelling and communicating the same to the senior management is one of the predominant challenges in the industry. This requires a solid internal recruiting process with an adept recruitment and leadership team who make sure the company invests in an aligned adherence to garner consistent results. Surmounting these points facilitates appropriate resource allocation, maximizing effectiveness. It is also crucial to take ownership of the data and narrative, presenting them consistently to maintain confidence in the recruitment team's efforts.

Emerging Trends in Technology

Just like in all other fields, AI is creating a buzz in the HR landscape. While it can stimulate fresh perspectives from the data, it is necessary to utilize the component of the human element to ensure presented information stays relevant. AI can aid in the effective narration of the recruitment process and help to discover useful data points that aid in storytelling efforts. In order to stay true to the intent, I believe it is imperative to balance AI efforts with human involvement.

Insights from Experiences

In my experience, planning annual strategies and frequently assessing the state of recruiting within my organization is routine. By reviewing the data and metrics, I identify opportunities and areas for improvement. Staying consistent with a process provides refined information and promotes collaboration opportunities with hiring leaders. This, in turn, enables individual recruiters to have proactive plans throughout the year, therefore affecting efficiency levels. It is essential to revisit the process regularly to confirm the efforts are aligned with organizational objectives.

"The foremost priority of talent acquisition is to be included as a strategic partner in the business, rather than an afterthought or a mere resource. This increases the proactive engagement between the recruiting team, business partners and company executives"

Vision for the Future

The foremost priority of talent acquisition is to be included as a strategic partner in the business, rather than an afterthought or a mere resource. This increases the proactive engagement between the recruiting team, business partners and company executives. Strategic planning can be better anticipated with this involvement, paving the way for transformation and adaptation within the workforce. This partnership also improves the decision-making process and supports the company's long-term goals. The camaraderie between recruiters and higher-level officials is crucial to making this approach a success.

Advice for Peers

Recruiting professionals should get comfortable working with the concept of working with technical advancements like AI, and understand its part in elevating recruitment. It is necessary to assess when to use these tools, and ensure its use aligns with organizational agreements and legal regulation requirements as the primary priority. Integrating them with a human touch maintains balanced outcomes. In addition, taking a data-driven approach to creating compelling stories and presenting them to your business partners can better illustrate past activities, current capabilities and future potentials. Together, these significantly improve the performance of the overall recruitment process.