Spotting Potential: Where Instinct Meets AI in Recruitment

AI is everywhere in recruitment right now - fast, clever, and genuinely useful. But after years of running a business that juggles people and technology, I still see that finding standout talent relies on something older than algorithms: instinct, curiosity, and noticing people others might overlook.

In daily work, AI is great at sorting information and surfacing candidates I might have missed. Still, technology never quite captures the whole story. Sometimes, that spark, the thing that turns potential into performance, shows up before there’s any tangible evidence. It’s often more of a hunch than a data point.

Some of my favourite hires weren’t the obvious choices on paper. The unconventional candidate who became the team’s glue, or the quiet achiever who ended up outpacing the front-runner, those stories are what make the work rewarding for me. AI processes fast, but it doesn’t always predict grit or growth.

What still counts most is putting in the work: asking the right questions, paying attention to detail, and staying open-minded. There’s magic in seeing beyond a résumé and recognising genuine potential. For me, the best recruiters aren’t just expert CV readers, they’re people readers.

I’m drawn to technology that helps level the playing field, the kind that gives overlooked candidates a fair shot. While AI can assist, the difference still depends on how we use it and whether we actually care about expanding opportunity, not just meeting KPIs.

I see lots of hype around how far tech can take us. It’s exciting, but the best progress I’ve witnessed always comes from tools paired with genuine effort. Even as technology improves, I haven’t found a shortcut for being present, interested, and curious about possibilities.

It’s just what I’m seeing in the trenches: the future of recruitment isn’t data vs. instinct, but how both can work together. That’s where the most meaningful matches come from.