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Talent Acquisition

The FOWX Fifteen: AMS.

Direct SourcingSolution ProvidersTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The FOWX Fifteen is an exclusive series at the Future of Work Exchange that highlights the industry’s innovative and disruptive platforms, solutions, and offerings that are driving the Future of Work movement. These providers are actively pushing talent technology innovation and ushering in a new, digital era of workforce management, staffing, and talent acquisition.

The Background

The talent technology industry is awash in innovation. Whether it’s AI-fueled functionality, next-generation managed services, or progressive workforce management capabilities, there is no better or more ideal time to be a talent acquisition, HR, or extended workforce leader than right now.

A talent-centric, candidate-oriented world of work means that enterprises require a level of elegance, automation, and efficiency to effectively maximize new and exciting hiring strategies. Progressive concepts such as direct sourcing, digital recruitment, skills-based hiring, and Best-in-Class talent technology stacks are all elements that now fuel the Future of Work movement.

Enter AMS.

Why They Were Selected

AMS was purpose-built for the Future of Work, with an impressive arsenal of talent acquisition and workforce management services, all buoyed by the powerful AMS One platform. AMS One comprehensively streamlines workforce (traditional and extended) management through integrated digital capabilities, seamlessly enabling comprehensive recruiting, hiring, engagement, and operational (scheduling, workforce planning, payment processing, and reconciliation) functions within a unified suite of functionality.

Furthermore, AMS stands as a robust service provider that impeccably blends MSP, RPO, talent acquisition, and direct sourcing solutions together in an sophisticated, cohesive manner. The company’s Best-in-Class recruitment-driven offerings are anchored in global talent expertise and an innovative service delivery model that prioritizes forward-thinking talent strategies and approaches. And, with progressive solutions like the gamechanger AMS Omnis, AMS continues to thrive in an evolving world of work.

In Their Own Words

“AMS is honored to be named a global leader by Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange, reflecting our unique ability to drive transformative talent acquisition outcomes. As a trusted partner to some of the world’s most well-known organizations worldwide, we deliver comprehensive talent solutions—across MSP, RPO, direct sourcing, talent advisory, and digital solutions—all powered by cutting-edge technology and a relentless focus on innovation.

Today’s talent landscape is rapidly evolving, with a growing need for agile external workforce strategies. Our capabilities enable TA and HR leaders to adapt swiftly to this shift, helping companies leverage their brand to attract, engage, and retain critical talent on a global scale. Our award-winning solutions, like AMS One, combine deep domain expertise, data-driven insights, and advanced AI to optimize strategic talent initiatives. This accolade reinforces AMS’s commitment to empowering organizations to build high-performing teams and unlock new value through the external workforce. As the Future of Work unfolds, we’re here to ensure our clients stay ahead embracing change.” –Christoph Niebel, Chief Client Officer and President, Americas

The Outlook

AMS is positioned as a Future of Work-driven, talent-oriented, and innovation-heavy workforce solutions stalwart, seamlessly transforming talent acquisition through total talent intelligence and digitized hiring optimization. By converging advanced AI-powered functionality with agile direct sourcing and recruitment methodologies, AMS will continue to empower organizations to navigate the complex talent ecosystem with unprecedented, strategic precision.

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The FOWX Fifteen: Opptly

Direct SourcingSolution ProvidersTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on

The FOWX Fifteen is an exclusive series at the Future of Work Exchange that highlights the industry’s innovative and disruptive platforms, solutions, and offerings that are driving the Future of Work movement. These providers are actively pushing talent technology innovation and ushering in a new, digital era of workforce management, staffing, and talent acquisition.

The Background

Quick…name the most electrifying word in today’s business landscape. I’ll give you 10 seconds. Wait, you didn’t even need 10 seconds, did you?

“Artificial intelligence” rolls off your tongue faster than a machine learning algorithm processes data..and for good reason: AI has become the cornerstone of innovation, seamlessly weaving through enterprise ecosystems – from the intricate networks of IT and analytics to the strategic realms of finance and talent acquisition.

Recent groundbreaking research from Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange reveals a transformative landscape: an overwhelming 82% of businesses entered 2024 with a strategic mandate to amplify their artificial intelligence capabilities. Even more revealing? Among HR and talent acquisition leaders, that number skyrockets to nearly 95% – a clear signal of a profound technological revolution.

This isn’t just about technological adoption, though; it’s about a fundamental reimagination of talent strategy. AI represents more than a tool – it’s a strategic accelerant that empowers talent leaders to transcend traditional boundaries. By harnessing next-generation analytics, organizations can now dynamically map, find, and engage talent, while simultaneously building robust, forward-looking skills taxonomies that don’t just predict the Future of Work – they actively shape it.

Enter Opptly.

Why They Were Selected

Opptly’s core offerings revolve around progressive functionality within direct sourcing, candidate engagement, skills-based hiring, and skills taxonomy development. However, the platform is so much more than the sum of these attributes, as the solution is a true “people technology” that is actively blazing a path forward within the Future of Work movement.

The proprietary and future-leaning artificial intelligence-driven technology within the Opptly platform represents the veritable future of AI in talent acquisition. Opptly’s advanced AI offerings seamlessly match the best talent with mission-critical opportunities by analyzing deep professional insights, skills, expertise, and project requirements in real-time, all while factoring in progressive candidate elements such as culture, diversity, etc.

Through sophisticated machine learning algorithms and NLP-augmented functionality, Opptly optimizes the entire talent lifecycle – from sourcing and vetting to engagement and project success – delivering unparalleled efficiency and precision in the direct sourcing, talent acquisition, and workforce management ecosystems.

In Their Own Words

“Opptly is proud to be included amongst other Best-in-Class platforms and solutions in the talent technology arena. This accolade is a testament to our unwavering commitment to truly unbiased artificial intelligence that can revolutionize the ways businesses find, engage, and manage their total talent. Opptly represents the future of hiring – where cutting-edge technology meets human potential, creating a seamless, intelligent, and equitable dynamic that transforms how organizations and talent connect, collaborate, and succeed.” – Lori Hock, CEO of Opptly

The Outlook

Simply put, Opptly is a pure technological representation of the Future of Work movement: next-generation functionality, AI-fueled talent innovation, and cutting-edge, skills-based hiring offerings that are actively revolutionizing the ways businesses address how work is done. As artificial intelligence continues to dominate talent acquisition strategies, Opptly and its progressive AI sophistication will continue to help enterprises dynamically adapt to modern workforce trends, seamlessly match top-tier talent with critical opportunities, transform their talent strategies, and provide an intelligent and infinitely scalable competitive advantage.

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Digital Credentials Provide Talent Visibility, Skill Recognition

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsHRTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

As people’s careers progress, they establish a professional profile comprised of a resume, portfolio, performance reviews, letters of recommendation, degrees, certifications, memberships, and other career achievements. Often, these paper-based items are dispersed and sometimes forgotten over time. However, they are all critical pieces of employees’ professional identities that make them unique in the workforce. Even more important, they represent their skills and competencies to potential or current employers.

What is the answer? Enter the world of digital credentials.

A Digitized, Verifiable Professional Profile

At the foundational level, candidates convert their professional profiles into digitized and verifiable credentials that enterprises access quickly and securely when recruiting or promoting staff. In today’s aggressive labor market, having digital credentials is a competitive differentiator in the workforce. It separates a candidate’s application from random submissions, thus streamlining the selection process and generating cost savings for the hiring enterprise through greater efficiencies.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Artificial Intelligence Mitigates Unconscious Bias in Hiring

Business LeadershipGeneral InsightsHRTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

Today’s remote and hybid workplaces means access to a diverse and globally connected talent pool — one where the importance of equity and inclusion is stronger than ever. Standing in the way, however, are traditional hiring processes, coupled with ongoing controversies surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that can enable rather than reduce the influence of unconscious biases in talent decision-making. The answer to overcoming these challenges and improving equity in hiring may lie in artificial intelligence (AI). AI tools can introduce impartiality into talent decisions and processes, mitigating the effects of unconscious bias.

Unconscious Bias Lives in Us All

To quell unconscious bias, one must understand it first to later recognize its presence. The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) defines unconscious biases as “social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing.” Unconscious biases include affinity bias, confirmation bias, conformity bias, and gender bias.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Learning from the Past to Build the Workplace Cultures of the Future

Business LeadershipTalent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I can’t help but be a person that is incredibly nostalgic. As the holiday season approaches, I frequently think of my childhood days and the experiences that shaped me and made me the person I am today. While my memories at this time of year are appropriately focused on trick-or-treating in suburban Massachusetts as a youth, there are also memories that are more, let’s say…business-focused.

I’m lucky enough to have spent the past 18 years of my career at two firms (nearly 12 years with the famous Ardent Partners, the research parent of the Future of Work Exchange), however, before my foray into the world of human capital technology, the Future of Work movement, and talent management and technology research, I spent some time at companies with not-so-empathic leaders.

For example:

  • A VP who told me that it wasn’t okay to say “How’s it going?” to another person if I hadn’t met them yet.
  • A company owner who said that if I ever got tired, I wasn’t fit for a career in writing. (Let me know if you know someone that has never been or will never be tired…)
  • Another company owner (same company, different owner) who said I had a “defeatist attitude” when I told him that I didn’t feel appreciated or valued enough after working 80+ hour weeks for a straight month after two employees quit.
  • A CEO who said, after finding a single (one!) spelling error in a document that I produced (that totaled over 40 pages), that I needed to spend more time focusing and less time “theorizing” when writing, and;
  • A certain company owner (twice on this list!) that told me that I “would never find anything out there” when I resigned and gave my two weeks’ notice.

The specific examples above all link back to one key element: a terrible workplace culture. Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has discovered that, over the past 12 months, 72% of businesses have taken steps to enhance workplace culture to better foster collaboration, engagement, diversity, and innovation.

Workplace culture isn’t just a nebulous concept anymore, but rather a true Future of Work state that affects talent acquisition, talent attraction, hiring success, brand awareness, and talent sustainability.

For too many years, I focused on those negative experiences, as well as my own professional mistakes. Sometimes they drove me to be better. Sometimes they hindered my progress. And, sometimes, they affected my mental health.

The mistakes and failures of the past, especially those stemming from poor leadership, can serve as invaluable lessons to shape the workplace cultures we strive for today. Rather than allowing past missteps to hold us back, we should use them to catalyze meaningful, positive change. Two years ago, ten years ago, or even twenty years in the past – the ideal workplace cultures we envision today should be informed by what we wish we had experienced back then. Reflecting on the shortcomings, pain points, and dissatisfactions of the past equips us to actively create the thriving, employee-centric environments we want to see now.

In today’s globalized, competitive business landscape, workplace culture has become a critical component of success. Elements like worker wellbeing, mental health support, employee experience, and overall company happiness are no longer optional – they are essential for retaining top talent, fostering innovation, and driving enterprise-wide prosperity.

Organizations that prioritize cultivating positive, enriching workplace cultures will be best positioned to thrive. By learning from past mistakes and intentionally shaping workplace cultures aligned with employee needs and values, companies can gain a competitive edge in attracting, developing, and retaining the best people.

The key is to let the lessons of the past propel us towards a better future, rather than allowing them to hold us back. With this mindset, the missteps of yesterday can become the catalysts for the workplace cultures of tomorrow.

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Direct Sourcing Gains an Assist with Chatbots

Business LeadershipContingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsHRTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by John Yuva on

The dial on artificial intelligence (AI) has been turned up to such a degree that anyone can now experiment with the technology. AI tools from ChatGTP to Lensa are putting the power of AI into the hands of everyday folks — with stunning results. While the consumer side of AI continues to gain attention, it’s important not to overlook the applicability and possibility of the technology for direct sourcing and extended workforce needs.

Today, there are several providers of AI-based tools for optimizing the direct sourcing of extended workers. One of the most recognizable and popular tools is chatbots. This technology has evolved significantly over the years from a more scripted application to one of conversational AI realization. Through developments in natural language processing, users have a difficult time recognizing whether it’s a human or a bot they’re interacting with.

How are chatbots contributing to efficiencies in direct sourcing efforts? It’s occurring in several ways, allowing HR, business managers, and recruiters to focus on more strategic aspects of total talent management initiatives.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Value of Artificial Intelligence Delivers for Human Resources

Contingent WorkforceDirect SourcingGeneral InsightsHRTalentTalent AcquisitionTechnology and InnovationUncategorized by John Yuva on

Artificial intelligence (AI) has fully broken through the parameter of the Future of Work — where HR can effectively engage with AI technologies to deliver automation and sustainable talent outcomes. The complex decision-making of today’s HR professionals makes AI a near necessity to achieve recruitment and total talent management objectives in the current enterprise. By leveraging AI, machine learning, and data analytics, HR professionals can automate many manual tasks while enhancing the employee lifecycle experience.

The embrace and utilization of AI technologies is proving transformational for HR professionals and their industry. According to Sameer Maskey, founder and CEO for Fusemachines, and adjunct associate professor at Columbia University, in a Forbes article, “Clearly, AI is primed to disrupt the HR industry as we know it. In fact, with AI, HR teams are poised to serve as a critical and strategic ‘talent insights engine’ of an organization,” he says.

“However, this advancement requires HR professionals to do more than just embrace the technology to unlock automation-powered efficiencies and data-driven decisions. It requires them to identify novel applications of AI, such as a virtual recruiter, or employ simulated AI-augmented work settings for recruitment that will increase the efficiency of the HR team even further. Doing this will take candidate and employee engagement to a whole new level,” Maskey adds.

While HR is reaping the benefits of AI for such automated tasks such as payroll and benefits administration — essential responsibilities of HR — there are even greater strategic opportunities to truly revolutionize core talent acquisition and talent management areas.

AI Elevates Direct Sourcing Strategies and Employee Retention Execution

AI tools and machine learning algorithms are aiding HR professionals in streamlining workforce processes across the enterprise. The following are several areas where AI can bring immediate value to human resources and provide valuable insights into workplace strategy and dynamics.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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Artificial Intelligence, Contingent Workforce Management, and the Future of Work (On-Demand Webinar)

Contingent WorkforceDirect SourcingTalent AcquisitionTechnology and InnovationVideo by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Earlier this week, Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange hosted an exclusive webcast focused on AI-powered contingent workforce management and its impact within the Future of Work movement. I was joined by Opptly’s Lori Hock (CEO), Beeline’s Colleen Tiner (Chief Product Officer), and NLP Logix’s Matt Berseth (CIO, co-founder) to discuss a wide range of hot topics under the artificial intelligence umbrella, including:

  • The true adoption and utilization of artificial intelligence within today’s extended workforce programs, hiring strategies, and talent acquisition initiatives.
  • The link between AI and skills-based hiring.
  • How businesses can move from an “education phase” to “adoption phase” for their AI initiatives.
  • How AI can supercharge and optimize direct sourcing strategies.
  • Why AI-fueled skills taxonomies are the foundation of a skills-based hiring approach.

Check out an on-demand replay of the webinar below.

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The Technology Revolution and its Impact on Talent Acquisition and Workforce Management

Contingent WorkforceDirect SourcingSolution ProvidersTalent AcquisitionTechnology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on

It almost seems like we are floating in a constant vacuum of evolution. The economy continues to spin, technology progresses at an unprecedented clip, businesses continue to optimize their operations in such a way that they no longer resemble the past, and, most critically, the talent arena remains in a state of perpetual growth and revolution.

No other industry is as impacted by the developments in the technology space as much as talent acquisition and workforce management. The advent and rapid deployment of artificial intelligence has absolutely transformed so many facets of both ordinary life and the business spectrum, however, its impact is ever-present in a world in which its many automated arms have the ability to revolutionize so many organizational attributes.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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The Delicate Balance Between Business Imperatives and Human Capital

Business LeadershipTalent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on

There is no perfect way to manage a workforce, especially during the “challenging times” that have plagued business vernacular four years running. A pandemic wrought havoc on enterprise operations and day-to-day collaboration. The resulting economic downturn brought down businesses of all sizes and sent the unemployment rate into the stratosphere.

Threats over yet another recession haunted corporate leaders throughout 2023. And as another heated election draws ever closer, so do worries over the state of the country heading into 2025.

In short: it’s hella tough to balance internal and external stresses and how they will affect the workforce.

Patagonia and Brand Perception

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model from the Future of Work Exchange.

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

Click here to learn more.

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