Skills, AI & the Future of Talent Acquisition

Darren Lancaster:
Hello, I’m Darren Lancaster, CEO at Amberjack. I’m really delighted to have you on the podcast today. We’re going to be talking about the evolving demand for skills and how we look at that from a recruitment perspective, as well as the adoption of AI within the recruitment space.

I’m really pleased to welcome Spencer Hurley from Spire Healthcare. Spencer brings a vast amount of experience, and I’ve known him for a long time — I’ve even worked with him as a supplier earlier in my career.

Spencer, welcome. It would be great to start with a bit of background on yourself.

Spencer’s Background

Spencer Hurley:
Sure. I’ve been in recruitment and talent acquisition for 26 years. I started in 2000, although I actually had a career before that.

I came out of university, became a qualified financial advisor and an area manager for Pearl Assurance, which doesn’t exist anymore. I was going down that route, but I decided to pivot, moved to London, and became a recruitment consultant at what eventually became Hudson.

After that, I moved to Digby Morgan, doing HR recruitment into the City, and then I decided to go in-house — which is where I’ve been ever since.

What Talent Acquisition Really Is

Darren Lancaster:
When people think about talent acquisition, there’s often a perception that it’s about posting jobs, reviewing CVs and filling seats. How would you describe the function?

Spencer Hurley:
It’s really the difference between being a recruitment team and a talent acquisition function — it’s about how you see yourself.

When I started, it was called personnel. Then it became human resources, then human capital. Names change, but what matters is what you’re actually doing.

There are loads of talent acquisition functions that are really just doing recruitment. They’re still processing — posting jobs, reviewing CVs — things that can be automated.

What talent acquisition could be is much bigger:

• Better assessment
• Workforce planning
• Strategic workforce planning
• Using insight and data
• Challenging the business

It can be as important and impactful as the business wants it to be — or as quiet and ineffective as it allows it to be.

How the Function Has Evolved

Spencer Hurley:
If you look back, big organisations used to pay agencies for everything — HR admin through to HR director roles.

That’s gone. Most businesses now have in-house recruitment sorted.

The maturity has changed:

• More investment
• More strategic thinking
• More focus on cost and value

When I took my first in-house role, it was like the Wild West:

• No ATS
• No supplier lists
• No controls
• Spend whatever you want

Now we’ve moved to much more strategic, insight-led functions that are really helping drive the business forward.

Building an In-House Function

Spencer Hurley:
When I joined Lloyd’s, it was basic. I remember in the first two weeks I basically paid for myself just by checking recruiter invoices.

There were inaccuracies, overpayments — the HR team just paid whatever came in because they didn’t have visibility.

Then we started building:

• Preferred supplier lists
• Proper briefings
• ATS implementation
• Graduate recruitment
• Employer branding
• Assessment methods

At the time, these were big changes. Now they’re just hygiene factors.

Career Progression & Nationwide

Spencer Hurley:
At Nationwide, I was there for about 11 years — the longest I’ve been anywhere.

I started in executive recruitment, and over time I moved into broader roles. I was lucky — I had leaders who saw what I was doing and gave me opportunities.

At one point, I challenged the target operating model. I didn’t ask permission — I just went out, spoke to other companies, and built a better version of what we could do.

That turned into a major role where I was:

• Leading the function
• Implementing a new operating model

Later, I moved into transformation and technology hiring — which became one of the most challenging and interesting parts of my career.

Reducing Time-to-Hire

Spencer Hurley:
We had a big challenge in tech hiring. Time-to-hire was six to seven weeks — which sounds okay, but in software engineering you’re dead if you’re not making an offer within a week.

We used agile principles:

• Daily stand-ups
• Swarming recruiters around roles
• Constant iteration
• Real-time feedback

We reduced time-to-hire from six to seven weeks to under five days.

The Key: Contracting with Hiring Managers

Spencer Hurley:
The biggest issue wasn’t process — it was hiring managers.

They’d:

• Throw a job over the fence
• Say they didn’t have time
• Delay feedback
• Then complain about slow hiring

So we contracted properly:

• Clear timelines
• Clear expectations
• Accountability

We even escalated if needed. It wasn’t about being difficult — it was about making sure everyone played their part.

Skills vs Attitude

Spencer Hurley:
Skills-based hiring is a great idea, but I haven’t seen it work that well in reality.

For me:

• Skills matter, but they’re only one part
• Attitude is more important
• Curiosity matters
• Willingness to learn matters

If someone doesn’t have those, the skills don’t really matter.

AI in Hiring

Spencer Hurley:
AI is being overhyped.

It’s not replacing everything. It’s just a tool.

Adoption is slower than people think:

• Many companies block tools internally
• Systems aren’t integrated
• People are working around it anyway

It’ll come, but it’ll be gradual.

Recruiters & Automation

Spencer Hurley:
If all you’re doing is moving CVs from A to B to C, you’re going to be replaced. A machine can do that.

But if you:

• Build relationships
• Add insight
• Challenge the process

Then you’re adding value.

A Simple Example

Spencer Hurley:
If you get 160 applications and you can hire from 30, why review all 160?

Stop earlier. Save time.

Then use that time to:

• Speak to candidates
• Build relationships
• Improve experience

That’s where the value is.

The Case for Data

Spencer Hurley:
One of the best hires we made was a data analyst.

At the time, it felt expensive — more than most recruiters.

But the insight he brought was incredible:

• Accurate hiring forecasts
• Better decision-making
• Deep funnel insights

He even unlocked major DE&I conversations by analysing application data end-to-end.

Advice for Early Careers

Spencer Hurley:
Don’t just follow processes — they’ll be automated.

Instead:

• Be curious
• Challenge things
• Add value
• Build relationships

And most importantly:

Don’t be a cog in a machine — be a linchpin.

Quick Fire Round

CV or skills assessment?
Attitude

AI tool or human gut?
Human gut

Job board or talent pipeline?
Job board (to fuel the pipeline)

Best hire?
Internal

Biggest myth in TA?
That AI will replace recruiters

Darren Lancaster:
It’s been a brilliant conversation. Thanks so much, Spencer.

Spencer Hurley:
Thanks — really enjoyed it.