So many recruitment founders I speak to right now are quietly worried they’re falling behind with AI.
But behind what, exactly? And what should you actually be aiming for?
I’ve put together an Automation Competence Ladder so you can see for yourself where you’re sitting and what to focus on to get to the next level, step by step.
Hope you find it useful.
The Automation Competence Ladder
Where you sit on this ladder shapes which tools and changes will actually move the needle for you.
Level 3 advice doesn’t help a Level 1 business. Level 5 thinking doesn’t help a Level 3 one. So before you go shopping for shiny new tools, place yourself honestly.
Let’s get into it.
Level 1 – Manual and ad hoc
You live in your head, your inbox and a few well-loved spreadsheets. No real tools beyond email, calendar and Excel. Everything depends on you remembering to do it. Most things happen because you keep showing up. Knowledge can’t be delegated. The business stops when you stop.
Level 2 – Basic tools, no integration
Things exist but don’t talk to each other. An ATS here, a spreadsheet there, a separate CRM, a folder in Drive, sticky notes on the desk. The same information gets re-entered three times in three places. You can find anything, but only with effort.
Level 3 – Core stack in place, light automation, single source of truth emerging
The main tools are picked and used consistently. There’s a clear answer to “where does X live?” for most things. Some automations have replaced some manual steps (a scheduler, an e-sign tool, a CRM trigger). You know where to look for anything, even if it’s still mostly you doing the looking.
Level 4 – Integrated stack, automations doing real work, AI assisting daily
The tools are connected. Data flows between them. AI handles your notes, candidate write-ups, intake briefs, outreach personalisation, transcription. You spend your time on judgement, not admin. A VA, sourcer or partner can find what they need without going through you.
Level 5 – Orchestrated, measured, scalable
The business runs the same whether you’re there or not. Dashboards tell you what’s happening. New team members can plug in without you teaching them. You can go away for two weeks and the wheels keep turning. Performance is measurable, repeatable and improvable.
What the jumps between levels look like
Level 1 to Level 2: Start using tools at all. The first ATS. The first CRM. The first scheduler. Often messy, often duplicated, but a real step. Don’t underestimate it.
Level 2 to Level 3: Pick a spine and consolidate. Decide which tool is the single source of truth and migrate everything toward it. Kill the duplicates. Get clear on where each kind of information lives.
Level 3 to Level 4: Integrate and automate. Connect the tools. Layer AI into the bits that eat the most time. Build the workflows that let you swap admin for thinking.
Level 4 to Level 5: Measure, document, remove yourself from the work. Build dashboards. Write SOPs (short ones). Set up the systems so a new hire is productive in week one, not month three.
Have a look at where you sit…
And don’t give yourself a hard time about where you are or where you’re not with AI.
Just look at the ladder, work out where you are, and take the one move that’s going to make your life easier this month.
Hope it helps.
BK
PS. If you’re not already following The Tech Savvy Recruiter, why not check out a recent AI roundup chat I had with my Co-host Andrew Rodger.
