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“The year is 1994,” writes Crystal Lim-Lange, CEO of Forest Wolf, in a recent LinkedIn post. “Friends is just becoming a TV hit. You get a dial-up modem that makes an awful racket and hogs the phone line.” She adds that Amazon had just been founded, the internet was starting to become popular, and people were asking, “What jobs will be impacted by the internet?” 

The answer, Crystal notes, is “all of them.”

Thirty years later, the world is in a similar moment, with people asking, “What jobs will be impacted by generative AI?” This question underlies all of LinkedIn’s 2024 Future of Recruiting report and Workplace Learning Report. Among other things, the reports explore how AI is changing the way we work and the nature of work itself. 

But a great part about putting forth research and ideas is that they’re often just a springboard for deeper discussions. As soon as you introduce a thought, other people weigh in, flesh it out, and make the idea even richer. After LinkedIn recently published these reports, industry experts — including Crystal — did just that. 

Let’s hear what thought leaders have to say about the ideas in the Future of Recruiting and the Workplace Learning Report.

Christopher Lind: AI isn’t a zero sum game 

Christopher Lind, chief learning officer at ChenMed, builds on Crystal’s thoughts in another post, adding that true innovation isn’t a zero-sum game. 

“AI done right isn’t about taking away meaningful work from people and offering an artificial substitute,” he writes. “It’s about augmenting people with a digital capability that expands the scope of what’s possible.” 

When employees leverage “digital counterparts,” Christopher explains, it makes the formerly impossible possible and provides an exponentially higher level of “human-centered, high-touch support.”

Crystal Lim-Lange: AI-powered coaching will transform career development 

One of those “digital counterparts,” of course, can be AI-powered career coaching, which Crystal elaborates upon in a recent post. “Picture this,” she writes. “You start your workday and when you open up your laptop, the first thing that greets you is your very own AI-powered career coach and L&D strategist, seamlessly woven into your workday, guiding you toward success.” 

An AI-powered coach, she says, could keep track of your accomplishments, warn you when you’re getting burned out, and recommend courses most likely help you advance your career. It could also highlight interesting opportunities within your company or connect you to real-life mentors and friends. 

“My hope for the future,” Crystal adds, “is that learning becomes not just a task, but an integral part of holistic self-care and personal growth.” 

Stacey Gordon: Recruiters can woo candidates with an honest view of company values

Part of that personal growth, for many candidates, is finding work at a company that inspires them. “No longer is it just about earning a paycheck,” writes Stacey Gordon, executive advisor at Rework Work. “People now seek businesses that align with their values, especially the discerning Gen Z.”

But if people won’t compromise their values for a job, what does that mean for recruiting? Stacey says it’s up to recruiters to articulate company values. “Gone,” she says, “are the days when promises made during recruitment didn’t necessarily align with the reality of the workplace.”

Recruiters are at the “frontline of accountability,” she adds, and need to ensure that “what’s communicated during recruitment aligns truthfully with the workplace reality.” It’s not just about saying what candidates want to hear. It’s about creating a genuine and transparent connection. 

Al Dea: One of the hottest skills L&D can teach is career navigation

In the Workplace Learning Report, Al Dea, founder of Edge of Work, commented that companies should be equipping employees with the skills they need to navigate their careers. In a follow-up post, he elaborated on this idea.

“Instead of just focusing on movement to what’s next, such as a program or initiative,” Al writes, “let’s teach career navigation to all employees, to help them grow their career in a self-sustaining way.” 

L&D professionals can help with this by leveraging relationships, identifying an employee’s strengths and interests, and tapping into their curiosity. “Formal learning moments absolutely matter,” Al adds, “but empowering your employees with career navigation skills can help them generate their own growth, which helps your organization grow.” 

Sophie Wade: Companies should embrace true flexible work

Companies have increasingly been pushing employees to return to the office. But for recruiters, this creates a conundrum: If they want to hire top talent, they need to be able to offer flexible work options.

Sophie Wade, founder of and workforce innovation specialist at Flexcel Network, weighed in on this, explaining what flexible work really looks like. “Fixed hybrid is not flexible working,” she writes. “It’s a start. It’s not where we are going.” 

Sophie said that companies are learning and adapting to new ways of working, and “practicing” before they take the next step. For talent and HR teams, this means training leaders to manage distributed teams and adapting to new work arrangements.

But when companies offer true flexibility, the payoffs can be huge. Employees are more engaged, satisfied, and productive, Sophie notes. Retention goes up. And recruiting is easier. “HR needs flexible work policies,” she says, “to hire and keep the top talent needed.” 

Final thoughts: Keep the discussion going 

Now that industry voices have weighed in, let’s keep the conversation going. Read the Future of Recruiting and the Workplace Learning Report. Discuss them with your coworkers. Share your thoughts.

Why? Because the moment we’re in is not that much different from 1994. Changes underway will most likely affect all of us.

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