DESIGN THINKER PODCAST

In this episode, Dr Dani and Designer Peter are joined by Tim Bush, a recruitment professional who's rethinking what hiring looks like in the age of AI. This conversation explores the critical shift from process-focused recruitment to experience-centered hiring, and why AI might be the key to making recruitment more human—not less. In this episode, you will: Understand why recruitment became more about process than peopleDiscover how AI can free recruiters to focus on deeply human workExplore practical ways to shift from process optimization to experience design Meet Our Guest Tim Bush Tim is known for his enthusiasm, curiosity, and unique perspective on life. Starting his professional career in football, and with his growth mindset, he is all about the action of being connected with others. It was only a matter of time before Talent Acquisition (TA) came calling! He finds himself in a TA leadership position whereby he gets to challenge and disrupt, be a futurist and loves seeing people succeed. He is deeply passionate about what the future of TA will look and feel like ensure that his energy goes into AI, automation, data driven decisions and most importantly, people development. He’s always willing to connect with others so reach out to him on LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-bush/ Show Notes From Process to Experience Recruitment has become obsessed with stage gates, approval chains, and time-to-fill metrics. But when you emphasize the process, you don't get the experience. Tim explains why this shift happened and what it costs us. AI as the Great Liberator Imagine if AI could handle all the administrative work—writing job ads, screening applications, drafting contracts, sending updates. What would recruiters do with that time? Connection, understanding context, and showing care. Co-Designing Each Recruitment Why do we use one-size-fits-all recruitment processes? Tim advocates for co-designing each recruitment approach during the job brief conversation with the hiring manager. Make it fit the context. Make it human. The Return of the Phone Call In a world of emails and automation, picking up the phone has become a radical act. Tim's mentor taught him one lesson: "Pick up the phone." It's still the best advice in recruitment. Aroha in Action The Māori concept of aroha (love, care, compassion) belongs in recruitment. You can decline someone with aroha—timely, personally, and with genuine feedback. It doesn't cost money. It costs attention. Process Thinking vs. Experience Thinking Organizations have applied factory thinking to recruitment: standardize, optimize, eliminate variation. But humans aren't products on an assembly line. Every person is unique, and their uniqueness changes daily. Our systems need to honor that. Practices You Can Apply Measure what matters Track your notification rate. How many declined candidates actually hear back from you? Aim for 100%. Let candidates choose their communication channel Add one simple question to your application: "How would you like us to communicate with you—text, email, or phone call?" Then honor it. Use AI to amplify humanity Let AI handle the administrative burden so you can spend time on what only humans can do: connection, conversation, care, and understanding context. Co-design the recruitment approach During the job brief, work with the hiring manager to design a recruitment process that fits this specific role, context, and candidate pool. Not cookie-cutter. Bespoke. Pick up the phone When in doubt, make the call. Real human connection happens through conversation, not automation.