Will AI eliminate the need for jobs?

It goes without saying, that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm. How will the fourth industrial revolution change our work? This is a question we are all thinking about. In this article, Reed's Chairman and CEO James Reed considers how artificial intelligence will change the future of work.

1 mins read
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about 1 year ago

Author
James Reed - Chairman and CEO, Reed

At the recent Microsoft CEO Connections event, the CEO Satya Nadella compared the impact of new AI technology to the birth of personal computers and the internet, in terms of its potential global impact.

While writers, actors, and other artists have been fighting to protect their livelihoods from AI’s threat, Elon Musk imagines what I can only describe as a nightmarish vision of the future where no one works at all (although, as a recruiter, I’m predictably biased about the 'nightmarish' part).

The recent Reed/Bloomberg job market report sheds some light on this issue. While AI is a hot topic across politics and business, jobs in the sector have plummeted, suggesting that organizations have lost interest in hiring for new AI job roles.

That’s not to say that companies are ignoring AI altogether. From finance to e-commerce, businesses have been integrating this technology into existing roles, allowing them to offer new and improved products and services to their customers. Here at Reed, we’re using AI to help remedy a common problem for recruiters and managers – choosing appropriate interview questions for specific roles. With our AI-powered Interview Question Generator, a task that once took hours can now be completed with the click of a button.

Does this mean recruiters and their counterparts in other sectors will soon be out of a job and replaced by AI? Not necessarily. Although AI will most likely cause some jobs to disappear, it will also liberate people from bureaucracy, eliminate mundane tasks, and allow workers to focus on the parts of their jobs only humans can do well.

So, while it’s almost certain that AI is transforming the way we work and recruit, I’m of the belief that, for as long as there are people to help, problems to solve and personal connections to be made, there will still be jobs.

And, hopefully, there will still be recruiters.​

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I chose to write about the issue of economic inactivity and to focus on ways to encourage younger people into the workforce and ways to incentivise older workers to work for longer.

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Instead, these highly capable higher rate tax payers will be incentivised to continue to contribute to the growth of their organisations and the wider economy and consequently to the exchequer as well.

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​Whether you are a sales executive, supplier relationship manager or field sales consultant, use our free template to build your perfect sales CV today.

[Full Name]
[Home address]
[Contact Number] • [Email Address]

Personal Statement

Use this section of your CV to highlight the skills that would be transferable in a sales environment e.g. questioning and listening, tenacity, resilience and the ability to think on your feet. It’s also a good idea to include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Sales professionals are target driven and financially motivated, so don't forget to highlight and "sell" yourself.

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Education

A relevant degree, for example Business Studies will give you a great start, but many degrees have a sales element, e.g. Psychology - understanding people, Engineering - problem solving, Law - negotiation skills etc.

It is important to present your education in a way that identifies you as a sales person.

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[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

A-levels:

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

GCSEs:

  • [Number] GCSEs, grades [range], including Maths and English

Work Experience

This should be brief and, as a general rule of thumb, focus on the last five years of your career, or last three roles, in chronological order with the most recent at the top. Highlight your key achievements, and aim to use bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions.

[Job Title], [Company Name] [Location]
[Date M/Y- Date M/Y]

Achievements and responsibilities:

  • Brief role overview

  • Worked alongside [team] to produce [project]

  • Implemented [change] which resulted in [benefit]

  • Received an [award name] for [reason]

Hobbies and Interests

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References

References are available upon request.

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[Full Name]
[Home address]
[Contact Number] • [Email Address]

Personal statement

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[Examining body – ACA, ACCA, CIMA, AAT, ICM, IPP]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

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[University Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

  • [Degree subject] – [Grade]

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

  • [A Level Subject] – [Grade]

  • [A Level Subject] – [Grade]

  • [A Level Subject] – [Grade]

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

  • [Number] GCSEs, grades [range], including Maths and English

Work Experience

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Do not be fooled by the suggestion that CVs should be limited to two pages – this is wholly irrelevant to professions which require evidence of responsibilities undertaken.

[Job Title], [Company Name] [Location]
[Date M/Y- Date M/Y]

Responsibilities:

  • Preparation of month-end management accounts to strict deadlines inclusive of P&L statement, fully reconciled balance sheet and debtor/creditor analysis

  • Production of variance analysis commentaries focusing upon [gross profit/sales/cost of sales/actuals vs budget]

  • Reconciliation of [number of] bank accounts in [GBP/EUR/USD/CADZAR/AUD] currencies

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  • Preparation and posting of [accrual/prepayment/payroll/depreciation/adjustment] journals

  • Maintenance of fixed asset register to include additions, disposals and depreciation

Achievements:

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  • Received an [award name] for [reason]

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References

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