Eightfold AI: Talent Intelligence

Eightfold AI delivers a comprehensive talent intelligence platform. Unlike point solutions that target a single stage of recruiting, Eightfold spans the entire talent lifecycle.

This starts from sourcing and screening external candidates to managing internal talent through career development and mobility programs. Eightfold AI uses advanced deep learning algorithms trained on a global dataset of talent profiles and career paths to make predictions and recommendations.

Eightfold AI Features & Functions

Eightfold’s AI engine matches candidates to roles by analysing job descriptions and profiles (CVs, LinkedIn). It assigns match scores to highlight top candidates – a great application of AI in recruitment.

The system goes beyond keywords, inferring skills and predicting adjacent ones to reveal hidden potential. For sourcing, Eightfold pulls from applicants, past candidates, referrals, and external databases. Its diversity search filters out biased criteria, enabling blind searches to find underrepresented talent.

Internally, Eightfold helps companies manage talent. It analyses employee profiles to suggest promotions, lateral moves, and learning paths. For example, it can guide an employee toward becoming a data scientist by recommending training and internal roles. This boosts retention through internal mobility.

Eightfold also supports workforce planning. It forecasts skill gaps and helps HR plan hiring and training. The platform integrates with ATS and HR systems like Workday and Oracle, though integration can be complex.


Eightfold AI Pros

Accurate AI matching saves recruiters time.

Discovers hidden talent, improving quality-of-hire.

Strong internal mobility and reskilling features reduce hiring costs.

Personalised recommendations boost employee engagement.

Vodafone doubled learning hours and improved career development.

Candidate satisfaction rose from negative to +6.

Recruiters saved 16 hours per week in sourcing.

Scales well for large enterprises (e.g., Tata, Capital One, Nutanix).


Eightfold AI Cons

Significant learning curve for Recruiters and users

Interface can be unintuitive; training is needed.

Integration with existing systems may be slow and costly.

Mixed reviews on customer support responsiveness.

Risk of algorithmic bias; requires HR oversight and audits.


Vodafone Case Study

Vodafone adopted Eightfold in 2021 to improve hiring and reskilling. With 500,000 applications yearly, they needed better filtering.

Eightfold improved candidate experience and recruiter efficiency. Recruiters saved 16 hours weekly. Over 24,000 employees built skill profiles, unlocking internal roles and learning paths. Learning hours doubled.

The shift to a skills-based strategy reduced turnover and aligned talent with business needs. Success required change management and ethical AI practices.

You May Like the Eightfold Deployment Stages & Lessons

1. Initial Demo →

The deployment journey starts with an initial demo of Eightfold’s Platform.

2. Proof of Concept →

Once you secure stakeholder buy-in, the next step is a Proof of Concept (PoC).

3. Configuration, Integration and Testing →

After a successful pilot, the project moves into full implementation.

4. Change Management and User Adoption →

This phase covers communication, training, and engagement to drive adoption.

5. Training and Enablement →

Eightfold training and enablement is key for successful deployment.

6. Go Live Planning and Launch →

Eightfold launch is the culmination of the project with go-live across the organisation.

7. Lessons Learned & Success →

Eightfold deployment lessons learned from major organisations and success factors.

Vic Okezie is a global talent acquisition leader. He researches and writes about talent acquisition, AI in recruitment and HR technology advisory & deployment.