Recruiting Future with Matt Alder - What's Next For Talent Acquisition, HR & Hiring?

Round Up March  2026 If you’ve not listened to Roundup before, it’s a short review of the episodes that I’ve published in the last month to make sure you don’t miss out on the valuable insights that my guests are sharing. This month Round UP returns to its live format, and this is a recording of my live conversation with Rhona Barnett-Pierce , Founder Workfluencer Media, about five of the episodes published in March 2026 Episodes featured in this Round Up: Ep 774: Will Candidate AI Use Transform Recruiting? Ep 775: What Makes An Excellent Workplace? Ep 777: Why AI Needs To Drive Value Not Efficiency Ep 778: What Makes Talent Acquisition Truly Strategic? Ep 779: Can AI Democratize Hiring? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Every platform, every feed, every channel is packed with posts and videos that increasingly look and sound like they were produced by the same machine. For employers trying to attract talent, corporate messaging already struggled to feel trustworthy, and AI-generated content has made the problem significantly worse. Candidates and consumers want to hear from real people, not polished brand accounts. That's fuelled growing interest in employee-generated content, where real employees share their own authentic experiences of working at a company. The potential is enormous, but so is the risk of doing it badly and simply creating more forgettable noise.  So how do employers tap into employee voices in a way that genuinely builds trust? My guest this week is Rhona Barnett-Pierce, Founder of Workfluencer Media. In our conversation, she shares what separates effective employee content from scripted corporate messaging and how companies can get started. In the interview, we discuss: Why employee-generated content builds trust How AI content is eroding authenticity Shifts in communication preferences Showing the work, not just the workplace The employers who are doing employee content well. Finding the existing content creators in your workforce. The future of content marketing Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Over the past year, AI features in recruiting tools have seen significant adoption.  But if you ask TA Teams whether AI has changed how they actually hire, most of them will say no. Individual productivity is up, but organizational transformation hasn't followed. At the same time, AI tools on the candidate side are flooding employers with credible applications from candidates who may not be seriously interested. So what needs to shift for AI to genuinely transform recruiting for employers and candidates alike? My guest this week is Nikos Moraitakis, Co-Founder and CEO of Workable. In our conversation, he shares why productivity gains haven't driven real change, how AI agents could take over sourcing and screening, why the recruiter role faces a dramatic shift, and what all this means for candidate experience. In the interview, we discuss: Why AI adoption hasn't yet driven significant transformation AI-driven applications with low candidate intent How AI capabilities have advanced in the last few months Using agentic AI like a staffing agency AI automates tasks, not jobs. Why recruiters need to focus on the bottom of the funnel, not the top Trust, transparency, and human oversight What hiring looks like in the future Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

I've recently returned from a long trip to Las Vegas, where I attended both the UNLEASH and Transform conferences. Unsurprisingly, AI dominated every session and every vendor booth at both events. The promise is huge, but the reality on the ground is a lot more complicated. Some teams are seeing genuine value from new tools. Others are finding that technology is creating as many problems as it solves. For many people, the sheer volume of options is making it harder, not easier, to know what to invest in.  So what is actually happening with AI in talent acquisition right now? My guest interview from UNLEASH is Meredith Johnson, Chief Product Officer at Greenhouse and my guest interview from Transform is Nicki Paterson, Chief Growth Officer at Solutions Driven. They share their honest perspectives on AI adoption, the human skills that matter more than ever, and what the future might look like. In the interview, we discuss: AI hype versus the current reality on the ground The balance between humans and machines Trust, control, and transparency The shift from quantity and speed to quality and value in hiring Aligning HR and TA with critical business objectives The confusing vendor landscape What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Application volumes have surged in recent years, and many talent acquisition teams are struggling to keep up. Candidates apply and disappear into a black hole, never hearing back, never getting a real chance to show what they can do. When volumes reach into the millions, the traditional recruiting model simply breaks. There aren't enough recruiters to give everyone a fair hearing. Some organisations are now rethinking this entirely, using AI not to replace human decision-making, but to open the door wider than any human team ever could. So what does it actually look like when a company goes AI-first across every stage of hiring? My guest this week is LJ Brock, Chief People Officer at Coinbase. In our conversation, he explains how they've deployed AI across five core areas of recruiting, why they now assess every candidate on AI fluency, their focus on talent density to constantly raise the quality bar, and what hiring will look like in the future. In the interview, we discuss: The shift from volume to quality and value What does talent density mean at Coinbase? AI first recruiting to democratize access to the company Evaluating candidates on AI fluency Human connection in the hiring process Augmenting recruiters, not replacing them. Will all recruiting look like executive search in the future? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify. A full transcript will appear here shortly.

The role of talent acquisition is changing fast. AI and automation are transforming what's possible, while CFOs and CEOs are demanding a different kind of conversation. They want to understand the value talent acquisition creates for the business and how it delivers returns that directly tie to strategic goals. The old transactional language of efficiency no longer cuts it. TA leaders who can connect what they do to business impact are the ones building a successful case for investment. The problem is, with vendor capabilities increasingly overlapping, knowing where to put that investment has never been harder. So what does it take to reposition talent acquisition as a truly strategic function? My guest this week is Jason Cerrato, SVP of Global Talent at Amentum. In our conversation, he shares how the TA conversation has evolved, why business acumen matters more than ever, and how to cut through the technology noise to make the right investment decisions. In the interview, we discuss: How the TA conversation has changed Telling a story of impact, not efficiency Speaking the language of the CFO The new criteria for tech investment Moving from a cost centre to a strategic function Changing the way organizations think about talent. Balancing AI with human connection Navigating similarity and sameness in tech products Choosing the right fit, not just the best tool The future of talent acquisition Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

We’re at a fork in the road for how companies adopt AI. Some are taking shortcuts, slashing entry-level roles and chasing efficiency savings. Others are slowing down to ask a harder question: how does this technology actually create new value? The data suggests that many companies are choosing the wrong path, using AI as a scapegoat for cost-cutting that is really caused by other business challenges. The consequences for their talent pipelines, skills development, and long-term competitiveness could be severe. So what separates organisations that get AI right from those that don't, and what does this mean for talent acquisition? My guest this week is Kelly Monahan, founder of Beyond the Desk. and a highly experienced labour economist who advises organisations on building genuine AI capability. In our conversation, she explains what most companies are getting wrong, the skills that actually matter, and the implications for talent acquisition. In the interview, we discuss: How are skills evolving? Why AI is being used as a scapegoat The real cost of cutting entry-level roles Three skills that define AI readiness Protecting high-value human touchpoints Buy or build? Using technology strategically AI for organizational value, not efficiency shortcuts Data privacy and compliance risks Developing the skills and mindset needed to future-proof your career What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Hiring processes are full of design choices that nobody ever questions. Requirements that sound reasonable but aren't defined. Formats that have stayed the same for decades. Onboarding systems built for one type of learner. Talented people are being screened out, not because they can't do the job, but because of how the process itself is designed. These aren't people failures; they're design failures that quietly exclude the people organisations most need. So how do we actually design hiring in a way that works for everyone? My guest this week is Theo Smith, author of the new book Designed for Humans: Rethinking Work in the Age of AI. In our conversation, he shares practical ways to spot and fix the system design flaws hiding in plain sight across the hiring process. In the interview, we discuss: Why people aren't always the problem The hidden barriers in job ads Probation periods as red flags Why structured interviews still fail How people mask gaps at work AI is accelerating flawed system design. Onboarding as a critical failure point Designing workplaces for humans Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

If you’ve not listened to Roundup before, it’s a short review of the episodes that I’ve published in the last month to make sure you don’t miss out on the valuable insights that my guests are sharing. This month Round UP returns to its live format, and this is a recording of my live conversation with Ritu Mohanka, CEO at Vonq, about six of the episodes published in February 2026 Episodes featured in this Round Up: Ep 766 How TA Proves Its Business Impact Ep 767: Inside EY’s Talent Strategy for AI and the Future Ep 769: Managing Risk In Talent Acquisition Ep 770: The Science of Better Hiring Ep 771 Recruiting At The Speed Of AI Ep 772: Surfing The AI Tsunami Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Attracting talent gets all the headlines, but retention is where the real competitive advantage lives. In a market where top performers are constantly being approached by competitors and salary expectations keep rising, holding on to your best people has never been harder. At the same time, the rapid pace of AI and automation means the skills companies need are shifting faster than ever, making internal development and mobility just as critical as external hiring. So how do you build a workplace where people genuinely want to stay and grow? My guests this week are Annika in der Beek, Chief People Officer, and Giovanni Di Felice, Director of Talent Acquisition at Statista. In our conversation, they share the science-backed framework behind what makes an excellent employer and explain how hiring and retention are becoming inseparable parts of the same strategy. In the interview, we discuss: Hiring challenges in AI and tech Encouraging candidates to use AI Why retention has become critical Measuring what makes an excellent employer Autonomy, competence, and relatedness at work The power of honest feedback Internal mobility and career development TA as a strategic business partner What does the future look like? Learn more about The Excellent Workplace Rating. Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Many talent acquisition teams are dealing with surging application volumes right now, and AI is a major factor. Candidates are using it to apply faster, at a greater scale, and with more targeted information than ever before. The instinct has been to treat candidate AI use as noise, something to filter out or push back on. That response misses the long-term implications entirely. AI isn't just a tool for corporate hiring teams anymore. Candidates have access to the same technology, and platforms are emerging specifically to help them use it strategically. The innovation this unlocks could drive more change in recruiting than anything employers are currently investing in. So what is candidate-side AI actually capable of, and are talent acquisition teams thinking seriously enough about where this leads? My guest this week is Sam Wright, Head Of Career Strategy at Huntr, a data-backed job search platform. In our conversation, he shares what candidates are really doing with AI and what the data reveals about where this is heading. In the interview, we discuss: The job market from a candidate's perspective How the job search is changing Declaring a truce in the AI arms race Candidate-driven disruption and innovation in hiring Ethics and responsibility The importance of human judgement What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

For years, recruitment marketing strategies have been built around a familiar set of rules: optimize your career site, rank well in search results, and ensure candidates can find you. But those rules were written for a world where Google was the gateway. That world is changing. Candidates are increasingly turning to LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude to research potential employers, asking detailed, conversational questions about culture, benefits, and working environment. And the way those tools surface information is fundamentally different from traditional search. The content that performs well in Google often doesn't translate, and organizations that have invested heavily in their employer brand discovery may be largely invisible in this new landscape. So what does it take to show up when candidates are searching in LLMs? My guest this week is Graham Thornton, President of Consulting and Growth at Talivity. In our conversation, he explains how candidate discovery is changing, why existing SEO thinking doesn't apply, and what organizations need to do differently. In the interview, we discuss: How AI is disrupting recruitment marketing The new uneven playing field Content and context The importance of structure and specificity How third-party content is influencing discovery How are job seekers now searching? New ways of measuring ROI What will the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

AI transformation is accelerating, and for many organizations, the biggest risk isn't the technology itself; it's getting their strategic response wrong. Rush in without a framework, and you can destroy culture, trust, and capability. Hold back waiting for certainty, and more agile competitors will overtake you. Talent leaders are caught between these two failure modes with no clear playbook, and the pressure is intensifying by the week. So what does a disciplined, structured approach to navigating AI disruption actually look like in practice, and what role should talent and HR be playing? My guest this week is Jagrity Singh, a transformation leader who specializes in integrating AI-driven talent strategies with process excellence disciplines. In our conversation, she introduces a model for understanding where work sits between fully human and fully automated, and explains why the organizations that win will be those that learn to surf the wave rather than get crushed by it. In the interview, we discuss: Differences in AI approaches between Europe, the Middle East, and North America. The impact of AI on jobs and what approach employers should be taking AI is an HR problem, not an IT problem. Why CHROs need to orchestrate human and AI workforces Strategic workforce planning What should be automated and what shouldn’t Advice to talent leaders What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Recruiting has always been shaped by the time and resources available. Resumes are short because recruiters only have a finite amount of time to read them. Interview shortlists are small because hiring managers can only meet so many candidates. The whole funnel narrows because no team can fully evaluate everyone who applies. None of these are strategic choices, they're simply workarounds for human capacity. Now AI agents can screen hundreds of candidates in a matter of hours, run outside business hours, and deliver structured evidence for recruiters to review. The data coming back is already challenging assumptions about how these processes should work, while the growing influence of AI on who progresses through the hiring process makes questions around ethics, fairness, and regulatory compliance impossible to ignore. So how should TA leaders rearchitect their processes while keeping them responsible? My guest this week is Sachit Kamat, Chief Product Officer at Eightfold. In our conversation, Sachit shares early data from AI interviewing at scale and explains why it's time to reimagine recruiting processes as the traditional constraints around time and resources start to fall away. In the interview, we discuss: Lifting capacity limitations in recruiting The impact of AI interviewing on the candidate experience What humans do better than technology Radically improving the candidate experience. Building agent scale processes The first steps to transforming recruiting Regulation and responsibility Could the time to hire be reduced to less than 1 hour? What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Hiring should be about finding the right person. Too often, though, the tools and methods organizations use actually work against them. Job postings filter candidates out for lacking skills they could easily and quickly learn. Competency checklists based on someone else's philosophy of what leadership looks like rather than what actually works inside their organization. Assessment tools that aren't scientifically validated or that screen for average profiles when the role needs something entirely different. The funnel narrows before employers even realize it. And when a poor fit does get through, the individual can spend months or years struggling against expectations that were never clearly defined. So how should organizations rethink the way they assess and select talent? My guest this week is Dr. Stephanie Puckett, founder of SynergyMind Consulting. In our conversation, she draws on 20 years of experience in organizational psychology to reveal where hiring processes quietly break down and the implications for both employers and employees when they do. In the interview, we discuss: The most common mistakes employers make in hiring Unintentional restriction of talent pools Skill and competency transfer The danger of using tools with no scientific validation The critical role of talent acquisition teams Data science versus psychology Finding confirmation bias in big datasets The importance of realistic job previews How will hiring develop in the next 2 to 3 years Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The pressure on talent functions right now is intense. Budgets are tight, teams are stretched, and the mandate to do more with less has pushed many organizations to automate at speed without stopping to redesign what they were automating.  These automated decisions are attracting real legal and regulatory attention. Actions previously seen as simple process steps are now potentially being viewed from a legal perspective as consequential decisions. At the same time, there's a growing recognition that AI could be truly catalytic, forcing the kind of fundamental change that talent functions have needed for years.  So how do leaders navigate the constraints while seizing that opportunity? My guest this week is Kyle Lagunas, Founder of Kyle and Co. In our conversation, Kyle unpacks what defensibility really means in practice, why talent teams need to shift from risk avoidance to risk readiness, and how AI is catalyzing long-overdue transformation. In the interview, we discuss: Credibility under constraint Risk averse or risk avoidance? What does defensibility look like? The AI balance between execution and judgement Human-in-the-loop needs to be designed, not assumed. Are we holding machines to a higher standard than we hold humans to? The importance of rigour in pilot programs Building AI literacy What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify

AI tools are changing the pace at which organizations filter and rank candidates. However, matching someone to a job description and actually predicting whether they'll perform well in the role are two very different things. Most hiring processes have never been validated against real performance outcomes, and organizations often don't have a clear, measurable definition of what success looks like in a role. Without that foundation, even the most sophisticated AI is just automating something that was never evidence-based in the first place.  So what would it actually take to build hiring processes that genuinely predict performance? My guest this week is Jennifer Yugo, Managing Director and owner of Corvirtus, and an organizational psychologist specializing in evidence-based hiring. In our conversation, she explains the science behind predicting job performance and why most hiring processes are far from where they need to be. In the interview, we discuss: Matching candidates vs predicting performance Why most hiring lacks evidence Defining what success really looks like and identifying performance indicators Do some AI hiring tools stand up to scrutiny? The risks of automating bad decisions Questions TA leaders should ask vendors Are we going to see a reckoning for hiring technology? What might the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The assurance and audit profession is facing a talent crisis. Fewer graduates are choosing it as a career, and the perception of what auditors actually do hasn't kept pace with reality. At the same time, AI is fundamentally reshaping the work itself, automating repetitive tasks and opening up entirely new service areas around cyber risk and sustainability. The profession needs different skills, different mindsets, and a completely different value proposition for the next generation of talent. So how do you transform a workforce of over a hundred thousand people while simultaneously making the profession attractive to a generation that wants purpose, flexibility, and career agility? My guest this week is Sandra Oliver, Global Assurance Talent Leader at EY. In our conversation, she shares how EY is reskilling auditors at scale, bridging generational divides around technology adoption, and repositioning audit careers as a launchpad for business leadership. In the interview, we discuss: Attracting Gen Z to the audit profession AI's impact on day-to-day audit work Upskilling 130,000 professionals in AI Bridging the generational technology gap Reverse mentoring between junior and senior staff. Purpose and meaningful work as talent drivers How will audit careers evolve over the next five years? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The talent market is full of contradictions right now. There are many people looking for jobs, but for many organisations, finding the right talent remains difficult. Caution dominates on both sides, with candidates asking harder questions about stability and culture while businesses are slowing down decision-making around headcount. AI is promising to transform recruiting, but most organizations are still working out where it fits. Through all of this, talent acquisition is clearly evolving. The best teams are thinking about workforce planning, internal mobility, and skills rather than just filling requisitions. However, many of them are still measuring themselves on time-to-hire and cost-per-hire, metrics which capture efficiency but say nothing about real business impact. So what comes next for TA, and how should teams measure what actually matters? My guest this week is Bharat Siyani, VP of People and Culture at Elmo Software. In our conversation, he explains what a broader set of success metrics looks like, where AI genuinely helps versus where humans must lead, and how he sees TA's role changing over the next few years. In the interview, we discuss: The contradictions in today’s talent market Finding the signal in the noise The importance of understanding nuance in recruiting What should AI do and what should humans do? How should organizations measure the impact of TA? Efficiency metrics versus value metrics Assessing tech talent at a time of high layoffs Skills and outcomes versus job titles TA’s role in shaping the workforce What does the future of the TA team look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify. A full transcript will appear here shortly.

Job boards have been connecting candidates with employers for over thirty years, but the relationship that made them work is fundamentally breaking down. Candidates are getting frustrated by applying for roles that may already be filled or have been taken off the market, while employers are receiving hundreds of identical, AI-generated applications they can't meaningfully evaluate. The Job Boards sitting between them are trapped in business models that reward volume over quality, which only makes the problem worse. The result is a trust crisis that threatens the entire ecosystem. When neither side believes the process is fair, the whole system starts to unravel. So what would it actually take for job boards to rebuild that trust and stay relevant? My guest this week is Lou Goodman, a job board strategy expert who recently partnered with Jobiqo to produce a major new report on the future of job boards. In our conversation, she explains why the industry is stuck repeating the same patterns, what job boards can learn from other platform businesses, and whether evolution or extinction is the more likely outcome. In the interview, we discuss: Why job boards still matter in today's market The trust crisis threatening the ecosystem. How AI is amplifying weaknesses rather than fixing them Procedural justice and why fairness matters more than outcomes The shift from quantity to quality Where job boards can add value in the process Why short-term fixes become long-term patterns Lessons from other two-sided platform businesses What is the future for job boards? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.