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

There's a significant disconnect playing out in organizations right now. Leaders understand AI is probably the most transformative technology of their lifetimes. They're making bold announcements and setting ambitious targets. Yet they're not providing the structures, ownership, or vision needed to drive real change. The result? Small pilots, incremental efficiency gains, and nowhere near the transformation everyone keeps talking about. The issue isn't the technology. Organizations simply aren't wired for transformative change, particularly when it cuts across departments and functions. Nobody owns it, and there's no clear model for what the future should look like. The implications for talent, skills, and how we think about work are enormous. What does it actually take to rewire an organization for the AI era? My guest this week is Stephen Wunker, co-author of "AI and the Octopus Organization". In our conversation, he shares what's really happening, what's holding companies back, and what this means for talent professionals. In the interview, we discuss: The gap between what CEOs are saying and what is actually happening What is holding AI transformation back Distributed innovation What is an “Octopus Organization”? The role of human judgement and the need for more critical thinking Examples of companies that are succeeding Talent and culture What will happen to the adoption rate? Where will we be in two years' time? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify. A full transcript will appear here shortly.

Bias in hiring has been a topic of discussion for decades, yet our understanding of what actually happens within recruiting processes remains surprisingly limited. Most research focuses on single types of bias in isolation, making it impossible to build a complete picture. Meanwhile, the arrival of AI tools is intensifying the scrutiny of hiring decisions, demanding a level of accountability that many organizations simply aren't prepared for. TA leaders often assume they know where bias exists in their processes. But what if those assumptions are wrong? What if the patterns are more complex and counterintuitive than anyone expected? My guest this week is Bas van de Haterd, Co-founder of the TA Audit Institute. In our conversation, he shares findings from new research that challenges conventional thinking about where bias actually occurs and reveals how much we still don't know. In the interview, we discuss: Research methodology and sample size How this research compares to previous academic research What was measured and what was not measured What do the results tell us about bias in the hiring process? Is bias universal, institutional, or personal? Are employers doing better at removing bias than they think? Using data to drive targeted change Lessons learned and advice to TA Leaders. What’s the future direction of the research? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The constant noise around AI has created a strange situation in talent acquisition. On one side, relentless hype has made many TA leaders deeply skeptical, reluctant to invest in technology that feels oversold. On the other side, some employers have pushed through the fog and are getting genuine, measurable results from AI agents in their hiring processes. The gap between these two groups is widening fast. So how do you separate what actually works from what's just marketing? What does effective AI agent implementation really look like in practice, and what value is it driving for the employers embracing it My guest this week is Max Legardez Coquin, Founder and CEO at Maki. I saw Maki’s technology in action at UNLEASH last year and was genuinely impressed by what they're delivering for a variety of enterprise employers. In our conversation, Max explains how using AI to develop a scientific approach to hiring is driving tangible value in terms of quality, speed, efficiency, and a vastly improved candidate experience. In the interview, we discuss: Making recruiting a science Capturing signals to make better hiring decisions AI agents, the case studies that show they are working What do candidates think about this level of automation? Using compound intelligence to drive predictive hiring Advice to TA Leaders on recruiting transformation Will adoption rates increase this year? What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

There are now tasks in recruiting where AI genuinely outperforms humans. Holding multiple evaluation criteria in mind while scanning hundreds of applications, spotting relevant experience described in unexpected ways, and ensuring no qualified candidate gets overlooked through fatigue, overwhelm, or shortcuts. These aren't things recruiters actually do badly, but there are things humans can’t physically do at scale that the current market requires For many recruiters, that reality feels threatening. However, those who embrace AI as a partner rather than a replacement find they have more time for meaningful candidate conversations. Hiring managers get better-matched shortlists. Candidates finally feel seen and understood. Everyone wins. My guest this week is Dr Ali Raza, CEO at Bytespark.ai. Ali is a former academic turned recruiting AI pioneer. In our conversation, he uses his hands-on experiences to explain exactly what AI does better than humans in the screening process, and why recruiters who adapt will thrive rather than disappear. In the interview, we discuss: Quality candidates are being drowned out in a sea of applications Where AI will always be better than humans Mixing the best of AI and the best of human recruiters Enabling a high level of candidate conversations Data-driven thinking Increased transparency with hiring managers Should recruiters be worried about being replaced? What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Strategic partnerships in talent acquisition can mean the difference between incremental improvement and transformational change. But what does a true strategic partnership actually look like? How do you move beyond the traditional vendor-client relationship to genuine co-creation? My guests this week are Simon Bishop, Head of Talent Acquisition at SoftwareOne, and Ritu Mohanka, CEO at VONQ. Their partnership spans employer branding, recruitment marketing, and agentic AI deployment—all while Software One was navigating the complex integration challenge of merging two TA functions post-acquisition. Their collaboration was central to VONQ's recent launch of EQO, their agentic AI platform. SoftwareOne was a development partner, helping shape the product through real-world testing and feedback. You can watch the full launch on VONQ's LinkedIn page. In the interview, we discuss: How the partnership evolved over time Building employer brand in competitive markets Multi-channel brand-led recruitment marketing campaigns Piloting and implementing agentic AI The vital importance of transparency and explainability Managing change and recruiter adoption Candidate reactions to AI screening Navigating TA through a major acquisition What the future of talent acquisition will look like 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 Rhona Pierce about six of the episodes published in December 2025 Episodes featured in this Round Up: Ep 751: The Trust Problem In Recruiting Ep 752: Using Job Architecture TO Drive Value From AI Ep 753: Hiring Exceptional Executive Talent Ep 754: Finding Clarity In Recruiting Chaos Ep 755: Balancing Automation with Authenticity EP 756: TA Trends that Matter Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

There's something paradoxical happening with corporate careers websites right now. After years of broken links, mobile application nightmares, and clunky technology implementations, organizations are finally getting the basics right. Mobile experiences are improving. ATS systems are working properly. The longstanding problems we've talked about for years are finally being addressed. However, while we've been busy fixing problems from 2015, the world has moved on. Candidates now expect conversational AI that can answer their questions in real time. They want personalized experiences that adapt to who they are and where they are in the process. Increasingly, they're using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to research employers before they even visit a career site. The question isn't whether your career site works anymore. It's whether it can deliver what candidates now expect. My guest this week is Bas van de Haterd, who runs the industry’s largest continuous corporate career site research programme. In our conversation, he shares the surprising findings from his nineteenth year of research and explains what employers need to do to prepare their career sites for an AI-driven future. In the interview, we discuss: How careers sites have evolved in the last 12 months AI application policies A reduction in DEI content The low adoption rates of conversational AI Improved mobile experiences and solving long-term problems Delivering a personalized experience Making career sites visible to AI tools How to make career sites fit for the future Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Last year brought plenty of AI hype, but actual adoption in talent acquisition remained tentative. Some organizations ran pilots, most watched from the sidelines, and expectations stayed cautiously low. The technology advanced rapidly, yet widespread implementation lagged far behind the headlines. Now, heading into 2026, there's a genuine opportunity to move beyond experimentation. But extracting real value won't come from simply buying the tools. It requires building entirely new capabilities around continuous workforce transformation and reskilling. The organizations that crack this will pull ahead. Those waiting for AI to deliver results on its own will be left wondering what went wrong. So what actually needs to change for companies to see a return on their AI investments? My guest this week is Jonathan Kestenbaum, Managing Director at AMS. In our conversation, he shares his 2026 predictions for AI and outlines the transformation TA needs to make. In the interview, we discuss: The complexities of AI implementation Is workforce planning the missing link in AI transformation? Blockchain and identity Hiring manager experience as the new KPI The need for more context and the end of the resume Innovation is outpacing regulation Increasing velocity in internal mobility How will the technology develop over the next few years?

AI is the most disruptive technology we've seen in our careers, but most industry conversations stay at the surface level of use cases and future predictions. This special bonus episode goes deeper. These four interviews, taken from a behind-the-scenes film I recently made, explore how AI recruiting products actually get built. We're talking to the people who created SmartRecruiters' AI-first platform Winston to uncover the lessons TA professionals need for their own AI transformation. Featuring: Shefali Netke, VP of Design, on how design decisions shape AI adoption in enterprise recruiting Thibaut Allard, Global Data Privacy & AI Lead, on navigating AI compliance where global regulations and rapid innovation collide Dave Novak, Global Director of Managed Services, on what it actually takes to turn AI ambition into operational reality Nicole Hammond, VP, Center of Excellence, on building true AI readiness from early mindset shifts to sustained capability If you want to understand the architecture, the legal landscape, and the human side of making AI work in recruiting, this is the episode.

The pandemic forced organizations to rethink how they engage their people, with many old rules torn up almost overnight. Five years on, AI has arrived and changed the game again.  Leaders are now facing a new set of questions. How do you design experiences that attract and retain talent while driving the performance your business needs? And how do you prepare for a future that’s increasingly impossible to predict? So, how do you build a truly future-ready strategy for employee experience? My guest this week is Jacob Morgan, author of the upcoming book The Eight Laws of Employee Experience. In our conversation, Jacob shares insights from over 100 CHRO interviews that he has conducted around employee experience and reveals the principles that separate thriving organizations from those struggling to keep up. In the interview, we discuss: What’s changed about the employee experience in the last five years? Proactively planning for the future The eight laws of employee experience Empathetic excellence Using AI to amplify humanity Enablement and augmentation Personalization at scale Run culture like an operating system TA & the employee experience What are the biggest changes going to be in the next two years? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Hi there, welcome to Episode 756 of Recruiting Future with me, Matt Alder. Recruiting Future helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology. This episode is about Foresight. Making sense of talent acquisition right now feels impossible. Every week brings new technology announcements, shifting economic signals, and conflicting advice about what comes next. It's tempting to chase the latest headline or follow gut instinct, but reactive decision-making rarely ends well. Understanding key patterns helps separate signal from noise, and this is where genuine trend analysis grounded in real data becomes invaluable. So what trends are shaping TA heading into 2026, and how should leaders respond? My guest this week is Susan De La Vega, SVP Global Tech and Client Experience at Korn Ferry. Korn Ferry has just published their 12th annual TA trends report, built from interviews with over 1,600 global talent leaders, and Susan shares what the research reveals about where talent acquisition is heading. In the interview, we discuss: The biggest TA challenges we have seen this year Methodology behind Korn Ferry’s TA Trends Report Changing attitudes and approaches to AI Why your next hire might not be human The importance of mapping tasks Investing in future talent Can TA get a seat at the table? Breaking the silos in the talent function Advice to TA Leaders on strategies for 2026 What does the future look like in 3 years' time? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

We’ve been talking about automation in recruiting for a long time. The AI developments of the last two years have significantly shifted the landscape of what is possible with automation, making it a strategic imperative rather than a nice-to-have. However, the current situation is pretty problematic. Some recruiters and TA teams are doing it poorly, particularly in outreach, inundating candidates with generic, obviously AI-generated messages that all sound the same. Meanwhile, many recruiting teams are resisting automation entirely, concerned about losing the human connection that actually fills roles. At the same time, in a world of AI sameness, brand, reputation, and genuine relationships with a talent pool are becoming the real competitive advantage and the key factor that actually drives response. So how do recruiters balance automation with authenticity while building the credibility that cuts through the noise? My guest this week is Mark Whitby, founder of The Resilient Recruiter podcast. In our conversation, he discusses what should be automated, what must remain human, why investing in your brand now will determine your future success, and the role external recruiters can play in rebuilding trust in the hiring process. In the interview, we discuss: The current situation with automation in recruiting Reticence, bad strategies, and poor implementations The importance of the personal touch What are the essentially human parts of the hiring process? Multi-touch and multi-channel outreach How external agencies can help build trust with candidate How will AI change the agency market? The vital importance of brand and relationship building What will the future look like? 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. I hope you have been enjoying the live Round Up episodes we’ve been doing over the last few months. This month sees a brief return to the old school format, but don’t worry, Round Up Live will return in January Episodes featured in this Round Up: Ep 742: Aligning Hiring with Values Ep 743: The Talent Acquisition Revolution Ep 744: How Job Ads Impact Quality Of Hire Ep 745: Recruiting Excellence In Disruptive Times Ep 746 Building Digital Trust In Hiring Ep 747: Rethinking Fairness in Hiring Ep 748: The Real Value Of AI Agents Ep 749: Recruiting Past, Present, and Future (Live at TA Tech) Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the pace of change in talent acquisition. AI developments, vendor mergers and acquisitions, a confusing technology landscape, and shifting candidate behaviours are just some of the current trends making everything feel chaotic. But if we take a step back and look carefully, patterns start to emerge. There are clues everywhere to what the future will look like. So how do we make sense of it all? My guest this week is Adam Godson, General Manager of Paradox at Workday. In our conversation, Adam cuts through the noise, explains how the agentic future is taking shape, discusses what Workday’s acquisition of Paradox means for the market, reviews the predictions he made on the show this time last year about 2025, and shares where he thinks things are heading in 2026 In the interview, we discuss: Whether Adam’s predictions from this time last year were accurate Workday’s acquisition of Paradox The power of end-to-end employee lifecycle data The potential power of agentic AI Frontline hiring and how it has evolved AI development Will candidates have their own career agents? The confusing TA and HR technology marketplace What will the future look like? Predictions for 2026 Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Despite the challenging economic landscape and wave of layoffs across many sectors, finding exceptional senior talent remains a challenge, and many employers are making it worse for themselves. Trust has eroded with lengthy interview processes, poor candidate experience, and misaligned employer branding are pushing top talent away. With as many as one in four workers set to be over 55 by 2031, age-related biases are also causing employers to overlook exactly the experience they need The best insights always come from looking at things from the job seeker's point of view, and that is precisely the insight my guest this week can offer us. Loren Greiff, Founder of Portfolio Rocket, is a career strategist for C-Suite executives. In our conversation, she reveals how top candidates assess roles, what builds and destroys trust in executive hiring, and why your process might be filtering out your best prospects. The frameworks Lauren discusses will also be very relevant to TA leaders navigating their own career moves. In the interview, we discuss: The current state of the market Cutting through the noise Identifying urgent and expensive problems Use of AI in the executive job search The hidden cost of age bias Highlighting the trust issue Ability, agility, and adaptability The future of careers and jobs Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Skills, tasks, jobs, activities. These terms get used interchangeably across HR and talent acquisition, but they mean fundamentally different things. Skills are attributes of people. Tasks are components of work. Jobs are bundles of activities.  Having clarity here matters more now than ever. As AI begins reshaping how work gets done, organisations need a precise understanding of their workforce at the task level. Without clear taxonomies, it becomes impossible to understand how to effectively implement AI for automation and augmentation. So how should companies be preparing to take the most advantage of the inevitable shifts AI will bring? My guest this week is Ben Zweig, CEO of Revelio Labs and author of the new book Job Architecture. In our conversation, he explains how to build effective taxonomies cheaply and scalably with LLMs and why this foundation is critical for navigating change. Ben also teaches Data Science and The Future of Work at NYU Stern and talks through an invaluable framework for assessing the likelihood of AI-driven job displacement. In the interview, we discuss: Why grouping people is the core of any HR analysis. What we get wrong about skills, jobs, tasks, and activities Why skills aren't the right unit of observation to analyse jobs AI automates tasks and activities, not jobs and skills. The vital importance of taxonomies Using LLMs to build taxonomies cost-effectively at scale. What are the advantages of doing this properly? The three forces that help measure the potential for AI-driven job displacement What does the future look like Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Uncertain economic times, high volumes of layoffs, and easy access to AI tools mean many employers are dealing with an unprecedented number of applications. Recruiters are overwhelmed, candidates are getting ghosted, and trust in the recruiting process is suffering. But are TA teams doing all they can to relieve the pressure at the top of the funnel and give job seekers the clarity they need? Employers want candidates to be more intentional about applying for the right roles for them, but often post roles with unclear requirements and don't approach hiring strategically. So what should TA leaders be doing to fix the process and rebuild vital trust with job seekers? My guest this week is Catherine Wylie, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner at Mavericks Recruiting On Demand. Catherine has recently joined the business after a six-month job hunt. She has some incredible, valuable insights and advice to share for both employers and other TA professionals in job search mode. In the interview, we discuss: Catherine's recent job search experience Dealing with the extreme level of volume at the front of the recruiting funnel Lack of clarity, unclear requirements, and the importance of transparency Speed to delivery versus speed to quality Why the matching process is broken How employers can be intentional and hire holistically Which companies are actually doing this well Restoring trust in the hiring process Advice to TA job seekers What should the future look like Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

SAP's recent acquisition of SmartRecruiters has generated considerable interest across the talent acquisition community. The deal brings AI-native recruiting capabilities into a broader HR suite, creating complete visibility into data across the entire employee lifecycle. For recruiters, this means seeing what happens after a hire is made with the potential to connect talent acquisition decisions to performance, retention, and engagement outcomes. This is where AI agents become significant. When agents can access and act on a complete, harmonized data set spanning the whole employee journey, entirely new possibilities open up for how work gets done across the talent function. Yet despite the rapid pace of innovation, AI adoption is still lagging. Vendors are shipping capabilities faster than most organisations can implement them, held back by regulatory concerns, change management challenges, and uncertainty about where to start. So how can Talent leaders close this gap and take advantage of what is a huge strategic opportunity? My guest this week is Lara Albert, Chief Marketing Officer at SAP SuccessFactors. In our conversation, she discusses the SmartRecruiters acquisition, explains how agents working across the employee lifecycle could reshape HR, and shares her advice on how employers can get started. In the interview, we discuss: Why SAP acquired SmartRecruiters and what happens next Connecting recruiting data to employee outcomes Layering Agentic AI on top of people intelligence What's holding back AI adoption Regulation, change management, and mindset TA and HR have a once-in-a-career opportunity to lead transformation Business cases, buy-in, and getting started What will the future look like?

This is a special episode, recorded live on stage at TA Tech Europe in London earlier in November. It's a wide-ranging discussion about the state of our industry and where it's heading with one of recruiting's true pioneers, Jeff Taylor, the founder of Monster.com and the soon to be launched Boomband, . We debate AI's true impact on hiring, discuss why traditional tools and approaches are failing, and explore what recruiting could become. In the interview, we discuss: The story behind Monster How Monster almost bought LinkedIn Why has Jeff returned after two decades out of the industry What has changed in recruiting in the last 20 years, and what hasn't Why resumes and job postings are failing AI's real impact on jobs What is Boomband? Rebuilding trust in recruiting Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The AI agent marketplace has become a confusing landscape full of chatbots and co-pilots that aren't agents, claiming revolutionary capabilities. But genuine AI agents represent something fundamentally different. They're digital workers that can handle complex, multi-step processes independently, making decisions and adjustments along the way. The technology is already here and working, and the employers succeeding with it are focusing on change management, not just on technology deployment. So what are the early results looking like, and how will agentic AI change recruiting in the months and years to come? My guest this week is Tom Zrubecky, founder and CEO of Talent Pilot. In our conversation, he shares case studies demonstrating how AI agents are reshaping recruitment workflows and what autonomous hiring looks like. In the interview, we discuss: What an AI Agent is and what it isn't Building responsible AI with human oversight These are change management projects not technology ones The power of instant job interviews Where are employers getting the most value from agents The importance of pilot project Building a super recruiter What does the agentic future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.