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

To survive as a function, it's clear that TA teams need to become strategic partners to their businesses rather than service providers. But what does that really mean in practice? It's easy to talk about being strategic, but the execution is where most teams struggle. The challenge isn't just about new processes or technologies. It's about fundamentally different ways of communicating with hiring managers and stakeholders. It's about asking better questions, listening more effectively, and knowing when to challenge decisions without creating unnecessary friction. So, how do you build a TA Team of Talent Partners? My guest this week is Jeff Soto, Vice President Talent Acquisition (Americas) at Sony Music Entertainment. In our conversation, Jeff reveals the specific techniques his teams use to partner with the business and why communication skills matter more than ever in our age of technology-driven disruption. In the interview, we discuss: The essential skills required in TA right now. Talent Advisory versus Talent Partner Adopting a coaching mindset Active listening, clarity, and summarizing  Persuading with data, analytics, and insights Challenging hiring managers in non-adversarial ways What will the TA team of the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Something fundamental has shifted in how people find work. Job boards that dominated for decades are losing their effectiveness. Candidates are overwhelmed and skeptical. Employers are drowning in applications that are all the same. The old playbook simply isn't working anymore. Meanwhile, the TikTokification of communication and the rise of the creator economy are reshaping the marketing landscape. People trust other people more than corporate messaging and want to hear authentic voices, not polished PR. So could this approach work for hiring? My guests this week are Tracey Parsons, CEO of Flockity, and J.T. O'Donnell, founder of Work It Daily. In our conversation, they explain how the influencer model not only has the potential to transform talent attraction but could also fundamentally change the way recruiting works. In the interview, we discuss: What's gone wrong with job boards and the job search The loss of trust The reality of interest-based algorithms The growth of the knowledge creator economy Using influencers to promote jobs How job seekers and employers feel about influencer marketing Why the recruiting process needs radical updating Inserting the right friction points in a seamless experience What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Recruiting Future Round Up is back in a brand-new live format. Round Up has always been a quick way to catch up on the most important insights from the month’s Recruiting Future interviews. Now we’re taking it further, streaming live on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube so you can join the conversation in real time. In this recording (previously live) Matt is joined by special guest HR Analyst Mervyn Dinnen, as they look back at September’s seven interviews.  Episodes featured in this Round Up: Ep 727 Becoming A Long-Haul Leader Ep 728: The Problem With Bias Ep 729: Using AI Responsibly In TA Ep 730: Is Recruitment Marketing Stuck In A Rut? Ep 731: Recruiting Top AI Talent Ep 732: Are Job Interviews Obsolete? Ep 733: Making Sense of HR Tech’s AI Explosion Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Recruitment marketing is undergoing a fundamental shift as AI transforms the way work is done and who does it. Marketing automation is evolving at a rapid pace and will drive significant, efficient gains, but what is the impact of originality, creativity, and strategic thinking? So how are recruitment marketers evolving, and what should employers now expect from their recruitment marketing teams and agencies?  My guest this week is James Whitelock, Managing Director at ThinkinCircles Recruitment Marketing. In our conversation, James reveals what employers should demand from modern recruitment marketers, which skills remain irreplaceable, and how to build teams that leverage AI without losing human creativity. In the interview, we discuss: How AI is democratising recruitment marketing The ever-growing scale and scope of automation Strategy and creativity How can employers stand out from the AI-generated "slop" Brand building, story telling and tech orchestration What skills are now needed in recruitment marketing Building out capability Can AI help recruitment marketing to be properly strategic? What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

We have been discussing skills for so long that there is a temptation to dismiss anything skills-based as just another set of buzzwords. However, if anything, we aren't talking about skills enough and certainly not in the holistic way we need to be. Forward-thinking companies are already using skills-based approaches to solve critical business problems. These aren't abstract HR initiatives but data-driven transformations directly tied to revenue and operational outcomes. AI is helping to deconstruct jobs into tasks, map skills with precision, and deploy talent with unprecedented flexibility. So how are organizations making this transformation, and what does this mean for talent acquisition's role in driving business strategy? My guest this week is Craig Friedman, Talent Skills Transformation Leader at St. Charles Consulting Group and author of the book "Enterprise Skills Unlocked,". In our conversation, he shares how skills-based organizations are solving real business challenges and fundamentally changing how HR and talent acquisition deliver value. In the interview, we discuss: Definitions and drivers Moving from skills curious to skills ready A data-driven HR Transformation Building more effective talent processes by linking skills to people The workforce planning revolution Moving from headcount planning to capability planning True talent intelligence The role of AI Driving mobility and opening up talent markets Aligning HR and TA to business outcomes and strategy Getting started What the future will look like Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

I recently returned from my annual pilgrimage to the HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas. There are a ton of conferences in our industry, but HR Tech still remains the event to come to for the most comprehensive view of innovation in talent acquisition. It is clear that things are moving fast with technology; AI is already moving from narrow, single-use tools to orchestration layers and multiple agents that promise to revolutionise talent acquisition. Unfortunately, it is making the tech landscape very difficult to understand from a buyer's perspective, as traditional software categories are collapsing. At the same time, the legacy cornerstones of the recruiting process, resumes, interviews, and job descriptions, are looking increasingly inadequate, with candidates and employers caught in an AI arms race that is currently making the experience worse rather than better. So how can TA leaders cut through the noise, balance efficiency with fairness, and bring humanity back into recruiting while taking advantage of the enormous potential AI offers? What new skills will be needed to lead in this environment, and how do organisations avoid just using AI to do the wrong things faster? While I was at the show, I caught up with two of my regular podcast guests, Allyn Bailey, Senior Director of Brand and Communications at SmatRecruiters, and Daniel Chait, CEO of Greenhouse, both of whom offered some sensible guiding insights into what is becoming a very complex space. In the interviews, we discuss: Blurring categories of vendors is confusing for buyers. AI's next phase of orchestration layers and multiple agents The importance of open systems Will we finally see the end of resumes? The surge of AI interviewing Why the candidate experience keeps getting worse Balancing efficiency with fairness and keeping humans in the loop The new skills TA Leaders need Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The job interview has been a part of the recruiting process for over 100 years, with Thomas Edison widely credited as the original architect of this central tenet of the recruiting process. But with so much change happening since then, are interviews still fit for purpose in their current format, and if they aren't, what should they be replaced with? My guest this week is Sarah Lamontagne, founder of Montagne Motion Consulting. Sarah has worked in all aspects of recruiting and talent acquisition and, based on her experience, strongly believes that employees should be moving away from interviews and looking at other methods of assessment to bring the recruiting process up to date. In the interview, we discuss: The significant challenges in hiring at the moment The origins of the job interview and why they are no longer fit for purpose How is recruiting slow to evolve What should replace interviews, and how do you enable candidates to demonstrate their skills at scale? The role of technology A new generation in the workforce who are driving change What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The ongoing slump in tech hiring is well-documented. However, the demand for talented AI professionals, particularly at the leadership level, is absolutely off the scale. With unprecedented salaries being promised by the leading AI players, how can other employers compete, and what do the TA team need to know to secure the talent their organisation needs? My guest this week is Rebecca Hastings, founder of Lucent Search. Rebecca has been hiring AI leaders for her clients for over a decade and a half, and Lucent Search recently published a research report investigating what top AI Leaders want from their jobs and careers. In our conversation, we explore some of the findings, and Rebecca offers some very valuable advice to TA teams looking for top AI talent. In the interview, we discuss: The rise of the Chief AI Officer and the reshaping of the C-Suite Career frustration and the loyalty penalty The perception AI Leaders have of talent acquisition Why humans are still critical in AI projects and transformations What motivates AI professionals to change jobs Which skills are most in demand? Where should AI transformation sit in the business? What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Jobseeker behavior is changing with Gen AI and social media becoming ever stronger forces of influencers in career choices. However, a lot of recruitment marketing activity is failing to keep up with employers stuck in a rut and not casting the net wide enough or in the right way. Shockingly, many TA teams still lack basic visibility into their recruitment marketing metrics and can't prove ROI to their CFOs. While candidates increasingly use ChatGPT for job searches, few employers have optimized their content for AI discovery, and many career sites still remain conversion killers. So what should employers be doing, and how can they prepare for 2026? My guest this week is Neil Costa, Founder and CEO of HireClix. In our conversation, Neil reveals the stark reality of where most organizations actually are with their recruitment marketing efforts and offers some valuable advice on how they should be moving forward. In the interview, we discuss: The current challenges in recruitment marketing How employers need to stand out and appeal to a multigenerational audience Overreliance on Indeed and LinkedIn The role of search and social AI optimisation Getting a competitive talent advantage Keeping marketing momentum with reduced budgets The vital importance of metrics and ROI The importance of authenticity Dynamic personalization and the role of career sites What does the future look like Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The AI landscape in recruiting is evolving rapidly, with vendors racing to add AI features and many employers eager to embrace transformation. But navigating this shift successfully requires understanding what questions to ask and which foundations to build. From vendor transparency to compliance, from bias auditing to data governance, the path to effective AI implementation is not a simple one. What do TA teams need to consider to adopt a responsible approach to AI?   My guest this week is Martyn Redstone, a highly experienced advisor on AI governance for HR and Recruitment. Martyn has spent the last 9 years working with AI in recruiting and has some incredibly valuable advice to share. In the interview, we discuss: Getting the foundations right Why false AI confidence is dangerous Four key vendor evaluation areas Third-party auditing Shadow AI and data breaches Generative versus decision-based AI Global regulatory landscape challenges Why guardrails actually accelerate innovation The task-based future of work Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Bias in recruiting isn't just unfair, it's also bad for business. Bias in the recruiting process means many employers miss out on top talent simply because they're not seeing the full picture. Most organizations focus their anti-bias efforts on the interview stage, but the real damage happens much earlier in the process. With AI as a new complicating factor, how can we properly address bias and make recruiting fairer for everyone? My guest this week is Bas van de Haterd, recruiting polymath and also now co-founder of TA Audit Institute. As usual, Bas brings a vast amount of data and research to the conversation. In our discussion, we explore where bias really lives in the process, why current solutions miss the mark, and what the future of recruiting could look like. In the interview, we discuss: The impact of biased hiring on employers How most bias happens at the start of the recruiting process Why current approaches to eliminating bias aren't working Research findings on gender bias Job experience versus job knowledge Open hiring Does AI make things better or worse? Potential solutions What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

The modern workplace has created an epidemic of burnout that's quietly destroying careers and companies alike. Many professionals are quietly battling anxiety, sleep disruption, and physical exhaustion while maintaining a facade of having everything under control. TA leaders are currently navigating AI adoption, defending budgets, managing anxious teams, and are still expected to fill critical roles faster than ever.  So what kinds of systems can you put in place to prioritise your own wellbeing, while still making a lasting impact in your business? My guest this week is Chris Ducker, a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author. Chris suffered a severe burnout in 2021 and has used the lessons it taught him to develop a Life Operating System that sits at the centre of his new book "The Long-Haul Leader." I've known Chris for a while now, and the advice and insights he offers are very much grounded in the reality of modern working life In the interview, we discuss: Building long-term business impact in disruptive times Why self-care is strategic The myth of work-life balance Recognising the warning signs and avoiding burnout The four key areas of the Life OS and how they intersect to drive results The power of creative hobbies Why data and what you do with it is so important AI, friend or foe? What does the future of work look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Recruiting Future Round Up is back in a brand-new live format. Round Up has always been a quick way to catch up on the most important insights from the month’s Recruiting Future interviews. Now we’re taking it further, streaming live on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube so you can join the conversation in real time. In this recording (previously live) Matt is joined by special guest, Rhona Pierce from the Workfluencer Podcast, as they look back at August’s six interviews.  Episodes featured in this Round Up: Ep 721: Inside Zapier’s AI Transformation Ep 722: Soft Skills, Hard Data – Making Predictive Hiring Work Ep 723: The Impact Of Career Gap Bias Ep 724: Search, Social, And Strategic Recruitment Marketing Ep 725: Making Neurodiversity Work Ep 726: How AI Is Finally Killing The Resume Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Recruiting Future is currently on summer break, and the regular show will resume next week. I didn't want to leave you with nothing to listen to over Labor Day weekend, though… The Alder Hour is my show with Purple Acorn, which live streams on LinkedIn every Monday afternoon. Every show features an interview segment, and I wanted to share here three of the best interviews we've had so far, showcasing three of the smartest people in the industry. Keep listening to hear: Master Burnett from HireBrain discussing the ways AI can augment hiring Madeline Laurano, the founder of Aptitude Research, talking about the impact of AI on the vendor  landscape Laurie Ruettimann from Punk Rock HR warning us about the end of work as we know it.

Recruiting Future is taking a couple of weeks off and will return the first week in September. In the meantime, I've got some summer specials for you. As I don't need to tell you, AI is a massive topic at the moment and isn't going to change any time soon; it's only going to get bigger and more critical. With that in mind, I wanted to share my thoughts on where we are with AI at the moment, its future direction, and also share the outline of a framework I've developed for strategic AI implementation in TA. Earlier in the summer, I was a guest on the Saville Assessment Deep Dive podcast, talking about AI. The host, Hannah Mullaney, asked such great questions that I thought I would drop the whole episode into the Recruiting Future podcast feed for you to take a listen to. So, with thanks to Hannah and the team at Saville, here is a deep dive into my take on AI and the future of talent acquisition.

The explosion of AI-generated applications isn't just breaking traditional recruiting - it's creating an unprecedented opportunity by making sophisticated assessment tools accessible for early-stage screening. There is now the opportunity to filter thousands of applicants based on actual predictive data. However, the vendor landscape here can be confusing, and some offerings lack the transparency that employers need. So how can organizations identify tools that leverage AI's efficiency while respecting established peer-reviewed assessment science? My guest this week is Djurre Holtrop, Assistant Professor at Tilburg University. In our conversation, Jura reveals how AI could democratize evidence-based assessment for organizations of all sizes and offers advice on best practices and the future assessment landscape. In the interview, we discuss: The science-practice gap in assessment The tension arising from the rapid development of AI and the need to evaluate work performance results over time. AI isn't making the process worse because CVs and cover letters have no predictive validity. How is AI improving the science? Transforming recruiting with early-stage screening How bias carries through the recruiting process Resetting our mental models What does the future look like? Recruiting Future helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology. If you're interested in finding out how your TA function measures up in these four critical areas, I've created the free FITT for the Future Assessment. It'll give you personalised insights to help you build strategic clarity and drive greater impact immediately. Just head to mattalder.me/podcast to complete the assessment—it only takes a few minutes. Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Up to 20% of the global workforce is likely to be neurodivergent and mostly undiagnosed. Understanding how to unlock the full potential of people with non-typical brains should be important to all employers. The difference between the right and wrong job fit for someone with ADHD or other neurodivergent conditions can be the difference between struggling daily and becoming a top performer.  So what if the key to creating exceptional teams lies not in trying to fit everyone into the same mold, but in asking the right questions to understand what each person needs to thrive? My guest this week is Shell Mendelson, an ADHD career coach with 35 years of experience helping neurodivergent individuals find their ideal work fit. In our conversation, Shell shares her proven process for identifying the "must-haves" that enable neurodivergent employees to perform at their highest level and explains why understanding individual needs benefits both employees and employers. In the interview, we discuss: The challenges for ND people at work Why everyone's needs are different The benefits of recognising the spectrum of different brains in your organization The contradictions of neurodiversity The importance of job fit and asking the right questions How small accommodations can make a massive impact Making work better for everyone Recruiting Future helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology. If you're interested in finding out how your TA function measures up in these four critical areas, I've created the free FITT for the Future Assessment. It'll give you personalised insights to help you build strategic clarity and drive greater impact immediately. Just head to mattalder.me/podcast to complete the assessment—it only takes a few minutes. Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Recruiting Future helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology. If you're interested in finding out how your TA function measures up in these four critical areas, I've created the free FITT for the Future Assessment. It'll give you personalised insights to help you build strategic clarity and drive greater impact immediately. Just head to mattalder.me/podcast to complete the assessment—it only takes a few minutes. This episode is about Talent and Technology. The recruitment marketing landscape has been about more than just job advertising for a long time. However, many employers are still missing out on the unique benefits search and social bring to the marketing mix by approaching these channels in the same way they approach job boards.  As AI reshapes these platforms and candidate behavior evolves rapidly, there's a widening gap between companies seeing dramatic results and those struggling with failed campaigns and wasted investment. The difference isn't budget—it's about building long-term strategies based on data and a strong understanding of each channel's unique strengths and differences.  So what can employers do to ensure they are getting full value from their recruitment marketing budgets? My guests this week are Kelsey Krater, Chief Platform Officer at Appcast, and Appcast's Director of Digital Media, Alexandra Horwitt Anema. In our conversation, we talk about the unique strengths of search and social, how they are evolving and the critical importance of data in recruitment marketing.  In the interview, we discuss: Driving quality hires from recruitment marketing Why search and social aren't job boards Search and intent Filling funnel gaps and building diversity A layered media approach Telling stories with social The danger of prioritising quick wins over long-term strategy Recent developments in search and social The critical importance of data Nurturing and remarketing Pipeline building over transactional thinking What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

For too long, gaps in resumes have been a red flag for recruiters. But what if this outdated bias is costing you your best hires? In today's world, where everyone's constantly reskilling and skills become obsolete within months, penalizing career breaks makes absolutely no sense. This red flag mentality drives ageism and automatically screens out experienced professionals. Organizations clinging to "recent experience" requirements are handing their competitors access to mature talent bringing fresh perspectives, proven loyalty, and decades of expertise. So how can forward-thinking employers flip this nonsensical bias into strategic advantage by recognizing that career breaks often create stronger professionals, not weaker ones? My guest this week is Hazel Little, CEO at Career Returners. Hazel exposes the real cost of resume gap discrimination and shares proven strategies for building returner programs that deliver business results. In our conversation, she reveals why the red flag mentality around career breaks belongs in recruiting's past. In the interview, we discuss: What is a career returner? What are the common issues returners face The human impact of bias What drives career gap bias? Incorrect perceptions, false assumptions, and outdated approaches to hiring The significant advantages of tapping into the returner talent pool The significance of the decreasing shelf life of skills Advice to employers What might the future look like? Recruiting Future helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology. If you're interested in finding out how your TA function measures up in these four critical areas, I've created the free FITT for the Future Assessment. It'll give you personalised insights to help you build strategic clarity and drive greater impact immediately. Just head to mattalder.me/podcast to complete the assessment—it only takes a few minutes. Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

How do we move from reactive recruiting to predictive talent acquisition? In an era where performance metrics drive every business decision, recruitment often remains stubbornly intuition-based, especially when evaluating soft skills like empathy, communication, and critical thinking. What if AI could help us predict performance before a candidate even starts? And what happens when we connect hiring decisions to actual performance outcomes, creating a feedback loop that makes recruiters smarter over time? Can technology help us understand which risks are worth taking, and which gut feelings we should trust?  My guests this week are Veronique Lacasse, Senior Manager at Bell Canada, and Stephane Rivard, Co-founder and CEO of HiringBranch. In our conversation, Veronique and Stephane walk us through Bell's integrated approach to talent acquisition, which utilizes AI assessment data on soft skills to create a predictive, performance-driven hiring system that is still very much driven by human recruiters. In the interview, we discuss: Soft skills and business performance Measuring soft skills with AI driven assessments Challenges in high-volume hiring Building a feedback loop in recruiting, onboarding, and training Showing recruiters the performance outcomes of their decisions The candidate experience Why human recruiters aren't being replaced What does the future look like? Recruiting Future helps Talent Acquisition teams drive measurable impact by developing their strategic capability in Foresight, Influence, Talent, and Technology. If you're interested in finding out how your TA function measures up in these four critical areas, I've created the free FITT for the Future Assessment. It'll give you personalised insights to help you build strategic clarity and drive greater impact immediately. Just head to mattalder.me/podcast to complete the assessment; it takes less than 5 minutes. Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.