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

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.

Kelly Monaghan, founder of Beyond the Desk and labour economist with a PhD in organizational behavior, advises firms on responsible AI adoption. She unpack s the fork between using AI for efficiency cuts versus creating new value. Short segments cover evolving skills, risks of cutting entry-level roles, three core AI skill areas, data privacy, and how talent teams should protect high-value human touchpoints.

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.

Giovanni Di Felice, Director of Talent Acquisition at Statista, who focuses on tech hiring, AI in recruitment and internal mobility. Annika in der Beek, Chief People Officer at Statista, who drives global people strategy and retention. They discuss hiring challenges in AI and tech. They explore internal mobility, retention as a strategic priority, autonomy, competence and relatedness at work, and making workplaces genuinely excellent.

Sam Wright, Head of Career Strategy at Huntr, leads a data-backed job search platform and AI resume builder. He explains how candidates use AI to apply faster and more selectively. He discusses rising job search lengths, the noise AI creates, why tailoring still wins, ethical risks, and how candidate-driven tools could reshape hiring.

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.