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

Talent acquisition has always been built around the individual. Find the right person for the right role. But once someone joins a team, something far more complex takes over. How people combine matters as much as who they are on their own. Every person brings a unique mix of human qualities that affect how they work with others. Factor in all those qualities across all the possible ways a team could be put together, and the number of combinations quickly reaches into the trillions. So how should employers think about team composition, and where does AI fit in as both a tool and a team member? My guest this week is Dr. Bernhard Züenkeler, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Smycles. In our conversation, he explains how data can reveal hidden team potential, why AI should be treated as a team member rather than a replacement, and what hiring will look like when organizations start thinking in combinations rather than individuals. In the interview, we discuss: The gap between hiring and performance The importance of team intelligence AI as the new team member The science behind team dynamics Why gut feel can never predict team performance Internal mobility and hidden talent Solving skill shortages differently What does the future of hiring look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

Every organization knows it needs to adopt AI. Far fewer have worked out how to bring their whole workforce along for the journey. Telling employees to use new tools rarely works, and many companies are stuck with pockets of enthusiastic early adopters alongside large groups who feel the pace of change is simply too much. Getting from scattered experimentation to genuine organization-wide adoption requires a very different approach, one where upskilling, learning culture, and the right mindset matter as much as the technology itself. So what does it actually take to build a workforce that's ready for AI? My guest this week, recorded at the recent Transform conference, is Katya Laviolette, Chief People Officer at 1Password. In our conversation, she shares how her team built an AI adoption strategy co-led by HR and the technology team, why soft skills now matter more than technical training, and how to cut through the noise when every vendor is selling AI. In the interview, we discuss: Building organization-wide AI adoption The role of AI champions Balancing human and AI work Why curiosity and adaptability matter Upskilling versus hiring new talent Evolve, shift, and pivot. Evaluating AI tools and vendors in a noisy market Privacy and security considerations What the future looks like Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

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.