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

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

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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:

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:

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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:

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Many organizations treat accessibility as just a compliance checkbox, checking the box to meet legal requirements and then moving on. But this mindset misses massive opportunities. When companies design truly inclusive hiring processes, they don't just help candidates with disabilities, but also improve the experience for everyone.

Forward-thinking employers are discovering that accessibility drives innovation, expands talent pools, and creates competitive advantages, so how do you move from minimum compliance to genuine inclusivity, and how do you do that at scale?

My guests this week are Business Psychologists Brittany Davies and Laura Kate Ruttle from Talogy. In our conversation, they share valuable advice on building an accessible assessment strategy, and we discuss how AI is shaping a whole new future for inclusive hiring.

In the interview, we discuss:

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The recruitment experience is undergoing a fundamental transformation with AI and automation playing an increasingly larger role. It's essential to recognise the consequences of lost human connection. Trust is an absolutely critical element here, and employers need to ensure they aren't losing the emotional intelligence and genuine connections that build trust with candidates.

So how do you create authentic connections when AI does the screening and robots send the emails?

My guest this week is Gal Borenstein, CEO of Borenstein Group. In our conversation, he talks us through his framework for building genuine digital trust in an increasingly automated world.

In the interview, we discuss:

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Talent acquisition is being tested like never before. Teams are continually being asked to do more with less, hiring volumes remain unpredictable, and technology is evolving faster than organizations can adapt. AI promises transformation but often delivers confusion, with some vendors labeling simple automation as intelligence, while, at the same time, genuinely disruptive AI capabilities are emerging that could reshape everything we do.

Meanwhile, the fundamentals haven't changed. TA leaders still need to deliver the right people at the right time in a cost-effective way. But how do you build that capability when the ground keeps shifting? How do you create structure, repeatability, and continuous improvement during constant disruption?

My guests this week are Toni de Graaf and Marcel Rütten, co-founders of the Recruiting Excellence Foundation. In our conversation, they share their framework for building high-performing TA teams and explain how to pursue recruiting excellence even in fast-moving, uncertain times. Also listen out for details on how you take part in the forthcoming Global State of TA Report, and by getting your own free maturity assessment.

In the interview, we discuss:

Get your free TA maturity assessment here

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Application volumes are continuing to rise, but finding quality hires remains a challenge. The usual suspects that tend to get the blame are candidates using AI, economic uncertainty, and a continuing decline in job board effectiveness. However, research suggests a more fundamental issue that many organizations overlook.

The words in job descriptions matter more than most teams realize. Non-inclusive language is actually a key factor that stops many qualified candidates from applying. At the same time, regulations around pay transparency and anti-discrimination are proliferating across the US and EU, creating complex compliance requirements for job ads that vary by market. Many employers are also outsourcing their job ad creation to generic LLMs that have more potential to amplify bias than they do to eliminate it.

So, how should employers utilize technology to ensure inclusivity, compliance, and a high-quality response from their advertising

My guest this week is Pil Byriel, CEO and co-founder of Lyser. In our conversation, Pil shares research on how language shapes candidate behavior, why LLM reinforces bias, and the growing complexity of job ad compliance around the world

In the interview, we discuss:

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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, as they look back at October’s eight interviews. 

Episodes featured in this Round Up:

Ep 734 Why Skills Really Matter

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-734-why-skills-really-matter/

Ep 735: AI’s Impact On Recruitment Marketing

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-735-ais-impact-on-recruitment-marketing/

Ep 736: Trust, Influence & The Future Of Recruitment Marketing

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-736-trust-influence-the-future-of-recruitment-marketing/

Ep 737: Building A Team Of Talent Partners

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-737-building-a-team-of-talent-partners/

Ep 738: How to Implement AI Successfully In HR & TA

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-738-how-to-implement-ai-successfully-in-hr-ta/

Ep 739: TA’s Challenges and Priorities for 2026

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-739-tas-challenges-and-priorities-for-2026/

Ep 740: Are We Really Ready For AI?

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-740-are-we-really-ready-for-ai/

Ep 741: The Competitive Advantage Of Neuro-Inclusion

https://recruitingfuture.com/2025/10/ep-741-the-competitive-advantage-of-neuro-inclusion/

The recruiting technology landscape is transforming at an unprecedented speed. AI Tools that seemed like far-fetched concepts just a few years ago are hitting the market and delivering results.

But adoption is messy and uneven. Some employers are experimenting with AI-driven interviews, while others worry about bias and legal risks. High-volume recruiters are automating entire processes while executive search remains deeply human. Everyone's trying to figure out which tools actually work and how to integrate them without breaking what already exists.

So how should talent acquisition leaders navigate this revolution?

My guest this week is Josh Bersin, one of the world's leading HR technology analysts. In our conversation, he reveals why this transformation is inevitable and what smart TA leaders should be doing today.

In the interview, we discuss:

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