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

There have never been as many forces driving change in Talent Acquisition as there are in 2025. Skills-based thinking, economic pressures, the rise of AI, and the resulting change in both C-Suite expectations and Job Seeker behavior, to name a few.

Unsurprisingly, then, TA Teams are scrambling to demonstrate the impact they have on and the value they drive for their business. However, this is much easier said than done with the relentless increase in the pace of change.

So, how can TA Leaders harness 2025's winds of change to demonstrate their teams' impact and the value they drive? 

Where better to get expert insights, shrewd commentary, and actionable advice than Transform? For those of you who are unaware of Transform, it is one of the best industry conferences out there, and I recently got back from Transform 2025.

While there, I asked a range of people what they thought TA should be doing to make a measurable impact in 2025. Here are a selection of the answers. Get ready to hear from Daniel Chait - CEO at Greenhouse; Allyn Bailey - Senior Director of Brand Experiences and Communications at SmartRecruiters; Mike Stafiej - CEO at Erin; Jocelyn King - CEO of Virgill HR; John Baldino - President at Humareso and v- CEO at Elayne.

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The talent acquisition landscape is fundamentally transforming. AI and automation are eliminating repetitive tasks and creating space for recruiters to become true strategic partners. This shift demands that TA professionals evolve beyond transaction-focused activities to provide consultative guidance backed by data and their unique expertise. 

So, how can TA leaders successfully guide their teams through this transformation from transactional order takers to valued talent advisors?

My guest this week is Mike Aronson, Global Head of Talent Acquisition Operations at Johnson Controls. With over 20 years of experience in talent acquisition evolution, Mike shares practical insights on leading transformational change and proactively planning for the future.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The shifting power dynamic in TA

• The current impact of AI

• Elevating the skills of TA Teams to be more strategic

• Change mindset instead of change management

• How do Talent Advisors add value to the business?

• The critical importance of skills-based hiring

• How can TA Leaders drive transformation?

• Building a hyper-personalized recruiting experience 

• What does the future look like?

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The conversation around AI in talent acquisition often focuses on incremental improvements and point solutions – better job descriptions, faster candidate matching, or automated interview scheduling. But this limited view dramatically underestimates the fundamental transformation that's already underway. While many are still debating whether AI is overhyped, there is growing evidence that it is actually significantly underhyped, with implications far beyond what most TA leaders are preparing for.

So, how can TA move beyond tactical AI implementations to develop the strategic capabilities that will soon be essential?

My guest this week is Jonathan Kestenbaum, Managing Director of Tech Strategy at AMS and a long-time trusted authority in work tech innovation. Jonathan cuts through the noise to explain why current industry discussions around AI are missing the bigger picture – a future where talent acquisition transforms into strategic orchestration and the way organizations attract and deploy talent is fundamentally reshaped .

In the interview, we discuss: 

• The unprecedented speed of change compared to previous tech cycles 

• The current AI use cases that hint at a much more significant transformation ahead

• Why recruitment processes need a complete redesign, not just automation 

• The split between humans and machines and the impact on jobs

• Skills based firing

• Moving from talent acquisition to talent orchestration 

• What do TA Leaders need to do right now

• What does the TA Tech stack of the future look like

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The traditional approach to developing employer value propositions can often be complex and time-consuming. While this in-depth methodology might work well for large, complex organizations, many employers invest months or even years in exhaustive research and complex frameworks only to often end up with EVPs that sound remarkably similar to their competitors. At the same time, there's growing pressure to activate employer brands quickly to address immediate talent needs, leaving organizations vulnerable to missed opportunities if they get caught in endless cycles of research and refinement.

So, how can companies develop distinctive EVPs that genuinely differentiate them while moving quickly enough to address urgent talent challenges?

My guest this week is Sam Monteath, founder of research and insights consultancy Reason Why, a research and insights consultancy. Sam shares valuable insights on how organizations can take a more agile approach to EVPs, avoiding the bloat and unnecessary complexity that often characterizes these projects.

In the interview, we discuss:

• [01:22] The key differences between employer brand, employer branding, and EVP

• [04:58] Why some EVP development processes have become unnecessarily complex

• [06:54] How organizations can balance speed with rigor in developing their EVPs

• [09:55] What is a minimum viable EVP?

• [12:28] Why so many EVPs sound similar, and how companies can genuinely differentiate themselves

• [15:38] How employer branding has evolved over the past decade

• [18:57] The role of AI and technology in transforming employer brand strategy

• [20:52] How AI is revolutionizing qualitative data analysis for EVP insights

• [22:21] The shift toward more dynamic, evolving EVPs connected to business objectives

• [23:53] What does the future of employer branding look like

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Technology-driven mass personalization has completely transformed how we engage with brands as consumers. However, while companies have raced to deliver tailored products and services to their customers, the employee experience has lagged behind, with most organizations still operating standardized processes that treat all employees the same. At the same time, technological, social, and generational shifts have dramatically raised expectations for personalized workplace experiences, leaving organizations vulnerable to disengagement and talent loss if they continue with outdated, uniform approaches.

So, how can employers deliver the hyper-personalized employee experiences that today's workforce increasingly demands?

 My Guest this week, Ayaskant Sarangi, CHRO at Mphasis Limited, an IT services company headquartered in Bangalore with operations across 50 countries and over 30,000 employees. Ayaskant shares valuable insights on how personalization can work at scale across the employee lifecycle and the vital importance of skills-based thinking in achieving this

In the interview, we discuss: 

• [02:03] Why personalization has become the fundamental employee expectation in today's workplace 

• [04:43] How HR can shape organizational culture to support individualized employee journeys

• [09:54] Leveraging technology to create hyper-personalized experiences throughout the employee lifecycle

 • [13:17] Creating a horizontal tech layer that delivers consistent personalization across traditional HR silos

 • [15:19] Moving from standardized role-based frameworks to personalized skills-based approaches

• [20:50] What the future is going to look like

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AI is starting to drive a profound shift in the workplace. The skills we've prioritized for decades are becoming automated, with uniquely human capabilities beginning to emerge as the true differentiators. So, are your hiring and development strategies still focused on what machines can already do, or are you investing in the skills that AI can't replicate?

The rapid evolution of AI is starting to reshape the skills landscape, but it is already becoming clear that many employers will struggle to adapt. While hard skills have traditionally dominated hiring and development strategies, it's becoming increasingly clear that soft skills like communication, critical thinking, empathy, and adaptability are the true differentiators in an AI-dominated workplace. 

However, most organizations don't know how to properly define, measure, or develop these soft skills, leaving them vulnerable to skills shortages in the human capabilities that will drive their future success.

So, how can companies identify and nurture the skills that AI can't replicate?

My guest this week is Dan Haywood, Chief Customer Officer at Go1, one of the world's leading learning content aggregators. Dan shares valuable insights on how the skills landscape is evolving and why soft skills are becoming increasingly critical as AI handles more technical and repetitive tasks.

In the interview, we discuss: 

• [01:56] How the demand for skills is evolving in an AI world

 • [03:04] Why education systems aren't adequately preparing people for modern work

 • [08:11] The four key soft skills groups employers need to focus on

 • [11:51] The challenges of defining, measuring, and developing soft skills and how to overcome them

 • [14:30] How employers can embed soft skills into their learning culture • [14:30] The importance of executive modeling in skills development 

• [16:55] Connecting soft skills development to measurable business outcomes 

• [17:02] What the future skills landscape will look like as AI continues to advance

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Ep 684: Are We Now Living In A Video First World?

Using video is no longer optional in talent attraction. Candidates now expect to engage with short-form, authentic video content, and LinkedIn is now prioritizing vertical video to play catch up with TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Candidates are no longer just reading job descriptions—they're engaging with video storytelling that shapes their perception of potential employers. 

Does this mean we're officially in a video-first world, and if it does, how should recruitment marketing and employer branding adapt to stay ahead?

My guest this week is Rhona Pierce, founder and lead creative director of Perceptible Studios. Rhona specializes in helping talent acquisition teams use video effectively without getting lost in time-consuming production. 

In our conversation, she shares why short-form, unscripted content performs so well, how companies can encourage employees to be part of the content creation process, and how good is "good enough" for video production.

In the interview, we discuss:

• The most important video trends

• What type of content are employers finding most successful?

• Telling employee stories authentically

• The changing tone of business videos

• Production and outsourcing

• Nuance and expertise

• The role of AI

• What does the future look like

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Round up is the monthly show on The Recruiting Future Podcast channel that highlights episodes you may have missed and gives you my take on some of the key learnings from the guests.

Episodes mentioned in this Round Up:

Foresight

Ep 679: The Future of TA – Breaking Silos 

Ep 683: The AI Revolution Is About People, Not Technology

Influence

Ep 680: How To Secure A Budget For TA Technology

Ep 682: What Can Talent Acquisition Learn From Network Science?

Talent & Skills

Ep 678: Assessing Durable Skills To Future Proof Hiring

Ep 674: Seeing Skills Differently: Lessons from Elite Sports

Ep 675: Hiring Without Limits: Why Accessibility Matters

Ep 676: Why Behavioral Science Is The Future Of Talent Acquisition

Technology

Ep 677: Rethinking Recruiting For AI

Ep 681: Can AI Fix TA’s Biggest Problem?

Thanks to Plum for their support of Round Up

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AI isn't just a technology revolution—it's a people and talent revolution. AI could transform businesses at every level, but many HR and TA teams are still on the sidelines. The reality is that AI adoption, workforce transformation, and enterprise strategy aren't just IT or executive priorities—they're fundamentally people challenges. So, how are CPOs and CHROs currently thinking, and what should they do to shape the future? Keep listening to find out.

AI is already reshaping how businesses operate, creating new opportunities and new risks. However, many HR & TA leaders are still treating AI as an operational tool rather than what it truly is: a strategic driver of workforce transformation. AI is redefining jobs, skills, and ways of working at an unprecedented pace, and organizations that fail to integrate HR into their AI strategy risk falling behind.

At the same time, the talent market remains unpredictable, employee movement is slowing, and retention is more critical than ever. While some companies are racing to adapt, others are taking a wait-and-see approach. But as we've seen before, hesitation in times of change comes with consequences.

HR and talent leaders have a rare opportunity to step up not just to improve hiring but also to influence enterprise-wide strategy. 

My guest this week is Laura Coccaro, Chief People Officer at iCIMS. With access to one of the world's most comprehensive hiring data sets, Laura has a unique perspective on the intersection of AI, talent, and business strategy. In our conversation, we discuss why HR must take ownership of AI's impact on the workforce, how businesses can future-proof their talent strategies, and what talent leaders need to do now to stay ahead of the curve.

In the interview, we discuss:

• How CPOs are thinking about 2025

• Managing risk around talent availability, attrition, and retention

• Balancing technology and humans to optimize the employee and candidate experience

• HR's role in enterprise AI strategy

• Why AI equals people transformation

• How skills are shifting 

• Thinking differently about how the work gets done

• How much will things change in the next 18 to 24 months?

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What if everything we thought about how organizations function was wrong? For decades, businesses have been structured around hierarchies and rigid processes, assuming this was the best way to manage talent, collaboration, and leadership. But what if the real key to high performance and better talent acquisition lies not in org charts but in networks? The emerging disciple of Network Science has quietly been reshaping everything from social media to healthcare, so what happens when we apply it to how we work, lead, and hire?

Organizations are complex systems, yet most companies are still managed using outdated, linear models. What if network science, a discipline that has revolutionized everything from the internet to disease control, could also transform the way we think about leadership, collaboration, and hiring

So, how do networks really shape the way organizations function, and could a deeper understanding of them change how we hire, engage, and retain talent?

My guest this week is Jeffrey Beeson, a leadership strategist and expert in organizational networks. Jeffrey’s work focuses on how businesses can optimize collaboration, unlock hidden influencers, and rethink traditional hierarchies using the principles of network science. We discuss how understanding an organization’s internal networks can improve hiring decisions, enhance onboarding, and increase retention by fostering stronger workplace connections. 

In the interview, we discuss:

• What is network science, and how does it apply to business?

• How all complex systems are based on network patterns and laws

• Three degrees of influence

• How emotions travel through networks

• The best-connected individuals have the most influence.

• Identifying influencers

• Retention, onboarding, and talent management

• The application of network science to talent acquisition

• Applying network solutions to network problems

• The future of work

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