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

Matt Alder
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Talent acquisition is undergoing unprecedented disruption as AI, economic uncertainty, and the ever-shortening lifespan of skills radically reshape recruiting. On Recruiting Future, Matt Alder explores this evolving landscape, using insightful interviews with transformational TA practitioners and forward-thinking experts to spark your imagination and provide the insights you need to shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization. Each episode explores topics such as AI, recruiting automation, recruitment marketing, employer branding, skills-based hiring, assessment, candidate experience, DEI, internal mobility, and the transformation of TA teams. Recruiting Future is an essential resource for everyone involved in hiring. Matt Alder is a globally respected talent acquisition futurist, author, and speaker with over 25 years of experience exploring what’s next in recruiting. Renowned for his expertise in strategic foresight and technology trends, Matt provides a unique perspective that empowers leaders to navigate disruption. His deep industry knowledge and ability to spark meaningful conversations make Recruiting Future a must-listen for talent acquisition and HR professionals everywhere.

  1. 15 HR AGO

    Ep 796: How Hiring Shapes Employee Engagement

    Employee engagement remains one of the most talked-about challenges in the world of work. Year after year, the data tells the same story: levels barely shift, no matter what organizations try. The usual response is to focus on what happens once people are already in the door, but the results rarely change. At the same time, AI is reshaping roles and expectations, making employees question their value in ways that weren't there before. So what if the real engagement problem starts in the hiring process itself? My guest this week is Dr. Roz Cohen, Chief People Officer and author of “The Engagement Dilemma”. In our conversation, she explains why there are three distinct types of engagement, how outdated job descriptions undermine them, and what hiring teams should do differently to build belonging from the start. In the interview, we discuss: Why engagement levels haven't shifted Three types of employee engagement The role of TA in employee engagement Reassessing roles before recruiting Hiring for attributes and behaviours Onboarding for connection and belonging Identity beyond surface characteristics What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify. A full transcript will appear here shortly.

    19 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    AI, Humans and Frontline Hiring

    In frontline retail hiring, speed is everything. If the process is too slow, candidates take offers elsewhere, and stores are short-staffed, hurting both service and revenue. AI-powered automation is now helping some organizations close that gap, cutting hiring times, saving thousands of hours, and driving measurable financial value for the business.  The organizations seeing real results started with the problem, not the technology, because layering AI onto a process that isn't working only makes things worse. They also had to answer a question that rarely gets asked: how quick is too quick, and when does speed start to feel impersonal? The goal isn't to remove humans from the hiring process. It's to remove the noise so candidates reach the right people faster. My guests this week are Stef Nikitas, Director of Talent Acquisition at Ace Hardware, and Rachel Allen, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at 7-Eleven. In our conversation, they share how they transformed frontline hiring with AI, the results it delivered, and where they chose to keep humans firmly in the process. In the interview, we discuss: Why speed matters in frontline hiring The danger of automating broken processes Leading with the problem, not the technology How quick is too quick? What remains human and why How automation improves the candidate experience Time savings and measurable business value Advice for TA on change management What does the future look like Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

    38 min
  3. Can Automation Make Hiring More Human?

    13 MAY

    Can Automation Make Hiring More Human?

    When organizations hire thousands of frontline workers, delivering a personal candidate experience becomes almost impossible. Recruiters spend all of their time answering calls, responding to messages, and running through the same screening questions over and over. There is little time left for the conversations that actually matter. Meanwhile, candidates want speed, flexibility, and a process that respects their time, including outside business hours. So how can AI solve this? My guests this week are Jeroen Klerkx, People Operations Leader at Picnic, and Bill Fischer, CTO at VONQ. In our conversation, recorded live at HR Tech Europe, they share what happened when Picnic gave candidates the choice of a human or AI screening call, the surprising feedback they received, and how they built 10 years of recruiting knowledge into an AI agent that frees up time for their recruiters to have more valuable conversations. In the interview, we discuss: Picnic’s unique approach to candidate experience The current market challenges Building an AI recruiter Closely monitoring candidate sentiment and responding to their feedback. Overcoming the considerable technical challenges How recruiters responded to automation and how their role is developing Managing candidate expectations around AI What does the future look like for AI in TA Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

    19 min
  4. Conversations from HR Tech Europe (Part Two): Anna Carlsson and Nazim Ünlü

    8 MAY

    Conversations from HR Tech Europe (Part Two): Anna Carlsson and Nazim Ünlü

    HR is at a pivotal moment. AI has shifted the conversation in a way nothing else has in years, the demands on the function are growing faster than its capacity to respond, and the questions being asked of it are bigger than they have ever been. The opportunity is significant, but so is the gap between where HR is and where it needs to be. So what does it actually take for HR to step into this moment? In this episode, recorded at HR Tech Europe in Amsterdam, I'm joined by two guests with strong views on what's holding the function back and what good looks like. Anna Carlsson, an HR tech analyst based in Stockholm, shares what she's seeing across the Nordic market and why culture and infrastructure matter more than the technology itself. Nazhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nazim-ünlü-0774b714/im Ünlü, a Global HRD and HR transformation leader, then joins me to talk about why HR is more needed than ever and the strategic shift the function has to make to stay relevant. Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.https://open.spotify.com/show/4u3Gl0l4pGBtIHOJZjLTrx?si=49641466567e44d6

    23 min
  5. Conversations from HR Tech Europe: Wolfgang Brickwedde and Mervyn Dinnen

    3 MAY

    Conversations from HR Tech Europe: Wolfgang Brickwedde and Mervyn Dinnen

    Talent acquisition is sitting in a strange place right now. AI is in every conversation, but the work of actually hiring people is getting harder rather than easier. Application volumes are swinging in unpredictable ways, the workforce itself is changing shape, and the reality on the ground is some distance from the hype. So what is actually going on in talent acquisition right now? In this episode, recorded at HR Tech Europe in Amsterdam, I'm joined by two guests who have spent decades watching this industry evolve.  Wolfgang Brickwedde from the Institute for Competitive Recruiting shares what his research is telling him about the market employers are navigating and where vendors are still getting it wrong.  Mervyn Dinnen then joins me to talk about the reality behind the AI hype and how the multigenerational workforce is reshaping the world of work. Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

    25 min
  6. Making Agentic AI Work For HR & Talent

    3 MAY

    Making Agentic AI Work For HR & Talent

    The real value of AI agents in HR comes from connecting them to work across the employee lifecycle, not from deploying them on individual tasks. That's where most large organisations are getting stuck. Working in a fully agentic way means dealing with different systems and different data sources that often have no shared foundation. The result is fragmented experiences for employees and managers, with the end-to-end potential remaining out of reach. Getting there requires some serious work in data governance, process design, and integration, the kind of foundational work that rarely gets mentioned at industry conferences. So what needs to be in place before AI agents can work at enterprise scale? My guest this week is Melissa Shelley Höjwall, Global HR Technology Lead at H&M Group. In our conversation, which we recorded live at HR Tech Europe, she explains what it takes to build a connected AI architecture across HR and why many companies are undermining their own progress. In the interview, we discuss: The approach to Agentic AI in HR at H&M From niche agents to connected architecture Process automation design and date integration The role of data governance Adoption in the enterprise Shadow AI and over-governance Why cutting jobs isn’t the way to get true value from AI New roles for HR professionals Breaking the silos in the Talent function What to focus on for the future Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

    22 min
  7. Rethinking Work In The Age Of AI

    1 MAY

    Rethinking Work In The Age Of AI

    We're living through one of the most consequential shifts in how work gets done. AI is everywhere in headlines and vendor pitches, but the reality inside organisations is far more nuanced than the noise suggests. Personal adoption is running well ahead of how companies are embedding the technology into actual workflows. Demographic changes continue to tighten labour supply, and the HR tech vendor landscape is consolidating and expanding all at once, leaving buyers uncertain about where to invest.  So how should HR leaders be thinking about technology, workforce design, and the role they need to play in shaping what work actually becomes? Recorded live at HR Tech Europe, my guest this week is Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer at Sapient Insights Group. Stacey runs the longest-running HR systems survey in the market, and we discuss what her data shows about where things are heading. In the interview, we discuss: How AI differs from past tech shifts Layoffs and the cost of AI investment The gap between personal and corporate AI use Why bring your own AI matters Making sense of the vendor landscape The Platform Cluster Model  Demographics and labour supply pressures From workforce planning to workforce architecting How HR's role needs to change What does the future look like Take part in The 29th Annual HR Systems Survey Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

    22 min
  8. Leading TA Through AI Acceleration

    27 APR

    Leading TA Through AI Acceleration

    Something has shifted in AI over the last few months. The pace of AI model updates keeps increasing, and strategies that made sense a few months ago are already out of date. New tools can take on long, complex pieces of work largely on their own, changing what's possible across hiring. For TA leaders, long-term planning has become almost impossible, while the recruiter's role itself is being rethought as candidates use AI just as actively as employers do. So what does effective TA leadership actually look like right now? My guest this week is Bryan Ackermann, Head of AI Strategy and Transformation at Korn Ferry. In our conversation, Bryan shares the changes he is seeing across the recruiting funnel and how organizations can build the resilience they need to keep pace. In the interview, we discuss: The accelerating pace of AI change Why AI literacy now matters everywhere Is candidate AI use cheating or demonstrating capability? The superpowered employee The evolving role of the recruiter Agents talking to agents Where human moments still matter Resilience and shorter planning horizons Advice to TA Leaders What does the future look like? Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.

    28 min
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4.7
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About

Talent acquisition is undergoing unprecedented disruption as AI, economic uncertainty, and the ever-shortening lifespan of skills radically reshape recruiting. On Recruiting Future, Matt Alder explores this evolving landscape, using insightful interviews with transformational TA practitioners and forward-thinking experts to spark your imagination and provide the insights you need to shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization. Each episode explores topics such as AI, recruiting automation, recruitment marketing, employer branding, skills-based hiring, assessment, candidate experience, DEI, internal mobility, and the transformation of TA teams. Recruiting Future is an essential resource for everyone involved in hiring. Matt Alder is a globally respected talent acquisition futurist, author, and speaker with over 25 years of experience exploring what’s next in recruiting. Renowned for his expertise in strategic foresight and technology trends, Matt provides a unique perspective that empowers leaders to navigate disruption. His deep industry knowledge and ability to spark meaningful conversations make Recruiting Future a must-listen for talent acquisition and HR professionals everywhere.

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