For years, a candidate experience that delivers truly personalized feedback at scale has been an unattainable dream for talent acquisition teams. Candidates have always wanted tailored feedback, advice, and the opportunity to ask questions, but the sheer volume of applications has made this impossible

So, is AI now revolutionizing the candidate experience and finally making mass personalization a reality? What does it take to create an ethical, transparent system that provides candidates with two-way interactions and personalized feedback, all while improving efficiency and reducing workload for TA teams?

My guest this week is Sam Dhesi, CEO of Popp AI. Despite only being 18 months old, Popp AI is already partnering with FTSE 100 companies and global staffing organizations. In our conversation, Sam shares real-world results on how AI enables conversational assessment, provides personalized candidate feedback, drives engagement, and vastly improves hiring efficiency.

In the interview, we discuss:

• How AI is changing the way employers interact with assess candidates

• Building in an ethically and responsible way

• The importance of human oversight and explainability

• Delivering constructive personalized feedback at scale

• Facilitating mass candidate engagement

• Using assessment via conversational AI as a replacement for the resume

• Which employers are doing all of this well, and what tangible results have they achieved

• What does the future look like? Where will hiring be in five years time?

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The rapid evolution of AI is reshaping talent acquisition, but many TA teams are struggling to keep pace. While AI offers the potential to revolutionize processes, reduce friction, and improve candidate experiences, adoption rates remain low. At the same time, businesses are under pressure to boost productivity and efficiency, leaving TA teams vulnerable to being left behind—or worse, having changes imposed on them without their input.

So, how can talent acquisition leaders embrace AI and use it to align themselves with broader corporate objectives?

My guest this week is Adam Godson, CEO of Paradox, a pioneer in conversational AI for talent acquisition. Adam shares valuable insights from working with industry leaders like McDonald’s and Chipotle, exploring how AI is transforming recruitment at scale. He discusses how TA leaders can harness AI to future-proof their organizations, deliver tangible ROI, and create hiring systems that prioritize speed, efficiency, and better candidate experiences.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Developments over the last 12 months

• What are employers who use conversational AI for hiring achieving?

• How McDonalds reduce time to hire from 21 days to 3 days

• How AI is massively improving the candidate experience

• The use of AI in high-volume hiring gives us a glimpse into the future.

• AI adoption is being driven by its impact on the bottom line.

• The importance of good system and experience design

• What will TA teams of the future look like?

• The challenge of challenging recruiting norms

• The opportunity for TA Leaders

• What is going to happen in 2025

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The adoption of AI in talent acquisition continues to accelerate, promising efficiencies and new possibilities for hiring. However, as AI tools become central to recruiting processes, they bring significant challenges, particularly around bias, compliance, and trust. Without clear oversight, these systems risk entrenching inequalities rather than addressing them.

So, how can talent acquisition leaders ensure that AI supports fairer hiring while safeguarding compliance and trust? And what role does auditing play in this critical process?

My guest this week is Jeff Pole, Co-founder and CEO of Warden AI, a company specializing in AI auditing for HR and TA Technologies. In our conversation, Jeff shares his insights on the importance of auditing AI systems, the emerging regulatory landscape, and how talent acquisition leaders can better understand and navigate the risks and opportunities of AI-powered hiring.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Is the current pace of innovation in AI set to continue?

• What are the main risks?

• Regulation, Legislation, and Ethics

• Is there a difference between AI influencing a hiring decision and AI making a hiring decision?

• How AI can be less biased and fairer than humans

• Holding machines to a higher standard than humans

• Shining a light on the AI systems used in recruiting and TA technology

• Continuous testing and monitoring

• How widespread is the issue, and how much AI bias has actually been found?

• What should TA leaders be considering when assessing AI solutions

• What does the future look like? How will AI change talent acquisition in the long term?

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AI has profoundly impacted talent acquisition in 2024, but its influence has been far from uniform. In some areas, little has changed, while in others—such as high-volume hiring—there has been nothing short of a revolution. Automation has dramatically accelerated recruiting processes, improving the candidate and hiring manager experience in ways previously unimaginable. These advancements are signals of what's to come, with sweeping changes across talent acquisition potentially just months away.

With technology increasingly automating processes, the role of recruiters is evolving, raising urgent questions about what TA teams must do to stay relevant and strategic. Those who fail to adapt risk being left behind as automation reshapes our industry.

So, how can TA leaders and recruiters navigate this transformation, address challenges like bias, and embrace the opportunities AI presents to redefine their roles?

My guest this week is John Vlastelica, CEO of Recruiting Toolbox and a trusted advisor to some of the world's most innovative companies. John shares his insights on the key shifts happening in recruiting, the evolving role of recruiters, and how leaders can future-proof their teams in an AI-driven world.

In the interview, we discuss:

• How AI is impacting recruiting right now

• How does it change the jobs we recruit for?

• Unchecked human bias in traditional recruiting process

• Automation in high-volume and front-line hiring

• Segmentation of roles between automated and high-touch recruiting processes

• Inefficiency by design

• From talent acquisition to talent advisor, breaking the silos in HR

• Insights, Influence, and Impact

• Candidate "cheating"

• TA Tech vendors selling directly to the C-Suite

• The importance of having a plan to rationalize TA

• What is going to happen in 2025?

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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:

Ep 651: Navigating TA’s Perfect Storm

Ep 652: Unlocking Global Talent Pools

Ep 653: Assessing the impact of AI

Ep 654: The Power Of Great Questions

Ep 655: Using Culture As A Talent Magnet

Ep 656: Strategic Transformation in TA

Ep 657: The Future Of TA Technology

Ep 658: TA As A Service

Ep 659: Talent Complexity

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With organizations now having to navigate the rapid changes brought about by geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty, the ongoing climate emergency, and the surge in technology, it is clear that different ways of thinking about talent are needed. 

So, how can organizations adapt to this complexity and prepare for a future where the old rules no longer apply? What should they consider when redefining their talent strategies in such a dynamic context?

My guest this is week is Graham Abbey, Professor in Practice at The University of Bristol Business School and CEO of Farleigh Performance.

From the importance of understanding the difference between complicated and complex systems to the potential of AI in reconnecting us to our humanity, Graham provides deep insights into creating the conditions for engagement, leadership, and performance and building an antifragile organization. 

In the interview, we discuss:

• Challenges and forces driving change

• Thinking differently about talent

• Changing to the organization metaphor

• The difference between a complicated and complex system

• How well are employers responding to change and uncertainty?

• Skills based organizations

• Discovery connectivity with AI

• Talent Acquisition and hiring

• Higher purpose, agency, relationships, and disruptive learning

• Building an antifragile organization

• How will we be talking about talent in five years time

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Transforming a business function is a difficult process. It can become impossible if no one knows what the function is transforming into. It is vital that anyone undertaking a TA Transformation develops a clear vision to generate buy-in and set the direction of travel.

With so much disruption going on, there has never been a better time to create bold, innovative visions that take TA Acquisition in new directions.

My guest this week is Jill Leonard, Global Senior Director of Talent at Hello Fresh. Hello Fresh has developed a vision for talent acquisition that they call "TA As A Service." In addition to discussing Hello Fresh's TA Transformation, Jill also talks about her experience implementing video interviewing and the benefits of embracing new technology early.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Current TA challenges

• TA Transformation at Hello Fresh

• Recruiters as Talent Advisors

• TA as a service

• Agility and change management

• Upskilling and professional development for TA teams
• How video interviewing has evolved to solve specific business needs

• The benefits of embracing new technology early

• How to drive adoption.

• How should TA leaders respond to AI?

• Optimizing the candidate experience

• How will TA evolve over the next five years?

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After all the commentary and debate about AI and talent acquisition over the last two years, we are finally starting to see what this brave new world might look like as many technology providers roll out new AI-driven products and services.

While it is clear that massive changes are coming to the way companies hire talent, there are still many unanswered questions and contradictory views on what the future will look like.

I wanted to get a different perspective on things, so this week, my guest is Shashank Saxena, a Managing Partner at Sierra Ventures. Sierra Ventures is an early-stage VC firm that has made several investments in AI-driven HR software companies. In our conversation, Shashank gives us some alternative visions of what the future of work might look like and implications for talent acquisition.

In the interview, we discuss:

• How is the world of work changing

• AI use cases and the speed of adoption

• Does AI make TA more efficient, or does it completely disrupt it?

• Are AI-powered job seekers cheating?

• Can AI make hiring decisions?

• The implications of AI agents on white collar work

• What does the future of HR and Recruiting Technology look like?

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After many years of being seen as tactical, TA has the unique opportunity to reposition itself as a strategic function with insights to shape business strategy. However, this will only happen with a significant degree of transformation, and those TA teams that stick to doing what they have always done are at risk of further downsizing or being automated away altogether. 

So, what do TA Leaders need to do to harness the current forces of change and reinvent their function

My guest this week is Lyndsey Taylor, head of Global Talent Attraction at Brooks Automation. Lyndsey has a wealth of experience in TA transformation, strategic workforce planning, and driving change. She shares her perspectives on the future of TA, the rise of strategic workforce planning, and breaking down traditional HR silos.

In the Interview, we discuss:

• How the work of TA is changing and the forces driving that change

• How can TA influence business outcomes?

• Aligning metrics to business goals

• Internal mobility and reskilling 

• What role can TA play in Strategic Workforce Planning

• How to be more strategic

• What does AI make possible

• Enhancing the candidate experience

• Reducing bias

• Breaking the silos in HR

• What should TA look like in 3 years time?

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Company culture is a fundamental selling point for attracting the right talent to an organization. However, in many cases, it is talked about in a cliched, inauthentic way during the hiring process. Culture is also often portrayed in terms of the working environment or via specific perks rather than being something that holistically represents the organization.

So, how can TA teams use culture as a genuine magnet to attract talent in a post-pandemic world where work has fundamentally changed?

My guest this week is Kirstie Eustace, Chief Admin Officer at Steward Partners. Steward Partners is an excellent example of an organization that puts their culture front and centre in there hiring process, and Kirstie has some excellent insights and advice to share

In the interview, we discuss:

• The definition of culture in a corporate context

• How does culture translate into employee and candidate experience?

• Prioritising wellbeing

• Using culture to stand out in talent acquisition

• Storytelling with real examples

• Giving candidates direct access to existing employees and the leadership team

• The role of technology

• What does the future look like

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Whenever we talk about recruiting automation, there is always a persistent narrative in favor of retaining the human touch in some way, shape, or form. While technology now enables us to interact in increasingly conversational ways, there's still an irreplaceable quality in human-to-human, face-to-face dialogue that no machine or video can fully replicate.

So, how can we enhance the effectiveness of our conversations in both professional and personal settings? And could asking more powerful, thoughtful questions lead to better hiring outcomes? 

My guest this week is Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Topaz Adizes, founder of experience design studio The Skin Deep. Having conducted over 1,200 filmed conversations exploring human connection, Topaz has gained profound insights into what makes questions transformative. In our discussion, he shares what his work has taught him about crafting questions that break down barriers and foster authentic dialogue—lessons that can help us all engage more meaningfully in the workplace and beyond.

In the interview, we discuss:

• Lessons learned from filming 1,200 conversations

• How conversations build relationships

• Avoiding power plays and making a safe space for conversation

• The importance of well-constructed questions

• Curiosity and openness in job interviews

• The power of bringing unrelated concepts together

• Connective questions

• Listening versus speaking

• Can AI write effective questions?

• The differences between face-to-face and virtual conversations

• What's the future of workplace conversations?

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