The Recruiting Future Podcast (2025)

12/11/2025

For TA teams to survive and thrive they need to become strategic partners to the business, not just fulfilment engines. But what does that actually look like in practice?

Being strategic isn’t just about adopting new tools or processes. It’s about shifting how TA communicates, listens, challenges, and adds value. It means knowing when to coach, when to persuade with data, and how to build trust without creating friction.

In Episode 737 of Recruiting Future, Matt Alder talks to Jeff Soto, VP Talent Acquisition (Americas) at Sony Music Entertainment, about the skills and behaviours that define high-impact TA teams.

They explore:

• The difference between Talent Advisory and Talent Partnership
• Why active listening is a critical TA skill
• How to influence hiring managers with insight, not conflict
• The role of data and storytelling in persuasion
• What the TA team of the future might look like

🔎 Listen by searching Recruiting Future wherever you get your podcasts

10/11/2025

The job search is broken. Candidates are overwhelmed and ignored. Employers are drowning in identical applications.

It’s no surprise then that trust in the recruiting process is at an all time low. So could the creator economy hold the key to fixing talent attraction?

In episode 736 of Recruiting Future, Matt Alder talks to Tracey Parsons (CEO of Flockity) and J.T. O’Donnell (founder of Work It Daily) about why the influencer model could reshape recruitment marketing and what needs to change in how we connect talent and opportunity.

They explore:

• Why traditional job boards are falling short
• How trust and influence are reshaping talent attraction
• The power of interest-based algorithms and creator-led content
• Whether job marketing can be human, effective, and scalable
• What the future of recruitment marketing might look like

🔎 Listen by searching Recruiting Future wherever you get your podcasts

07/11/2025

Recruiting Future Round Up is back, and this time it's live!

Join me, Matt Alder, and my special guest, Rhona Pierce, as we review the eight interviews that were published on Recruiting Future in October

Topics covered will include: building skills-based organizations, the impact of AI on recruitment marketing, restoring jobseeker trust, developing a coaching mindset in TA teams, the secret to successful AI implementation, and the business case for neuroinclusion.

Recruiting Future Round Up is supported by VONQ. VONQ helps employers connect with top talent through AI-powered job distribution, deep ATS integrations, and recruitment intelligence that drives smarter, faster hiring decisions.

23/10/2025

Why are AI pilot projects failing?

The organizations making real progress with AI have realized it’s not about the tools, it’s about the change. Success depends on employee trust, clear use cases, and knowing what to automate, augment, or leave alone.

In episode 738 of Recruiting Future, Matt Alder talks to Taylor Bradley, VP Talent Strategy & Success at Turing, about what it really takes to implement AI in a way that works — and sticks.

They explore:

• Why AI pilots often fail before they start
• How to drive adoption through grassroots experimentation
• A framework for automation vs augmentation
• The inertia of legacy processes — and how to break it
• Why every AI project is really a change management challenge

This is an absolute must-listen episode!

🔎 Listen by searching Recruiting Future wherever you get your podcasts

14/10/2025

AI is the most disruptive force recruitment marketing has ever seen. But does it signal the decline of creativity or the moment that recruitment marketing finally becomes genuinely strategic?

As automation scales, the pressure to stand out intensifies. So what should employers expect from modern recruitment marketers? What skills are still irreplaceable? And how do we use AI to amplify human creativity rather than replace it?

In Episode 735 of Recruiting Future, I talk to James Whitelock, Managing Director at ThinkinCircles, about the future of recruitment marketing and the strategic potential of AI.

We discuss:

• The growing power and limits of automation
• How to cut through the noise of AI-generated content
• The role of storytelling, brand, and tech orchestration
• What skills modern recruitment marketers really need
• Whether AI can elevate recruitment marketing to a place of true strategic value

🔎 Listen by searching Recruiting Future wherever you get your podcasts

09/10/2025

Talent Acquisition is at a crossroads. To stay relevant, it must align more precisely with business strategy and impact. Does skills-based transformation offer the clearest route to get there?

Forward-thinking companies aren't treating this as another HR trend. They're using skills-based approaches, accelerated by AI, to drive revenue, unlock talent mobility, and reshape how work gets done.

In episode 734 of Recruiting Future, I spoke to Craig Friedman, Talent Skills Transformation Leader at St. Charles Consulting Group and author of the book Enterprise Skills Unlocked.

We discussed:

• How to move from skills-curious to skills-ready
• Why capability planning is replacing headcount planning
• Where AI fits in the new talent equation
• What it means for the role of Talent Acquisition

🔎 Listen by searching Recruiting Future wherever you get your podcasts

25/09/2025

Are job interviews still fit for purpose?

The job interview has been a staple of hiring for more than 100 years, with Thomas Edison widely credited as its original architect. But in today's fast-changing world of work, are interviews in their current form still the best way to assess talent? And if not, what should replace them?

On Episode 732 of Recruiting Future , I spoke with Sarah Lamontagne, founder of Montagne Motion Consulting. Drawing on her extensive recruiting experience, Sarah makes the case for moving beyond interviews and adopting new assessment methods that allow candidates to demonstrate their skills at scale.

We discuss:

• Why job interviews are no longer fit for purpose
• Alternative methods of assessment for modern hiring
• How technology and a new generation of workers are driving change

Listen to the episode by searching for Recruiting Future wherever you listen to podcasts

23/09/2025

While tech hiring overall remains sluggish, demand for experienced AI professionals—especially at the leadership level—is exploding. With unprecedented salaries being offered by the biggest AI players, how can other employers compete? And what do TA teams need to know to attract and retain this scarce talent?

On Episode 731 of Recruiting Future, I spoke with Rebecca Hastings, Founder of Lucent Search. With over 15 years of experience hiring AI leaders, Rebecca shares new research into what top AI professionals really want and offers valuable advice for TA leaders navigating this ultra-competitive space.

Key topics include:
• The rise of the Chief AI Officer and reshaping of the C-Suite
• What motivates AI leaders to change jobs
• Why humans are still critical in AI projects and transformations

18/09/2025

Is recruitment marketing stuck in a rut?

Jobseeker behaviour is shifting fast, driven by Gen AI and social media. Yet many employers are still relying on outdated tactics, with overdependence on job boards, poor career site conversion, and little visibility into ROI. Shockingly, some TA teams still aren't correctly measuring the value their recruitment marketing spend delivers.

On Episode 730 of Recruiting Future, I spoke with Neil Costa, Founder & CEO of HireClix. Neil shares a frank assessment of where recruitment marketing stands today and explains how TA leaders can modernise their approach to gain a competitive advantage.

Key topics include:

• Standing out in a multigenerational talent market
• Optimising for AI, search, and social
• Keeping marketing momentum with reduced budgets
• The vital importance of metrics and ROI
• The power of authenticity in an AI driven world

16/09/2025

Is your organisation ready to adopt AI responsibly?

The AI landscape in recruiting is evolving at speed. Vendors are racing to add features, and employers are eager to embrace transformation. But navigating this shift successfully requires understanding what questions to ask and which foundations to build. From vendor transparency to compliance, from bias auditing to data governance, the path to effective AI implementation is not a simple one.

On Episode 729 of Recruiting Future, I spoke to Martyn Redstone about governance, risk, and innovating in the right way.

Key topics include:

• Why false AI confidence is dangerous
• Vendor evaluation and third-party auditing
• Shadow AI, data governance, and bias risks
• Global regulatory landscape challenges
• Why guardrails actually accelerate innovation

Listen to the episode by searching for Recruiting Future wherever you listen to podcasts.

11/09/2025

Bias in recruiting isn't just unfair — it's expensive.

Many employers are missing out on top talent, not because of bad interviews, but because of hidden bias earlier in the process. Job descriptions, CV screening, and tech choices are often stacked against candidates before they even apply.

In Episode 728 of Recruiting Future, Matt Alder spoke with Bas van de Haterd, co-founder of the TA Audit Institute, about where bias really hides in recruiting — and what we can do to fix it.

They discussed:

• How early-stage bias is distorting hiring outcomes
• Why most anti-bias solutions miss the mark
• What the data says about gender, job fit, and experience
• Whether AI is helping or making things worse
• How to build fairer, more effective hiring systems

Listen by searching for Recruiting Future wherever you get your podcasts.

09/09/2025

Many professionals are quietly battling anxiety, sleep disruption, and physical exhaustion while maintaining a facade of having everything under control. TA leaders are currently navigating AI adoption, defending budgets, managing anxious teams, and are still expected to fill critical roles faster than ever.

So what kinds of systems can you put in place to prioritise your own wellbeing, while still making a lasting impact in your business?

My guest on Episode 727 of Recruiting Future is Chris Ducker, a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author. Chris suffered a severe burnout in 2021 and has used the lessons it taught him to develop a Life Operating System that sits at the centre of his new book "The Long Haul Leader."

In the interview, we discuss:

• Building long-term business impact in disruptive times

• Why self-care is strategic

• The myth of work-life balance

• Recognising the warning signs and avoiding burnout

• The four key areas of the Life OS and how they intersect to drive results

The Recruiting Future Podcast

12/11/2025

10/11/2025

07/11/2025

23/10/2025

14/10/2025

09/10/2025

25/09/2025

23/09/2025

18/09/2025

16/09/2025

11/09/2025

09/09/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share