Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT & Co. are increasingly being tested in recruiting. Upload a résumé, analyze a LinkedIn profile, assess personality and intelligence – and the “smart pre-selection” is done. Sounds efficient. But is it? A recent study by Tobias Marc Härtel in the Journal of Business and Psychology  examined exactly that. Microsoft Copilot analyzed 406 LinkedIn profiles. The individuals behind those profiles had previously completed validated psychological assessments

The current lawsuits against Workday  and Eightfold  mark a sharp escalation in the debate around AI in HR. And rightly so. Even though only two well-known providers of innovative recruiting solutions are involved, the implications affect every organisation that uses algorithmic systems in recruiting, especially those that have relied too heavily on technology and now bear the responsibility for it. The mere fact that the lawsuits have been admitted sends a clear and importan

Recruiters know this dynamic well: The role is critical, the business unit is under pressure, expectations are high — and suddenly the relationship with the hiring manager shows signs of strain. What begins as a constructive partnership shifts into tension. Factual discussions escalate into emotional friction. Collaboration can devolve into a power struggle, causing frustration on both sides. And yet, everyone wants the same thing: the best possible hire for the organization.

Recruiting does not end with the job advertisement. From that moment on, the most sensitive phase of the candidate journey begins: communication. Application confirmations, follow-up questions, interview invitations, and rejections. All of it appears to be operational communication. In reality, these are highly influential touchpoints. Language in the application process is felt more strongly than in many other settings. Candidates invest time, emotion, and hope, yet have no

Recruiting teams achieve an enormous amount every day. They fill roles under extreme time pressure, juggle hiring managers' expectations, compete in a tight talent market, and deliver a strong candidate experience. And yet, many teams don’t feel  like high-performance units. They function, but don’t dominate. They react, but rarely shape the game. True high performance in recruiting feels very different. You see it in process speed, hiring quality, the confidence with which t

For many years, my own position was clear – and it will sound familiar to many recruiting teams across the DACH region: a strong focus on the big players in the job board market. Above all, LinkedIn, complemented by Indeed, StepStone, jobs.ch, karriere.at , or other regional “big players.” The logic behind this approach was clean, rational, and easy to justify. Maximum reach. Simple processes. Clear economies of scale. One contract, one report, predictable volumes. Done. The

Again and again, I see job ads, org charts, or career frameworks that implicitly frame Talent Acquisition as an “entry function”, a “stepping stone,” or even a junior version of HR. Recruiting is the thing you do before  you move into “real” HR. This misconception is not just a technical oversight—it poses a significant strategic risk to organizations. It ignores the fact that HR and Talent Acquisition are two distinct, highly specialised disciplines that both shape organisat

Recruiting is no longer a linear process. The way people interact with employers has changed. Candidates no longer move through a predictable funnel—they encounter companies at many touchpoints: career sites, social media, review platforms, networks, job boards, referrals, and more. This diversity presents both opportunity and challenge. Recruiting is no longer just communication; it’s experience design . And that’s where touchpoint management  comes in: a marketing concept t

The idea that prompting skills – the ability to type the “right words” into an AI system – would be the key to successfully using generative AI has been one of the dominant narratives in recent years, including in Talent Acquisition. Many organizations invested heavily in prompt libraries, training, and certifications, hoping to unlock efficiency gains and higher quality outcomes. By now, however, two things have become unmistakably clear. Prompting in itself does not solve s

Leading Talent Acquisition today is a balancing act on several levels. You’re constantly navigating talent shortages, rising expectations from the business, endless KPI discussions, new tools, employer branding, candidate experience, team dynamics, and political stakeholder management. Anyone who believes TA leadership is mainly about filling open roles as quickly as possible is missing the point. Recruiting has become one of the most strategic functions in the company. Recru

The digital landscape is evolving faster than many recruiting teams can keep up with. For more than a decade, everything revolved around Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But today we are standing at the threshold of a new concept: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) . GEO refers to the optimization of content for AI-driven answer engines such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, or Microsoft Copilot. These tools are rapidly becoming the primary information source fo

In 2026, your career site will determine whether candidates can find you—both directly and through AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity. Traditional career pages resemble “job boards in corporate branding,” but modern sites must make skills visible, be structured for generative AI, and act as an analytics cockpit. Leading industry publications and market analyses agree: the future belongs to employers who unite skill-based hiring, GEO, and data-driven optimization i

…or: Things we REALLY don’t want to repeat in 2026. The Christmas decorations are barely back in their boxes, the leftover cookies are still calling from the kitchen, and yet — as every TA professional knows — January does not wait. It arrives loudly, with fireworks, unrealistic hiring forecasts, and an inbox already judging your life choices. So let’s embrace it with style. Here comes my official, slightly-too-accurate list of New Year’s Resolutions for TA Teams. Sharpen yo

Because Santa isn’t the only one who needs help this season. Ho ho ho, dear TA elves and wizards, sourcing sorcerers, candidate-whisperers, hiring–manager therapists, and everyone else who has survived another year of “urgent” reqs — gather ‘round the digital fireplace. It’s that magical time of year again when we stop pretending everything is under control and instead write a wish list. Not for Santa, no — but for something far more mysterious and unpredictable: Talent Acqui

A little while ago, I wrote about the potential of internal talent marketplaces during crises. Today, I want to dive deeper into how AI is accelerating this concept and what opportunities it creates. The world of work is changing at breakneck speed. Talent shortages, new technologies, and flexible working models are putting organizations under enormous pressure. But within this complexity lies a huge opportunity: investing in developing your existing workforce rather than rel

As recently discussed on LinkedIn in response to Persoblogger Stefan Scheller ’s  post about the future of job boards , I also believe that job boards are gradually losing relevance for both jobseekers and employers. However, it will likely take a few more years before this shift is complete. To understand this shift, let's examine which types of job boards offer the most value to jobseekers and employers in today's landscape. The job platform landscape is vast and complex.

Amid evolving labor markets, organizations face skill shortages, rapid shifts in required competencies, and high workforce mobility. Strategic talent planning is now critical. Talent Heatmap Analytics  provides clear, visual insights into workforce needs, supporting more strategic decisions. What does Talent Heatmap Analytics entail, and how can organizations utilize it effectively without significant expenditure? What Are Talent Heatmap Analytics? A Talent Heatmap  visually

Skills must be validated In recruiting circles, terms such as “ skill-based hiring,” “skills-first recruiting,”  or “competency-based selection”  are gaining popularity. Many organizations see this as the key to fairer hiring, better matches, and broader access to talent. But what’s really behind it — and where are the hidden pitfalls? What Is Skill-Based Recruiting? Skill-based recruiting shifts the focus from “what you are”  — your degree, title, or job history — to “what y

If you’ve noticed a significant drop in your LinkedIn reach over the past few months, you’re far from alone. Many users, companies, and marketers report the same trend: despite a consistent strategy, solid content, and an active community, impressions, comments, and interactions have dropped sharply. So what’s behind these shifts in your LinkedIn metrics? A closer look shows LinkedIn itself is evolving—both technically and  strategically. The algorithm (the software that deci

I recently read The Alignment Advantage Report by Checkr , which surveyed 3,000 HR professionals and 3,000 job candidates about how AI is used and perceived in recruiting. The report offers direct comparisons of expectations and values from both groups, identifying where perceptions align and diverge. These differences reveal actionable insights for recruiting teams using AI now or in the future. The Study Base: 6,000 Perspectives on AI in Recruiting The report explores, amon