Talent Strategy
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Are you conducting structured interviews?
While AI is speeding up the process and overwhelming the teams leaders to make choices. One has to be skeptical what these technologies can deliver. I believe structured interviews conducted by talent teams who understand what to measure and score and how to conduct these interviews are still ahead of the curve. These fundamentals are statistically proven to deliver a positive outcome if done correctly. Are you conducting structured interviews and scoring candidates? 23The Dark Side of AI in Hiring: What I Saw in 2025–2026
AI has been around for years, but I have seen its biggest impact on recruitment between 2025 and 2026. In 2025, I started seeing a surge of AI enhanced fake candidates, especially in niche tech roles. Some candidates were using tools that changed their voice or fed them answers in real time, so they appeared fluent and confident in English during interviews. We even hired one candidate who seemed great in the interview, but within three days, the team noticed their communication was far below what we had assessed and we uncovered the deception. In 2026, the problem shifted from fake interviews to bulk, low‑relevance applications. Candidates are using AI to mass‑apply to roles that do not match their background at all. A Sales Executive posting can easily attract applications from architects and other unrelated profiles because AI makes it so easy to “spray and pray.” The volume goes up, but so does the noise. So what do we do as recruiters and hiring managers in 2026 and beyond? A few practical moves I would personally suggest (that's been working for my team so far..) Read the resumes manually, not just the filtered shortlist. Filters and keywords can be gamed now. Validate communication in real time with live questions and back‑and‑forth, not just scripted interviews. Use structured, behavior‑based questions that force candidates to draw on real experience. Dig into specifics of past roles to confirm they truly did the work they claim. I am not sure what 2027 will bring, but one thing is clear: as candidates become more AI‑enabled, recruiters need to become more intentional, more curious, and more human in how we assess talent. 12Is a closing role play normal in US Sales hiring?
Hi everyone, I’m looking for a bit of US sales hiring advice + recruiter recommendations. B2B SaaS company, Series B. We’re starting to look more seriously at hiring sales roles in the US, particularly SDR and Account Executive / BDM profiles, and I’d be keen to hear if anyone has worked with US-based recruiters they rate for these types of roles (mostly NY, could be national across the US). Any US sales recruiters you’ve used and would recommend? I’m also interested in understanding what’s considered normal or acceptable in the US hiring market when it comes to practical skills assessments during the hiring process for sales candidates. In other markets, for seller / closer roles, we often include a short closing roleplay as part of the interview process. It’s usually a 10–15 minute late-stage sales conversation (part of first interview out of 2 interviews) where the candidate handles objections, reinforces the business case, and closes for a clear next step. We don’t expect heavy prep beyond understanding our company, product and customer base, which we’d expect any strong sales candidate to do anyway. Is this abnormal and would turn away good talent in the US....or do the opposite and ensure we get the best talent? Keen to hear thoughts and experience! 04When Time is wasted on slides instead of influence or collaboration...
Over the past two days, I facilitated a new business area kickoff and walked away reflecting on something I see more often than we talk about. We dedicate valuable time to bringing leaders together, yet many of those moments are still used to present information rather than create alignment, dialogue, and shared ownership. In this case, we spent a significant portion of time with senior leaders walking through slides, reading content that could have been consumed in advance. Not because of lack of capability, but because we have not consistently evolved how we expect leaders to show up in these settings. It made me pause. In a world where time together is limited and increasingly valuable, the role of a leader in these moments is shifting. It is less about presenting to inform and more about facilitating to influence, engaging others, and building something collectively in the room. There is a real opportunity here to better equip leaders with the skills to: tell a compelling story create interaction and dialogue use presence to inspire alignment and action This is not about critique. It is about recognizing a shift in what great leadership communication looks like today. I am increasingly thinking about how we, in HR, can intentionally support this evolution and make “presenting to influence” a core leadership capability. Curious how others are approaching this. Are you actively upskilling leaders in how they communicate and facilitate, not just what they present? 23Employees Are Interviewing You Back
The smartest candidates aren’t just preparing answers. They’re preparing dossiers. Think about it, journalists create dossiers on political candidates before writing an exposé. Investors build dossiers on startups before committing capital. And shrewd candidates build dossiers on specific companies before accepting an offer. Before they ever say yes to an interview, they’ve already built a point of view on: Your leadership credibility Your investor pressure Your cultural signals Your growth trajectory Even your past controversies (yep, you read that right). Most companies have no idea how deeply they’re being evaluated by the candidates they’re interviewing. Where Candidates Actually Go 1. LinkedIn deep dives They read your hiring manager’s posts from 3 years ago. They check tenure patterns across your exec team. They look at who left after brief stints at the company. 2. Investor research They look up firms like Sequoia Capital or Andreessen Horowitz to understand the type of pressure you’re under. Are these blitzscale VCs? Long-term capital? Known for aggressive growth mandates? 3. Crunchbase + funding trails They track how much you’ve raised, when, and at what pace. Flat growth between rounds is a signal. So is a quiet down round. 4. Reddit + Blind They search “[Company Name] culture.” They read unfiltered threads on forums like Reddit and Blind. They pay attention to what former employees complain about. 5. Glassdoor patterns They don’t just read ratings. They look for consistency in themes like micromanagement, chaos & dysfunction, lack of strategy. 6. Press + Scandal history They Google “[Company Name] lawsuit” or “[Founder Name] controversy.” And if you think silence means safety, it’s not. It just means they’re digging deeper. The power shift is real. The best candidates aren’t impressed by brand decks and carefully manufactured social media posts. They’re pattern matching your leadership, your investors, and your behavior. The question isn’t whether they’re researching you. It’s whether what they’re finding aligns with what you’re selling. Welcome to the information age where nothing is truly hidden, and I know because I've worked at many of these companies and had to prepare to speak to some of the issues I speak of here. I also coached the hiring managers to prepare to answer - transparently - what was going on at the company that socia media doesn't tell you. So I'm curious about your take, either as a hiring manager or as a candidate. Does this sound famiiar? 65Communities ask for help
Hey everyone, don't forget that this community was built for all of you, and we all know that the BEST communities don't have all the answers - we ask for help and we shall receive. That's what I love about In Good Company - you can ask for the simplest things like a template, a policy or a basic question from someone out there who's done it before. You don't need to type up a white paper or share a 50 slide deck. Just ask for help and I'm certain this community will deliver. That includes me - anytime you need help with anything, feel free to reach out! 😀 21If job searching looks like swiping right, something’s off
Job searching has always required creativity. But when people start turning to dating apps to find work, it’s a sign the market has become especially unforgiving. I mean, honestly, I don't think I've ever been happier to leave something in the rearview mirror than dating apps and swiping left and right. In a brutal job market, some job seekers are using dating platforms as informal networking channels. They're looking for conversations, connections, and opportunities they struggle to access through traditional paths. Is it desperation? Maybe. We're in desperate times. But if we want to call it by its true name, it sounds more like "adaptation." When we see creativity like this, it’s a huge tell that the system isn’t meeting people where they are or giving them enough ways to be seen, understood, and matched to the right opportunities. This is an opportunity to reflect for employers. If qualified candidates feel forced to swipe right just to be seen, what’s broken in our hiring process? 10Stagnation is a bigger flight risk than your competitors
What if the biggest risk to your talent isn’t competition but stagnation? New data shows top performers are walking away not because of pay or perks, but because their careers stopped moving forward. In nearly every industry, promotions and internal mobility are slowing, leaving high achievers feeling stuck, disengaged, and ultimately ready to leave. Focusing on external hiring challenges won’t fix this. The real threat isn’t that someone else will poach your people. It’s that your people feel there’s nowhere left for them to grow. Trust, motivation, and engagement aren’t built through titles alone. They’re built when leaders create clear pathways, champion development, and meet people where they are, especially as work changes around them. 00Inside HiBob’s Leadership CODE: Part 2 - Activate
Most leadership models/frameworks fail – not because they’re not right for the company – but because they never make it off the slides. I’ve seen it happen too many times, and I imagine you have too. Months of thoughtful design meetings, a polished slide deck (TBH probably version 36.5), a big internal launch… and then, crickets. Very little actually changes. And we wonder why it doesn’t stick. When we built and launched Leadership CODE at HiBob – our compass for exceptional leadership – we wanted to make sure we didn’t fall into that trap. Our goal wasn’t to introduce a new model. It was to bring it to life. That means helping every leader connect to it personally and collectively, and build the confidence to live our CODE habits IRL (see my previous post for the habits!) So instead of a typical announcement, we ran a global activation — over 20 workshops, reaching 300+ leaders across every level, from Team Leads to our C-level. Here’s what made the difference 👇 Senior Sponsorship from the Start: Every CODE workshop was co-facilitated by a C-level or VP, alongside a People & Culture Partner and a Talent & Learning facilitator. That sent a powerful signal that CODE isn’t a HR initiative — it’s our shared compass. We even provided senior leaders with Leadership CODE soundbites — sticky phrases for culturally important moments like team meetings, 1:1s, hallway chats, and more Practical & Engaging Workshops: Each workshop followed a simple flow: 💡 Why CODE matters — what’s in it for you and for HiBob 🎯 What CODE looks like in real life — stories of leadership in action 🧭 How to grow — self-assessing strengths and stretches, using CODE cards (more on this below) 🚀 What’s next — how we’re making it stick Every workshop was also a listening opportunity — helping us learn what’s resonating or not with our leaders, and how we can better support them Synced with Performance & Development: We intentionally timed the launch of CODE to take place 3 months before HiGrowth, our people process for Bobbers and leaders to review performance and development at HiBob. This was another critical activation point – leaders self-reflected and received feedback from their manager/others on how they’re living our Leadership CODE. This meant that early on, CODE was embedded into how we talk about performance and development, and not a separate concept. Getting Creative with CODE Cards: To reinforce learning, we even designed Leadership CODE Cards. Each deck had four categories of cards: Habit Definitions, Habit Red Flags, Habit Reflectors (thought-provoking questions), and Habit Builders (microtips and hacks). We used these cards during the activation workshops, and gave them to every leader as a tool for self-reflection and team reflection. So after all that, what was the early feedback? “The Leadership CODE workshop was a massive hit! The energy was incredible, everyone leaned in, embraced the CODE, and kept using it throughout.” “It didn’t feel like two hours, it just flew by - so much rich conversation in the room.” “Thank you again for last week’s workshop on CODE habits. This was incredibly useful. I don’t remember a workshop I’ve learnt so much from in such a short time .” “We’re already using the CODE cards to help leaders think about how they can tackle everyday leadership situations differently.” “Straight away we've incorporated much of the Leadership CODE with how we work with each other and our teams. Really clear takeaways on areas of improvement for myself and how I show up with my team.” “I’ve seen leadership models before and this really is the next level.” The biggest lesson for us? Don’t launch a leadership model — activate it. Let people see it, feel it, and make it theirs. For those of you leading similar work: How have you helped leadership model come alive in your organizations? What’s worked — and what would you do differently next time? ➡️ Next up in this series: Stage 3 — Make It Stick. I’ll share how we’re embedding CODE into our leadership journeys, talent practices, even AI Coaches — and how we know it’s working. 11The most successful job posting focused less on duties, and more on impact
I've recently worked with a company to rewrite their job descriptions to focus on the problems the role solves rather than just listing responsibilities. For example, instead of “Manage weekly team meetings,” we used “Lead conversations that identify blockers and improve project flow.” It instantly shifted the tone from tasks to purpose, and applications from high performers increased noticeably (while making it easier to filter out the bad fits). What’s worked best for you when trying to signal meaningful instead of more work? 46
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