We are woefully behind in publishing our Talent Grind Live! episodes, so this is us playing catch up.
In this Talent Grind Live session, Alex Mann and I dove deep into the current state of recruiting, the impact of AI, and how professionals can position themselves for success in this evolving landscape.
The Economy and Recruiting: "The State of the Union Is Not Good"
We started by acknowledging the challenging economic environment. As Alex put it, channeling Gerald Ford: "The state of the union is not good." This sentiment reflects what many recruiters are experiencing - a frozen job market with companies cutting back to the bone and overloading their existing employees rather than bringing on new talent.
What's particularly interesting is that while there appears to be some uptick in recruiting activity, it's not necessarily translating to new recruiter hires. Instead, companies are demanding more from their existing talent acquisition teams:
"In the last week I've done multiple digit calls with recruiters and I have heard less about hiring recruiters and more that we need tools to help us because the demand is so high... recruiters have been told 'do more with less, and we're gonna give you the AI tools to try and figure out how to make that happen.'"
The AI Revolution in Recruiting
The conversation turned to how AI is reshaping the talent acquisition landscape. I shared my perspective that we're likely experiencing an "AI-speed recovery" - where the pace of technological advancement is dictating how quickly the market will rebound.
One of the most striking points came from a recent statement by Dario from Anthropic:
Within 12 months, a hundred percent of code [will be written by AI].
This has profound implications for how we think about hiring technical talent and what skills will be most valuable in the future. As I mentioned, "The strategy, working with Claude, asking it questions, diving in" is becoming the most important part of the process - not the actual coding itself.
The Future of Business: 10,000 Smaller Companies vs. Massive Corporations
A theme we've discussed in previous episodes resurfaced:
"There's not gonna be 1000, 10,000 person businesses. There's probably more likely gonna be 10,000, 1000 person people businesses."
This speaks to how AI is fundamentally shifting business models. While large corporations struggle to retrofit AI strategies from the top down, smaller, nimbler organizations can build AI-native approaches from the ground up.
The Value of Relationships in an AI-Driven World
Despite all the technological advancements, we both strongly agreed that human relationships remain paramount. When discussing recruiting automation:
"You still need the human factor for that emotional, that critical thinking, that piece... Because part of why you join or you stay with a company is who you're gonna be working with."
Even as AI takes over more routine aspects of recruiting, the core human elements of building relationships, understanding nuance, and making connections will become even more valuable.
Personal Branding in 2025
We also discussed the critical importance of personal branding in today's professional landscape:
"I'm trying to be a leader and serve by example, by saying if I can come out and start doing all this social media content stuff, like you can do it. I'm sorry I'm not the biggest fan of doing this stuff, but it's critically important."
The reality is that developing your personal brand through content creation has become an essential part of career development - especially for those in recruiting and talent acquisition roles. As we discussed, the payoff isn't immediate, but building this presence consistently creates long-term value.
Looking Forward
As we navigate these uncertain times, a few key strategies emerge:
Focus on relationship building - This will be more important than ever as technology handles more of the transactional aspects of work
Embrace AI as augmentation - Look for ways to leverage AI to make you more effective, not replace your work
Develop your personal brand - Consistently create valuable content that showcases your expertise
Consider specializing in recruiting operations - As processes become more complex and AI-driven, those who understand how to design and optimize recruiting systems will be in high demand
What are your thoughts on the current state of recruiting? How are you adapting your approach in this changing landscape? Join the conversation in the comments below or in our Talent Grind community.
Talent Grind is a community dedicated to sharing knowledge, insights, and resources to help recruiters navigate the evolving world of talent acquisition. Join our community on Substack or LinkedIn to continue the conversation.
This post was created from our Talent Grind Live session with Michael Doran and Alex Mann on March 13, 2025.
Share this post