In this episode of The Changing State of Talent Acquisition, hosts Graham Thornton and Martin Predd welcome Maria Christopoulos Katris, Founder and CEO of Built In. Maria shares her 15-year journey growing Built In from a Chicago-based tech community to a global recruitment platform, offering sharp insights into why traditional applicant tracking systems (ATS) are failing to capture the full candidate journey and how employer branding has become a cornerstone of modern talent acquisition. With Built In’s latest trends report as a backdrop, Maria reveals why companies are doubling down on employer brand investments and how referrals are surging as a top channel for tech talent—while also exposing the limitations of relying on them.

Topics include:

• The evolution of recruitment from job boards to a marketing-driven discipline
• Why ATS source-of-hire data is only 20% accurate and how to move beyond it
• The rise of employer branding as a core pillar of talent acquisition
• The surge in referrals for tech talent and their potential impact on diversity
• Strategies for improving candidate experience and treating applicants like consumers
• The growing importance of employer branding for internal retention
• How to educate executives on the value of employer brand investments when ROI is challenging to measure

Links:

Maria Christopoulos Katris, Founder and CEO of Built In

• LinkedIn
• Built In 2025 Talent Trend Report
• Connect with the Built In team to learn more about how a recruitment marketing approach will help you attract top talent."

Tune in to discover how to transform your talent acquisition strategy by embracing recruitment as marketing and building a candidate-centric employer brand that stands out in today’s competitive landscape.

In this thought-provoking episode, we welcome Alex Swartsel, leader of JFF Labs Insights Practice at Jobs for the Future, to explore the growing AI skills gap and its implications for the future of work. Alex shares eye-opening research showing how AI usage in the workplace skyrocketed from 8% to 35% in just one year, while revealing a concerning disparity: 60% of employees are using AI for self-directed learning, yet only 16% have access to employer-provided AI tools.

Our conversation dives into what makes a "quality job" in today's economy and JFF's ambitious mission to see 75 million Americans working in quality jobs within the next decade. Alex unpacks how AI is transforming both educational settings and workplaces, challenging traditional notions of digital literacy and reshaping the skills landscape.

You'll discover why the most valuable future skills may not be AI-specific technical abilities, but rather the "human skills" that AI can't replicate—creativity, critical thinking, communication, and adaptability. Alex also explores how different educational institutions are navigating AI adoption and the policies that could help create more equitable access.

Whether you're an HR professional, educator, or worker navigating this rapidly evolving landscape, this episode offers critical insights on how we can ensure AI becomes a technology that makes everyone better off, rather than deepening existing divides.

Links:

JFF Labs: The AI Ready Workforce Research Findings

Jobs for the Future

In this episode, Kyle Lagunas of Aptitude Research discusses the crucial distinction between "human-in-the-loop" and truly "human-centric" AI approaches in HR. Drawing from his extensive 15-year career studying innovation cycles in HR tech, Kyle explains why adoption rates for AI in HR are stalling despite executive support, and offers practical strategies for building AI literacy within organizations.

Topics Covered:

• The difference between human-in-the-loop vs. human-centric AI design
• Why HR departments struggle with AI adoption and tech literacy
• Practical ways to increase AI literacy within HR teams
• Evaluating AI use cases across impact, risk, and complexity
• Success stories and low-risk starting points for HR AI implementation
• Moving beyond the "bias boogeyman" in AI evaluation

Discover how to evaluate AI implementations and learn why many HR departments are starting their AI journey with conversational AI. This episode provides a nuanced framework for HR professionals looking to move beyond fear-based decision making and implement AI solutions that genuinely augment human capabilities.