Career development

 6h

Dubai-based founder flags concern after Gen Z candidate questions basic company details: 'Being young isn't an excuse'


Candidates are often asked tricky questions in job interviews, but one recent Gen Z candidate left a founder completely stunned with a simple query.

Mahima Jalan, Dubai-based founder of Sorted Brand, shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting what she sees as a worrying trend among younger professionals.

"Gen Z has a different way of working," the caption of the post reads.

The... question left her surprised, as not knowing basic company details during a job interview is considered poor work etiquette, regardless of age.

"The job description, hiring message, and emails were already shared. Not knowing basic details is poor work etiquette. Being young isn't an excuse." Jalan adds.

Jalan emphasised that serious businesses cannot run on vibes alone. They rely on preparation and ownership. Knowing key information about a company is part of showing professionalism and respect for the interviewer.

"Even for a 15-minute call, I research the client. Serious businesses don't run on vibes. They run on ownership and preparation," she adds.

HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when she responds. more

Career development

 7h

Global Technical Recruiters: How AI-Powered Headhunters Help Startups Hire Faster in 2026


Global Technical Recruiters: How AI-Powered Headhunters Help Startups Hire Faster in 2026

How startups & hiring teams can use AI to hire faster, better, and cheaper

The top 2 AI recruiting software cased on my test results --

AI Recruiting Software Comparison Table

Table of Contents

· Introduction: AI is transforming recruiting in 2026

· What is AI Recruiting Software?

∘ Global technical... recruiters: what they do (and where AI fits)

∘ Global technical recruiters vs recruiting agencies vs AI recruiting software

∘ Why AI is replacing traditional hiring agencies

∘ How AI changed the hiring workflow

· The 5 Best Recruiting Sourcing Tools (AI platforms) for Global Technical Hiring

· 1. Job Compass

· 2. Jack & Jill

· 3. AI HeadHunter

· 4. Juicebox

· 5. OpenJobs AI

· Benefits of using AI for recruiting

· Who Needs Global Technical Recruiters (and/or Sourcing Tools)?

· FAQs

· Final thoughts: Should you trust AI to hire for you?

Introduction: AI is transforming recruiting in 2026

I didn't believe global technical recruiters could scale hiring without burning out. This was until I watched AI sourcing tools do the heavy lifting in real time.

Not "AI assisting recruiters." I mean tools that automate sourcing, screening, and scheduling so recruiters (or lean startup teams) can focus on judgment and closing.

Three months ago, I was refreshing my inbox waiting for agency profiles for a technical hire. I spent three weeks waiting for a recruiting agency to send me candidate profiles for a technical content writer I desperately needed to fill. The agency promised me "carefully vetted candidates within 10 business days." Day 14 arrived with two resumes; one candidate had customer service experience but had never written technical documentation. The other looked promising, but ghosted me after I sent the interview invitation. By this time, I knew I had wasted $407 total on agency fees and LinkedIn job postings.

I only tried AI recruiting because I was desperate and tired of the endless manual work. Within 48 hours, I had 12 pre-screened candidates who actually matched my job requirements. Not close matches where I'd have to compromise on something important; actual fits. My most recent hire took nine days with maybe four hours of total effort on my part.

This changed how I think about hiring completely. The old way isn't just slower or more expensive. It's fundamentally broken, and most of us keep using it because we don't realize how much better the alternative actually is.

I'm going to walk you through five AI recruiting platforms I tested myself over the past two months. Real results with screenshots, actual workflows, the mistakes I made so you won't have to, and exactly how much time and money each platform saved me. This isn't speculation about what AI might do eventually. This is what's already working right now for startups, hiring managers, and founders. If you're looking for the best AI recruiting software or want an AI headhunter for startup hiring, this guide is for you.

🙌 Affiliate Disclosure

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I trust or use myself. Your support keeps my content journey going -- thank you!

What is AI Recruiting Software?

AI recruiting software automates the hiring tasks that used to steal entire days from your calendar. The hours you spent reading resumes at midnight, the endless email threads trying to schedule interviews, the spreadsheet you swore you'd organize tomorrow. All of it gets handled automatically.

What happens behind the scenes looks like this:

- You describe the person you need to hire.

- The AI immediately starts searching job boards, LinkedIn, professional networks, and candidate databases you didn't even know existed.

- It reads every resume it finds, evaluates how well each person matches your requirements, and ranks them for you.

- By the time you check back an hour later, you've got a list of top candidates waiting for review.

What used to take three weeks of your nights and weekends now happens in 48 hours while you're doing literally anything else.

Global technical recruiters: what they do (and where AI fits)

Global technical recruiters help companies hire engineers across regions, time zones, and markets without slowing down. Their job goes far beyond posting roles and collecting resumes.

They handle global sourcing across different geographies, balancing time zones, local talent availability, and compensation expectations that vary widely by region. They --

- Screen for real technical ability, not just buzzwords, which is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone parts of hiring.

- Spend a significant amount of time reaching out to passive candidates: engineers who aren't actively job hunting but are open to the right opportunity.

- Navigate immigration limits, contractor models, or Employer-of-Record (EOR) setups, which adds another layer of complexity.

This is where AI fits in. Recruiting tools help recruiters search larger talent pools, evaluate candidates consistently, and surface the best matches faster, without manually reviewing hundreds of profiles.

Global technical recruiters vs recruiting agencies vs AI recruiting software

Global technical recruiting systems take over the hiring work that used to steal your nights and weekends:

- Find candidates you'd never discover on your own -- The AI searches everywhere simultaneously, including passive candidates who aren't actively job hunting but would be perfect for your role. You're not limited to whoever happened to see your job posting.

- Screen resumes faster than humanly possible -- It reads and evaluates hundreds of applications in seconds, pulling out relevant experience and skills automatically. No more wondering if you missed something important in resume number 83.

- Rank every candidate by actual fit -- You get match percentages based on your specific requirements, not just keyword counting. The AI understands context, so it won't skip someone great just because they used different terminology than your job description.

- Run initial interviews while you sleep -- AI video screening asks pre-qualifying questions, evaluates responses, and flags strong performers before you ever join a call. You only talk to people who've already cleared the first hurdle.

- Predict who'll actually succeed long-term -- The software analyzes patterns from thousands of past hires to show you which candidates are most likely to thrive in the role and stick around. Companies using this report much better retention rates.

- Handle all the follow-up emails you dread writing -- Automated updates keep candidates informed without you drafting the same "thanks for applying" message 50 times. Everyone hears back quickly, and your inbox stays manageable.

- Catch the fakes before they waste your time -- Advanced detection identifies AI-generated applications, verifies identities through video analysis, and flags suspicious patterns. This has become critical as remote hiring grows and fraudulent candidates get more sophisticated.

Why AI is replacing traditional hiring agencies

Traditional recruiting agencies charge $10,000-$15,000 per mid-level hire and take weeks to deliver a handful of candidates. AI recruiting software costs $100-$400 monthly and finds hundreds of matches in hours.

The operational differences tell the rest of the story. While agencies operate during standard business hours, AI runs around the clock. Their recruiters search through existing networks and contact lists. AI searches everywhere simultaneously, from job boards to LinkedIn to professional databases.

Human recruiters make subjective calls about which candidates to send your way. AI evaluates every person against the exact criteria you defined upfront, with no bias or gut feelings influencing the results.

How AI changed the hiring workflow

The old way: Post a job, wait for applications, manually read through hundreds of resumes, schedule interviews one by one, and hope you didn't miss someone great.

The AI way: Describe what you need, the software searches and screens automatically, you review top matches with clear fit explanations. The system handles scheduling, and you only join for interviews and final decisions.

Traditional hiring forced you to choose between speed and thoroughness; AI gives you both. You're actively hunting for talent across multiple platforms instead of hoping candidates find you. You're reviewing objective match scores instead of trying to remember which resume mentioned what skills.

This switch from gut feeling to consistent criteria is what makes this actually sustainable long-term.

The 5 Best Recruiting Sourcing Tools (AI platforms) for Global Technical Hiring

I tested five different platforms over the past two months, but only two were fully available for hands-on testing. The other three are still in early access, so I explored their websites, requested demos, and documented what they promise to deliver.

For the two I could actually use, I treated them like real hiring scenarios with my work email, complete onboarding, and actual job requirements. What I learned was worth the effort. For the three early-access platforms, I'm documenting what they promise, how their systems function, and whether they're worth joining the waitlist for. Full testing updates will come once they're publicly available.

1. Job Compass

Job Compass calls itself "the world's first AI-human hybrid headhunter," and that's the most accurate description I've seen for what they're actually doing. Most platforms are either fully automated or fully human. This one deliberately combines both, and the difference shows up immediately in how they work.

The best of both worlds

Pure AI recruiting buries you under hundreds of profiles where half barely match your requirements. Traditional recruiters solve the quality problem, but take three weeks to send five candidates, and even then, two didn't read your job description. Job Compass fixes both issues at once. Their AI searches everywhere simultaneously while real humans review every profile and filter out the noise before it reaches you. You get automation speed without the overwhelm, and human judgment without the wait.

Their homepage makes the promise clear: "Speed from AI. Precision from humans. Zero noise". They claim 48-hour turnaround for first matches and say 50% of delivered candidates actually get hired. If those numbers hold up, you're spending way less time interviewing people who won't work out.

What happened when I tested it

At the bottom of their site, I found the form and decided to run through it myself. I wanted to see firsthand what early access looks like.

It asked the basics: what role was I filling, part-time or full-time, salary range, candidate location, and what success actually looks like in this position? I filled it out for my technical content writer search. Part-time role, $60,000-$80,000 salary, remote location, success meaning clear content that helps people understand and trust the product. The whole thing took maybe three minutes. No uploading 10-page job descriptions or answering 20 questions about company culture.

After submitting, I got a confirmation with a green checkmark. Simple, clear, and I knew exactly what to expect next.

How their process works

During those three to four days, the system runs a two-part workflow that combines the best of both worlds. Job Compass breaks its workflow into three clear steps:

Step 1- Define your brief

You share the role, key requirements, and must-have skills. That's all they need to start the search. The form I filled out covered exactly this: role title, type, salary range, location, and what success looks like.

Step 2 -- AI plus human screening

This is where the hybrid model kicks in; AI finds the talent by searching across platforms and databases, and Humans choose the top 1% based on fit, quality, and intent. No spam, no random outreach, only serious matches. According to their site, this combination means you're getting candidates who actually align with what you described, not just keyword matches.

Step 3 -- Curated in 48 hours

You get a tight shortlist built to convert, with each candidate coming with a quick rationale explaining why they're worth your time. The promise is one to three strong options instead of 50 maybes.

Core features

AI-powered sourcing engine -- It finds people you'd never discover on your own. It searches beyond your network and surfaces candidates recruiters typically miss. The talent pool is significantly larger, which makes a real difference for niche technical roles.

Human vetting -- It's where the value shows up; every profile gets manually reviewed before reaching you. Only high-quality, relevant candidates make it through. You're not wasting hours on people who didn't read your requirements or sent generic applications to 50 companies.

Personal outreach -- This feature changes response rates completely. Candidates get contacted individually, not through mass emails. When outreach feels human and personalized, candidates respond faster, engage genuinely, and enter your pipeline with actual intent. This also protects your brand from being associated with spammy AI-recruiter tactics.

Pricing

Job Compass charges 12% of the hired candidate's annual salary, plus a one-time $299 activation fee. That fee covers initial setup, role alignment, and first-round sourcing. Once you hire someone, the $299 gets deducted from your final placement cost.

This pricing sits between software platforms ($100-$400 monthly) and traditional agencies (15-20% of salary). You only pay when you actually hire someone, reducing risk versus monthly subscriptions.

Use cases

If you're hiring for the first time and feeling overwhelmed, the curated model removes the anxiety.

- Startups without dedicated HR -- You need someone fast, but don't have time to learn recruiting tools. Job Compass handles sourcing and screening while you focus on your product.

- Remote-first companies -- Finding passive candidates across locations requires broader reach than your network. Their AI scans databases you wouldn't access manually.

- Technical roles with niche skills -- When hiring AI engineers or cloud architects, generic job boards don't cut it. Human screening catches the difference between buzzwords and actual expertise.

- High-volume hiring -- Filling multiple roles in tight timelines gets messy. Job Compass runs parallel searches and delivers curated shortlists per role.

Getting access

Job Compass is in early access, so the full platform isn't open to everyone yet. You can book a demo through their site to see how it works and discuss your needs. The booking runs through Cal.com and lets you schedule a 30-minute meeting directly.

JobCompass sits at the intersection of global technical recruiting and AI sourcing, combining automated talent discovery with human judgment to deliver curated shortlists instead of noisy pipelines.

I'll update this guide with complete hands-on results once they open more widely. For now, if AI speed plus human curation appeals to you, their demo is your next step.

2. Jack & Jill

The first time someone mentioned Jack & Jill to me, I genuinely thought they were joking. A recruiting platform named after the nursery rhyme, were we hiring toddlers now? But after exploring how the dual-agent system actually functions, the name stopped sounding silly and started sounding smart.

Jack is an AI recruiter dedicated entirely to candidates and Jill is an AI recruiter dedicated entirely to companies. You're not operating software or running searches yourself; you're hiring two agents who handle sourcing, screening, and coordination while you focus on running your business. They communicate behind the scenes, and when they both agree there's a strong match, they broker the introduction automatically.

Two sides of the same platform

Jack & Jill operate as two distinct experiences depending on whether you're a candidate or a company.

Jack: For candidates finding their next role

Jack helps job seekers discover opportunities they'd never find on their own. He runs a 20-minute profile interview, searches 10,000 new jobs every hour, and only shows you roles actually worth seeing.

The best part is that he's completely free; sign up with your regular email, and he starts working immediately. Over 49,000 candidates have already talked to Jack.

Jill: For companies hiring top talent

Jill works exclusively with employers, building detailed role profiles and matching candidates from Jack's network. She spends time understanding your company and who'll actually thrive in the role, then scans thousands of conversations to find ideal matches.

Unlike Jack, Jill requires a corporate email; I tried signing in with my personal Gmail and got blocked immediately. The platform strictly enforces this to keep the hiring side legitimate.

Testing Jill: My hands-on experience

Once I signed up with my corporate email, Jill took me through five onboarding stages.

One of these stages asked me for the job title, location, and a detailed job description, including a smart option to hide my company name from public postings.

The process felt intentional and not rushed. Each stage collected specific information needed to start the search properly.

After completing the initial setup, she scheduled a kickoff call. The call lasted about 10 minutes and felt like talking to a certified talent recruiter who has a database of every professional in the world.

Jill's sole purpose during this conversation was to find multiple candidates exactly how I wanted them for my role. She asked questions I wasn't expecting: how long of a tenure was I looking for, did the candidate need any specific prior experience, what was I looking for beyond the job description. The interface was conversational and conducted via voice, asking niche, deep questions and validated my responses in real-time. The entire experience felt less like filling out forms and more like strategizing with a human recruiter who genuinely understood what I needed. After the call ended, Jill gave me a notification

and took me straight to the dashboard.

I went to the AI chat feature immediately and typed "What skills should I prioritize for this role?" Jill responded with a well-written answer tailored to my exact needs. She broke down must-have dealbreakers versus nice-to-haves, explaining which requirements were hardest to teach and where I could stay flexible.

This strategic layer separated Jill from every other recruiting tool I'd tested. She wasn't just finding candidates; she was helping me think through the hiring decision itself.

Around five minutes after being on the platform, Jill surfaced the first profile; in just 5 minutes.

She told me everything about the person's background, experience, specific skills, and whether they were suitable according to the role's needs. There was an option to "Request Intro" right there.

One click, and Jill coordinates with Jack to reach out and gauge the candidate's interest.

Within an hour, Jill had found multiple candidates. I wasn't sorting through hundreds of resumes wondering which ones mattered. I was reviewing curated matches with clear explanations of why each person fit.

On the right side of the dashboard, I could see complete candidate details: educational background, work experience, certifications, and the tools they excelled in. Everything was organized cleanly, making evaluation fast.

Each profile also had a "Pass" option to remove candidates from my results immediately without awkward follow-up emails.

Above all of these features, there's an "Edit Brief" option that lets you change any detail you initially provided. Jill adjusts her search based on the updated brief.

The Pipeline section shows total connections where you've requested intros and who's actually responded. You can see at a glance where each candidate stands: Introduction Requested, Introduction Made, or Archived.

I could also add multiple roles simultaneously, and Jill handles them all in parallel without me juggling separate processes.

Core features

- Activity tracking -- Green means active, yellow means passive, gray means inactive. You know exactly who's ready to engage versus who'll ghost you. Jill prioritizes candidates based on these signals.

- Coordinated introductions -- Jill messages Jack before making any intro. Jack evaluates if the role fits what the candidate wants. If it makes sense, the introduction happens with full context on both sides. No awkward cold emails with the turnaround of 24-48 hours.

- Strategic recruiting advice -- Ask Jill recruiting strategy questions anytime. Should you prioritize one skill over another? Where can you stay flexible? You're getting a recruiting consultant who understands what you're trying to accomplish.

- Team collaboration -- Invite peers so everyone's connected to the hiring process. No more forwarding resumes through Slack or losing track of who reviewed which candidate.

Pricing

- Pay 10% of the first-year salary only when you actually hire someone. No upfront fees, and you get everything back if they leave within three months.

- If you're VC-backed, your first hire is completely free, worth up to £25,000 or $32,000.

Use cases

- Startups scaling quickly -- Fast-growing companies filling multiple roles simultaneously with access to passive candidates from top companies.

- Technical hiring managers -- Niche technical positions requiring specific expertise, where conversational AI catches nuances that keyword searches miss.

- Competitive talent markets -- Roles where top talent isn't actively on job boards and you're tired of candidate ghosting.

Final verdict

Jack & Jill stands out for one simple reason: it lets hiring teams skip upfront risk while still getting high-intent, pre-vetted candidates. The pay-only-when-you-hire approach aligns incentives in a way traditional agencies rarely do. This makes every introduction feel more intentional and less like a numbers game. For lean teams that care about outcomes more than activity, it turns recruiting from a gamble into a measured, trackable process.

3. AI HeadHunter

Every time you manually scan another resume, that's a tiny tax on your future income. You pay it in energy, focus, and missed opportunities for higher-value work.

AI HeadHunter removes that tax. It handles the repetitive, pattern-based evaluation work at scale, leaving you with the part humans are still best at: reading between the lines and deciding who actually gets introduced to your client.

What it does

AI HeadHunter automates outbound recruiting from the moment you define a role to the moment you're ready to make an offer. You're not posting jobs and hoping someone applies. You're actively hunting candidates across LinkedIn, GitHub, databases, and professional networks most recruiters never touch. The platform learned from 55,000+ analyzed resumes, so it knows the difference between genuine expertise and someone who just memorized the right buzzwords.

The workflow moves faster than you're probably used to. Automated interviews screen each candidate based on what the role actually needs. Scoring happens using consistent criteria so your personal biases don't filter out strong people, and outreach runs on autopilot.

You're not spending three days coordinating calendars through 12-email threads just to book one intro call. When you find someone worth moving forward with, everything exports directly into whatever ATS you're already using. Your team doesn't learn new software or rebuild workflows that already work fine.

What makes this platform different starts with who built it. The same team created Interview Screener, an AI platform already handling automated candidate evaluation for other companies. They've shipped working products before, which means you're not betting on someone's first experiment with recruiting AI. The beta invite was still open when I checked, so you can get access now instead of waiting six months on a waitlist.

Core features

Smart sourcing -- The AI searches everywhere simultaneously and surfaces passive candidates who aren't even looking yet. This means you're finding people your competitors don't know exist.

Profile enrichment -- Candidate data gets pulled from public sources automatically and built into comprehensive profiles without you visiting five different websites.

Resume parsing -- The system extracts and structures resume information in seconds, understanding context and intent beyond surface-level keywords.

Candidate scoring -- You get match percentages based on your specific requirements with clear explanations of why someone scored high or low.

Semantic scoring -- If a job requires "LLM summarization" and a resume mentions "building RAG pipelines," the system recognizes they're describing the same capability despite completely different wording.

ATS integration -- Everything exports directly to your existing applicant tracking system without rebuilding workflows or forcing tool switches.

Chrome extension (Coming Soon) -- Launch personalized, AI-powered messages from LinkedIn, GitHub, or any talent profile with a single click, with real-time scraping and auto-invite tracking.

5,000+ tool integrations -- Works seamlessly with Salesforce, LinkedIn, Gmail, Notion, Zapier, Google, Outlook, and Slack without writing a single line of code.

High-value placement focus -- Built specifically for executive, healthcare, finance, legal, and life sciences roles where salaries range from $250,000 to $2 million. This means every week saved directly increases your annual income.

Use cases

- Independent recruiters -- If you're competing with 10-person agency teams while working solo, AI HeadHunter gives you the same sourcing speed without hiring help.

- Startup and SME HR teams -- If you're juggling recruitment plus 12 other responsibilities, the platform screens candidates automatically so you only interview people who actually fit.

- Recruitment agencies -- If you're managing 20 roles across 10 clients, automation runs parallel searches and surfaces top matches without you sorting hundreds of profiles manually.

Getting early access

AI HeadHunter is in early access, so the full platform isn't publicly available yet. You can request a demo

or join the early access list through their website.

Once I get hands-on access and run real hiring scenarios, I'll update this guide with honest assessments of whether the platform delivers on its promises. For now, if you're placing high-value candidates and speed determines whether you win or lose searches, joining the waitlist makes sense.

4. Juicebox

I used to spend three hours scraping LinkedIn for maybe 50 usable profiles. With Juicebox, one search returned 2,800 qualified candidates in the time it took to sip a coffee, pulled from 800 million profiles across 30+ data sources.

Every profile came pre-filtered by skills, experience, and geography, so the work started at "shortlist," not "search". That single search gave me more qualified candidates than three months of LinkedIn job postings combined.

Testing Juicebox: My hands-on-experience

After signing up, Juicebox didn't throw me straight into the dashboard. It asked me a few setup questions first: organization name,

what role best described me

one final option to invite team members, then I was in.

This two-minute workflow felt short compared to platforms that make you fill out 15 fields before you're allowed to do anything useful.

Once inside the main search interface "PeopleGPT", Juicebox offers three ways to search.

Upload a job description,

type what you need in plain language, or use Boolean expressions if you're feeling technical.

I went with natural language because midnight Boolean logic isn't my idea of fun.

Juicebox had a different approach of asking the role requirements, it asked for experience level, location, required skills, and industry, all in one line. I filled it out exactly how I'd explain the role over coffee. Technical content writer, 2+ years experience, India-based, comfortable explaining cybersecurity and AI topics to non-technical audiences.

One click later, 2,800 candidates appeared, not in five minutes, but immediately. Each profile came with complete backgrounds, skill breakdowns, and clear explanations of why they matched.

Clicking any profile opened their full details without navigating away from the page.

No toggling between tabs, no wondering if impressive LinkedIn headlines actually meant real skills, no losing track of who I'd already reviewed. Everything stayed in one clean interface that made sense.

Core features

Autopilot screening -- Autopilot asks role-specific questions that filter candidates on what determines success. For my technical writer search, it asked about content creation experience, proofreading track records, and IT industry familiarity. Not generic questions anyone could answer.

The AI handles the detective work while you focus on decisions, filtering out candidates who look good on paper but don't pass the critical requirements.

Talent insights -- The Insights tab turns your candidate pool into 15+ interactive charts that decode exactly where your talent lives.

Instead of posting jobs and hoping someone from the right city applies, you know precisely which markets to target before you waste a single hour on outreach.

Email sequences -- AI-generated templates personalize every message with candidate names, relevant experience, and specific skills. This boosts response rates by up to 40% compared to the "Dear Candidate" emails we've all sent and regretted.

Multi-step sequences follow up automatically. They track who's opening versus who's ghosting you, and let you adjust messaging based on what's getting replies instead of what sounded clever when you wrote it at 11 PM.

ATS integration -- Every shortlisted candidate flows directly into 50+ systems, including Ashby, Lever, and BambooHR, without you copying and pasting a single field.

You can import job descriptions from your ATS to kick off searches automatically. Also, the platform syncs bidirectionally so you're never stuck wondering which system actually has the latest version of anything.

Juicebox agents -- Agents run recruiting while you're sleeping, or doing literally anything that isn't manually sourcing candidates. Define the role once, review three profiles so the AI learns what "good" looks like to you, then choose whether agents should auto-shortlist or auto-email candidates.

Agents search continuously through 800M+ profiles, score new candidates, and handle outreach without you lifting a finger. The system learns from every action, passes on candidates with certain backgrounds, and future searches adjust, or consistently shortlists specific profiles.

Pricing

- Free (9$/month)- Limited searches to test whether AI-powered sourcing actually finds better candidates than manually scrolling LinkedIn for hours.

- Starter ($119/month) -- Unlimited searches with 250 contact credits, which means running three active hiring projects without worrying about search limits.

- Growth($179/month) -- Built for small teams with 1,000 contact credits, including phone numbers, plus collaboration features so everyone stops emailing spreadsheets back and forth.

- Business (Custom pricing) -- Unlimited contact credits, ATS integration, dedicated onboarding, and priority support for companies hiring at scale across multiple departments.

- Juicebox agents ($300/month for 2 agents) -- AI agents run 24/7 sourcing and outreach with unlimited credits, which breaks down to about $5 per day for automation that never sleeps.

Use cases

- Startups without dedicated recruiters -- Juicebox lets early-stage teams hand off sourcing and screening, so founders keep shipping product while a steady pipeline of qualified candidates keeps coming in.

- Recruitment agencies managing multiple clients -- It helps agencies keep every client search moving by auto-sourcing candidates, enriching profiles, and organizing separate pipelines so recruiters spend more time closing roles than chasing leads.

Final verdict

Juicebox earns its place in the stack by doing the boring work of sourcing while surfacing candidates who actually know their craft. The real win is how its agents keep learning from each search. So, over time, the pipeline feels less like random profiles and more like a curated list of people worth talking to. If you prefer paying $119 monthly over $8,000 agency fees per hire, this platform deserves a trial.

5. OpenJobs AI

OpenJobs AI works like a calm, organized coordinator who steps in, cleans up your messy pipeline, and hands you candidates who genuinely fit the role. It gives back control of your time while still keeping the bar high for who gets into your pipeline.

What OpenJobs AI does

OpenJobs AI simplifies recruiting by automating everything except the human judgment that matters most. Upload requirements and it delivers a focused shortlist with process insights, so hiring feels deliberate instead of desperate.

Intelligent recruitment in three steps

OpenJobsAI's workflow follows a clean three‑step structure that matches how hiring actually works:

- Import job requirements -- Upload or paste role details, and the AI automatically extracts key skills, experience levels, and culture needs without manual tagging.

- AI intelligent search -- Matches candidates from large pools using multi‑dimensional scoring for background, experience, and fit, ranking them by actual relevance.

- Automated communication -- Handles outreach, interview scheduling, and status updates intelligently, managing the entire pipeline without constant manual intervention.

This combination means you're not managing ten different tools or chasing candidates through email threads. Everything lives in one place with clear visibility into what's working.

Core features

- Intelligent candidate search -- Instead of wrestling with filters for half an hour, you drop in a JD or even a messy role description and let the AI figure it out. It parses skills, experience, and context, then surfaces candidates who make sense for the role, not just whoever stuffed the right keywords into their resume.

- Smart filtering system -- Every profile gets scored across background, experience, and culture fit, so your first view is a ranked list rather than a chaotic inbox of applicants. The match percentage isn't a black box either. It nudges you toward "here's who to look at first" instead of "good luck, hope you find someone in there."

- Data analytics & insights -- The analytics view turns all that activity into something you can reason about: emails sent per day, response rates, funnel drop‑offs, and where candidates tend to stall. Instead of guessing why a role is stuck, you see it on the dashboard and can fix the right part of the process.

Pricing

Pricing details like monthly tiers or credit systems haven't been mentioned yet. With the tool currently on waitlist, expect those to surface later. I'll update this section as soon as concrete info becomes available.

Getting access

OpenJobs AI isn't one of those "sign up and start clicking" platforms yet; it's running invite‑only with a waitlist that lets you jump the line before LinkedIn starts buzzing about it. Fill out the form, get early access, and you'll be testing real workflows while everyone else waits for the public launch.

Once a full version drops and I can test real hiring workflows, this guide gets updated with screenshots, honest results, and what works in practice.

Benefits of using AI for recruiting

The recruiting world shifted faster than most people realized. Teams spending weeks on manual screening now fill roles in days. The gap between companies using AI recruiter tools and those still doing everything manually keeps widening, and it shows up in every hiring metric that matters.

Here's what the numbers actually look like when you make the switch:

- Hiring speed increases by 75 percent -- AI-powered screening cuts resume review time by 75 percent, processing what used to take three days in hours. Recruiters who managed 50 applications daily now handle 500. Leaving you time to actually talk to candidates instead of managing inbox chaos.

- Cut gender bias by 54 percent -- AI expands sourcing through networks traditional methods never touch. Blind resume screening cuts gender bias by 54 percent, while AI-powered tests boost hiring of underrepresented minorities by 35 percent. You're discovering talent your manual process systematically missed.

- Reduce hiring costs by 30 percent versus agencies -- AI recruiting tools cut costs by up to 30 percent compared to traditional methods. Instead of paying $10,000 agency placement fees, you're investing in monthly subscriptions running $100 to $400. After just one hire, that difference pays for your entire recruitment tool for a year. It could also fund three additional team members when you're scaling and watching every penny.

- Make hiring decisions 40 percent more accurate -- AI-driven interview analytics make hiring decisions 40 percent more accurate by analyzing patterns from thousands of past hires. You're identifying candidates likely to succeed in your specific environment instead of relying on gut feeling alone.

These improvements aren't theoretical. They're happening right now for teams who made the switch.

Who Needs Global Technical Recruiters (and/or Sourcing Tools)?

AI recruiting isn't just for Fortune 500 companies with massive HR budgets. It's built for the teams struggling most with hiring, the ones juggling ten responsibilities at once and watching great candidates slip away because they couldn't move fast enough.

- Early-stage startups (0-50 employees) -- You're building product, talking to customers, raising funds, and somehow also hiring. Posting jobs gets 200 applications where 180 are irrelevant. That's where AI makes the difference, handling sourcing and screening while you focus on final interviews. Your first five hires set company culture, so moving fast without lowering standards matters most.

- Growth-stage companies (50-500 employees) -- If you're hiring across multiple departments simultaneously, your small HR team can't keep up with 10-15 open roles. This is when AI becomes essential. It runs parallel searches for engineering, sales, and operations without sacrificing quality or burning out your team.

- HR teams with no dedicated recruiter -- You're handling onboarding, payroll, and five open positions. Recruiting happens at 9 PM after everything else. AI changes this dynamic completely by automating sourcing and screening, so you're managing a real pipeline instead of rebuilding from zero every Monday.

- Solo founders hiring for the first time -- You've never written a job description, and recruiters want $10,000-$15,000 when your runway is eight months. AI recruiting tools costs $100-$400 monthly and guides you through the process without the financial risk.

- Global remote teams -- Your best talent lives across continents, but coordinating across time zones kills momentum. AI solves this by engaging candidates 24/7 in their local hours and handling async screening. So, you're building distributed teams without the logistical nightmares.

- Agencies handling 20-100 clients -- Manual sourcing eats 60-70 percent of your time instead of closing placements. AI flips this ratio by automating discovery and outreach across all client searches simultaneously, freeing you for relationship-building and deal-closing.

- Companies scaling engineering or sales roles -- You need 10 engineers or 15 sales reps by quarter-end, and traditional methods take 6-8 weeks per role. The math simply doesn't work. AI screens hundreds against consistent criteria and flags top performers. So, you're filling seats with qualified people instead of panic-hiring whoever's available when deadlines hit.

If you're in any of these situations, you're exactly who AI recruiting software was built for.

FAQs

Q1. What are the best recruiting sourcing tools in 2026?

The best tool depends on what's broken in your hiring process. JobCompass works well for first-time hirers needing human curation. Jack & Jill excels when scaling quickly with its dual-agent system. Juicebox dominates high-volume searches across 800 million profiles. AI HeadHunter handles agencies managing multiple client searches. Test free trials before committing, because what works for a 500-person company might overwhelm a five-person startup.

Q2. Is AI recruiting software replacing recruiters or helping them scale?

AI replaces repetitive tasks, not strategic thinking. It automates up to 70 percent of administrative recruiting work, handling resume screening, sourcing, and scheduling. The best teams use AI for efficiency and humans for relationship-building and cultural fit assessment. You're not choosing between AI and recruiters; you're choosing what your recruiters spend time on.

Q3. Is AI hiring software accurate?

Accuracy improves with usage because the system learns from your decisions. Platforms like Juicebox and Jack & Jill get smarter over time based on who you shortlist and pass on. Vague job descriptions produce scattered results. Specific criteria produce tight matches, with most platforms reaching 95 percent accuracy after 6-12 months.

Q4. How does AI screen resumes?

AI understands what skills actually mean in practice, not just keyword matches. When a candidate mentions "customer retention strategies" and your role requires "churn reduction," platforms like Juicebox recognize they're solving the same problem. You're finding qualified people your keyword-based ATS would have rejected.

Q5. Is AI recruiting legal?

Yes, but you need to use it the right way. Be honest with candidates that AI is part of your process. Check regularly to make sure it's not accidentally filtering out qualified people unfairly. Keep humans in charge of final decisions, not the software. Document everything and work with legal counsel because regulations change faster than most teams realize.

Q6. What do global technical recruiters do?

AI recruiting software addresses the exact constraints startups face. Platforms like Jack & Jill charge 10 percent of salary only when you hire, while Juicebox costs $119-$179 monthly instead of $10,000 agency fees. Job Compass handles sourcing and screening so founders focus on building product instead of sorting resumes.

Q7. What is an AI headhunter?

An AI headhunter finds people who aren't looking for jobs yet. Platforms like AI HeadHunter and Job Compass identify employed candidates, analyze fit, and initiate contact on your behalf. You're tapping into the 70 percent of professionals who aren't actively job hunting but would consider the right opportunity, instead of competing for the 30 percent already looking.

Final thoughts: Should you trust AI to hire for you?

Yes, trust AI to help you hire, but don't let it replace your judgment completely. The future of hiring isn't about choosing between technology and intuition. It's about letting AI handle the tedious work. While you focus on the human side of hiring: reading between the lines, sensing cultural fit, and making the final call on who gets the offer. AI won't replace recruiters, but recruiters who use AI will replace those who don't.

So here's what I'd suggest you do next. Pick one tool from this guide and test it this week.

- Go with Jack & Jill if you want curated matches with zero upfront cost.

- Try Juicebox if you need 2,000 candidates screened by tomorrow.

- For Job Compass, AI HeadHunter, and OpenJobs AI, join their early access lists now so you're first in line when they launch publicly.

Just pick something, take one small step, and see what happens when you stop doing it the hard way.

Did this guide help you rethink how you approach hiring? I'd love to hear which tool you're testing first. Drop a comment below and let's talk about what's actually working for your team. more

Career development

 8h

HR sends biting email to applicant who declined their interview request, claim they lack 'professionalism': 'I've already accepted a job and joined'


If you're declining a job interview, do you still have to try to impress them?

Looking for a job is not fun. It requires a lot from you, and you aren't always able to give. It requires a lot of pitching yourself at every turn, and that can take a lot out of you. If you want a new job, you probably have some level of dissatisfaction in your life. You probably don't take it lightly. But you also... have to ask for what you want when you want it. Or else people might take advantage of you. Because the job market is so tough, you really have to look out for yourself, because no one else will.

There are so many annoying double standards in the world of job hunting. Jobs are allowed to ghost you without warning, and they do it all the time. How many times have you sent in a job application just to hear absolutely nothing forever and ever? It's kind of the expected mode. But the minute you hear from them, you're supposed to be trigger-ready to send anything they need, and be anywhere they ask at the drop of a hat. But what about your needs and wants? What about your life, which is more often than not takes priority? Recruiters and HR managers don't always make it easy to be on their side. They want what they want when they want it, and nobody else gets a lot of wiggle room. That's what happened in this story. more

Career development

 15h

Nike's Most Advanced Daily Trainer Can Also Add "Perfect White Sneaker" to Its Résumé


There's no simple way to describe the Pegasus Premium. Maybe because it's not a simple shoe.

Combining three distinct eras of cushioning innovation, the model also debuted the first-ever full-length Air Zoom unit. Suffice to say, it arrived in 2025 as Nike's most advanced daily trainer ... ever.

Go ahead and add "perfect white sneaker" to its résumé.

Nike's new "Running Is Mental" collection... includes arguably the cleanest execution of the Pegasus Premium to date, grounded by four off-white hues including "Platinum Tint," "Grey Fog," "Iron Grey" and "Reflect Silver."

The result is a refreshingly streamlined take on the technical runner that feels more dynamic than sterile, inviting everyday wear high-mileage training, alike. more

Career development

 17h

Regional Representative, Whitehorse


Note: This position is eligible for a Yearly Isolated Post Allowance (IPA) for up to $10,604 for an incumbent with dependents and $7,936 for an incumbent without dependents. The allowance covers the following admissible categories: Environmental Allowance, Living Cost Differential, Fuel & Utilities Differential and Shelter Cost Differential.

NOTES:

Internal applicants should submit their résumé... online through HRMS.

Indeterminate PSAC employees who meet the qualifications of this position can request a transfer in accordance with the relevant collective agreement by submitting an application on or before the closing date. Please upload a cover letter indicating that you are requesting a transfer as well as a resume in your candidate profile (if not previously done) and indicate "Yes" under "Employment Information".

Employment Equity at PSAC is focused on five groups: women, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. If you belong to one or more of these groups, please consider responding to the voluntary employment equity section of the online application.

All individual information collected from this questionnaire will be kept strictly confidential.

In many cases, you may identify in more than one designated group. For example, you may identify yourself as an Indigenous person and a person with a disability and a woman.

False declarations will be taken seriously and may prompt an investigation or further actions, as necessary.

Please contact HRactionRH@psac-afpc.com to obtain this questionnaire in an alternate format (e.g., large print), should you need more information, or require assistance in completing this questionnaire.

For accommodation needs or to obtain a copy of the documents in alternate format, please email hractionrh@psac-afpc.com. more

Mari Parson


Career development 6d
At our office everyone usually goes out to nearby cafes for lunch. I don’t really like restaurant food, and I don’t trust how it’s prepared, so I bring homemade food in containers.
We have a small kitchen where we can make tea or coffee, and there’s even a microwave.
The problem is that my coworkers don’t like the smell after I eat. They say the office smells like food for half the day.
I’ve... tried explaining that I prefer healthier food but it doesn’t really help. I keep noticing their annoyance, and I feel pressured. What should I do?

 more
2   

  • Kim Skorka

    17h

    You're in a shared space, so you need to be mindful of smells. I recommend bringing food that doesn't need to be heated up.

  • Makeba Kedem-DuBose

    3d

    If there is a kitchen provided, why should you be forced to change your eating habits to please them? However, I am quite curious about what you are... eating that has everyone complaining. I'd ignore them, and if their complaints persist I'd be inclined to refer to HR. more

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Career development

 18h

Jonathan Carver Moore Is Building the Art World He Wanted to Walk Into


When Jonathan Carver Moore talks about his gallery, he rarely starts with sales figures or artists' résumés. He starts with a feeling. The feeling of walking into a space and not wondering whether you belong there.

That instinct is on display this week at the FOG Design + Art Fair in San Francisco, where Moore is presenting a solo booth of new paintings by Sesse Elangwe, developed during the... artist's recent residency with the gallery. The work is lush and exacting, saturated with color and attention, but what Moore is really staging is an argument. Art should meet people where they are. A gallery should feel like a conversation rather than an exam.

It is an approach shaped less by art world convention than by Moore's own path into it. Before opening his eponymous gallery in 2023, Moore worked in nonprofit communications and institutional development, including roles focused on criminal justice reform and racial equity. He came to San Francisco nearly a decade ago for that work, without plans to open a gallery, but with a habit of collecting, installing, and quietly selling art wherever he landed. Offices became rotating exhibitions. Conversations with donors drifted toward artists and objects.

In retrospect, Moore sees those moments as training. Learning how to read a room. Learning when to talk and when to listen. Learning that people often want permission to ask questions before they want answers.

That sensibility now defines his gallery at 966 Market Street, at the edge of the Tenderloin and within the city's Transgender Cultural District. The address matters to Moore. The block sits near the site of the 1966 Gene Compton's Cafeteria riot, an early flashpoint in the fight for transgender rights, years before Stonewall. For Moore, history is something you live alongside, not something you borrow for atmosphere or cache.

The gallery's program reflects that mentality. Moore works with artists who are Black, queer, Indigenous, women, and others whose practices have often been sidelined. But he resists framing the program as corrective. He focuses on creating situations where artists, collectors, and first-time visitors meet on equal footing. Artists are given time, space, and an audience, often through a residency program housed next door to the gallery, where they live and work for weeks before debuting new bodies of work.

That residency model feeds directly into the FOG presentation. Elangwe, a Cameroonian-born painter now based in San Antonio, spent seven weeks in San Francisco photographing local residents and absorbing the city's rhythms. The resulting paintings place his subjects against recognizable Bay Area backdrops, weaving portraiture into place with a steady hand and an eye for bombastic color that still feels rooted in reality.

For Moore, the goal is not simply to introduce an artist to a fair audience, but to give collectors a reason to care about the art, a personal relationship instead of buying a work because they are following a trend or what the market says is "hot" at any given moment. "People are buying to live with this work," he said during a recent interview. "They're buying something that becomes part of their daily life."

That philosophy shapes how Moore thinks about collecting more broadly. He is open about the importance of welcoming new buyers early, before habits harden and anxieties set in. Pricing is discussed plainly. Conversations begin with what the viewer sees rather than what the artist intended. He aims to treat curiosity as a strength.

The long view matters to him. Moore often talks about collectors who started with modest purchases and grew alongside the gallery. A couple who once hesitated over a $4,500 painting later became among his most consistent supporters. Another first-time buyer went on to support an institutional exhibition. Moore recounts these stories with modesty and a measured tone. For him, it's clear that the only way relationships can develop is over time.

That perspective was sharpened when Moore brought his gallery to the Atlanta Art Fair last fall. Amid a crowd that skewed younger and more local than at many, more established, art fairs, he noticed a shift in the room. The audience felt familiar. Cultural reference points landed quickly. A painting depicting a Black woman doing her hair in a kitchen with a hot comb resonated without explanation. Moore was struck by how rare that ease had felt elsewhere.

Atlanta did not change his thinking so much as confirm it. The next generation of collectors is present. They respond when invited into the conversation with openness and patience.

That forward-looking approach also shapes how Moore thinks about fairs like FOG, which sits at the intersection of art and design. Rather than resisting that overlap, he leans into it. His booth is staged in collaboration with the San Fransico design studio Coup D'Etat, placing furniture and paintings in dialogue without turning the presentation into a lifestyle vignette. The aim is familiarity. Visitors are encouraged to imagine how the work might live with them.

"People should be able to see themselves with the work," Moore said. "That changes how they engage with it."

The clarity of that vision comes, in part, from Moore's position outside traditional gallery pipelines. He did not apprentice in blue-chip spaces or inherit a set of unspoken rules. He learned by asking questions and acting on instinct. When he opened the gallery, he moved quickly to establish a residency program. When he wanted to collaborate, he reached out directly. Momentum followed.

"I didn't know there was a chain of command," he said, laughing. "So I just kept moving."

That instinct places Moore in an interesting position within the Bay Area's art ecosystem. As galleries in Los Angeles contend with consolidation and closures, he speaks less about rivalry than connection. He talks openly about strengthening ties between Northern and Southern California, about sharing artists and audiences, about building networks that feel durable rather than extractive.

For now, Moore's focus remains close to home. FOG offers a chance to show what his gallery has been building over the past three years: a model grounded in access, patience, and sustained attention. It is not a reinvention of the art fair or the gallery system. It is something quieter. A belief that art works best when people feel comfortable enough to stay and look. more

Career development

 19h

Interactive Tableau Resume Creation


I already have every piece of my career history, education details, and technical skills organised in a single MS Word workbook. What I need now is an eye-catching Tableau dashboard that turns that raw sheet into a living, interactive résumé. The finished product must be delivered as a self-contained Tableau workbook (.twbx). When I open it, I want three clearly defined views -- Work Experience,... Education, and Skills -- tied together with dynamic filters so a viewer can quickly slice the story: * Date range selections to focus on specific periods * Job-title filtering to spotlight particular roles * Skill filters that instantly surface the capabilities most relevant to the audience Smooth navigation and clean visual hierarchy are essential; think timelines, bar or gantt-style visuals, elegant icons -- whatever best communicates the data while keeping the interface professional and intuitive. I should be able to swap in new rows in the source Excel file and see the dashboard refresh with minimal effort, so please build with maintainability in mind and document any calculated fields or parameters you create. Deliverables 1. Tableau workbook (.twbx) connected to the supplied Excel file to be created from word file. 2. Brief step-by-step note on how to update data and publish the dashboard If the interactivity works flawlessly and the design looks polished on Tableau Public and I get used excel file, I'll consider the project complete. So first organise the data into excel file.

Project ID: 40173513

About the project

1 proposal

Open for bidding

Remote project

Active 56 yrs ago

Place your bid

Benefits of bidding on Freelancer more

Linda Wentworth


Career development 2d
In our nail salon there’s a manicurist who keeps cutting clients and always blames the tools or the clients themselves. She’s friends with the manager, so she never gets punished.
A client complained again and all of us were fined even though it wasn’t our fault. The manager wouldn’t listen and even promoted the manicurist who caused it.
I don’t know how to keep working like this. Maybe it’s... time to change salons.

 more

  • April Raven Robbins-Bobyn

    19h

    My daughter is a nail tech, I know that it takes a lot of hard work to get your license. I would not allow anyone to jeopardize that. You can take... your license anywhere. You can even use it to get licensed in another state. Contact the CEO of the company and let them know what is going on. Don't allow the manager to ruin your reputation or your license. Make sure that your station is up to code and that you are doing everything by the book because if the state does come to your shop ( a customer can complain) they are going to look at everybody working there. Cover your azz. more

  • sarah music Nakawombe

    1d

    Have a talk with the CEO, move as a team with other staff who are sidelined. The other one is just a manager, otherwise if the CEO is not in the know... of all this, his/her business might collapse, customers will keep going and high staff turn over without her consent. more

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Career development

 21h

9 things boomers consider "helping" that their adult children experience as criticism wrapped in a favor


From job advice that worked in 1985 to surprise home makeovers you never asked for, the generation that raised us seems determined to fix lives we don't think are broken.

Ever notice how a simple phone call with your parents can leave you feeling oddly deflated, even when they're trying to help?

Last week, my mom called to tell me about a job opening at her friend's financial firm. "It pays... really well, and you already have the experience," she said, her voice bright with excitement. When I reminded her I'd left finance years ago to pursue writing, she sighed and added, "I just want you to be secure, honey."

Sound familiar? If you're nodding along, you're not alone. Many of us adult children find ourselves caught in this strange dance where our boomer parents genuinely believe they're being supportive, but their help often feels like thinly veiled criticism of our life choices.

After years of navigating this dynamic with my own well-meaning parents, I've identified nine common ways boomers think they're helping that can actually feel like judgment wrapped up with a bow. Understanding these patterns has helped me respond with more grace and less frustration. Maybe it'll help you too.

1) Offering unsolicited career advice based on their era

"Have you tried just walking into their office with your resume?"

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this suggestion, I could probably retire early. Boomer parents often share job-hunting strategies that worked brilliantly in 1985 but feel completely out of touch today. They suggest we're not trying hard enough when we explain that most companies don't even have physical applications anymore.

What they think they're doing: Sharing valuable wisdom from their successful careers.

What we experience: The implication that we don't know how to navigate our own professional world, or worse, that we're doing it wrong.

2) Constantly checking if you're saving enough money

My parents, bless them, ask about my retirement savings every single visit. They share articles about compound interest and remind me about their friend's daughter who bought a house at 25. Their concern comes from love, especially since financial security was how they learned to express care.

But here's what happens: these conversations make many of us feel like we're failing at adulting, especially when we're already stressed about money. We know we should save more. We're doing our best in an economy that looks nothing like the one they navigated.

3) Suggesting you're being too picky about relationships

"Maybe your standards are too high."

"You know, your father wasn't perfect when I met him."

"Have you tried being more flexible?"

These comments sting because they suggest we're somehow sabotaging our own happiness. Our parents got married younger, often to the first or second person they seriously dated. They can't always understand why we're taking our time or why we ended relationships they thought were "perfectly fine."

4) Fixing things in your home without asking

Picture this: You come home to find your dad has rearranged your entire living room because "the feng shui was all wrong." Or your mom has reorganized your kitchen cabinets "to be more efficient."

They see a problem and jump to solve it, just like they did when we were kids. But now? It feels like they don't trust us to manage our own space. It sends the message that our way of doing things isn't good enough.

5) Comparing your lifestyle to your siblings or their friends' kids

"Your brother just got promoted again. Maybe you could ask him for advice?"

"Sarah's daughter just had her second baby. She seems so happy."

These comparisons are meant to motivate or inspire, but they land like judgment. Each mention of someone else's achievements feels like a spotlight on what we haven't accomplished yet. It's exhausting to constantly measure up to a standard we didn't set for ourselves.

6) Offering to pay for things with strings attached

My mother once offered to pay for a financial planning course for me. Sweet gesture, right? Except I'd already been writing about personal finance for two years. The offer came with an unspoken message: what you're doing isn't quite legitimate or stable enough.

When parents offer financial help for specific things they deem important, rather than trusting us to decide what we need, it feels less like generosity and more like gentle steering toward their preferred life path for us.

7) Providing health and diet advice based on outdated information

"You need more protein. Are you sure you're getting enough as a vegan?"

"Walking isn't real exercise. You should join a gym."

"Have you tried the cabbage soup diet? It worked for Aunt Linda."

Our parents grew up with different health information, and many haven't updated their knowledge. When they share these tips, they think they're being helpful. But it often feels like they're questioning our ability to take care of ourselves or make informed choices about our own bodies.

8) Volunteering you for things without asking

"I told the neighbors you'd help them move this weekend. You're so strong!"

"I signed you up for my church's singles mixer. It'll be fun!"

This one really gets me. They assume our time is flexible or that we'll obviously want to do whatever they've committed us to. It shows they still see us as extensions of themselves rather than independent adults with our own schedules and priorities.

9) Dismissing your struggles because "things were harder" in their day

When we share genuine challenges, whether it's about work stress, housing costs, or modern dating, we often hear: "Well, we didn't have all these apps and conveniences. We just figured it out."

This response minimizes our real struggles and suggests we're somehow weaker or less capable than they were. It shuts down conversation rather than opening it up, leaving us feeling unheard and misunderstood.

Final thoughts

Here's what I've learned after years of navigating these dynamics: our boomer parents really are trying to help. They're operating from their own playbook, one that served them well in their time. Their concern, however misguided it might feel, usually comes from genuine love and worry about our wellbeing.

Setting boundaries has been crucial for me. I've learned to say, "Thanks for thinking of me, but I've got this handled" without launching into defensive explanations. I've accepted that my mother might always introduce me as her daughter who worked in finance, and that's okay. Her difficulty accepting my career change doesn't diminish my success as a writer.

If you're struggling with similar dynamics, remember that you can appreciate the intent while declining the help. You can love your parents while choosing your own path. And sometimes, the best response to well-meaning but critical "help" is simply: "I know you care about me, and I'm doing just fine."

After all, being an adult means deciding for yourself what help you actually need, even if your parents haven't quite gotten that memo yet. more

Career development

 1d

No degree, no job? Tighter labor market leaves many with fewer options


Cheryl Wilson's résumé is near perfect.

She has worked all her life, notching decades of experience at back-to-back corporate jobs that often tapped her to train new hires.

But after a software company laid her off two years ago, Wilson has struggled to land a new job for the first time in her career.

Because for all her experience, there's one missing element from Wilson's résumé: a college... degree.

The labor market slowed this year as economic uncertainty made employers hesitant to hire, a reversal from the worker-friendly Great Resignation period a few years ago. The loss of employee power has hit new college graduates hardest, with their unemployment rate now outpacing overall unemployment for the first time in decades.

Now, with year-end layoffs in full swing and the latest jobs reports showing continued sluggishness, jobseekers are facing even more competition.

"At this point in my life, I'm afraid I'm not going to ever get another job," said Wilson, of Inver Grove Heights, Minn. "I know a lot of people are laid off. Everyone is looking for jobs."

A recent survey found many Americans don't believe a college degree is worth the cost, yet the unemployment rate for college graduates as a whole remains lower than for those without a degree. And as employers tighten up hiring criteria in the loosening labor market, it's becoming even harder for the roughly 60% of Americans without a degree to land a job.

"It feels like the landscape is incredibly competitive. It feels like individuals who have those degrees are applying for a wider variety of positions, including entry-level positions," said Becca Lopez, vice president of career education and employment services at workforce nonprofit Avivo. "And so it can feel to our jobseekers like there maybe isn't room for them in this labor market."

The September jobs report, released Nov. 20 after a delay during the federal government shutdown, showed a 2.8% unemployment rate for degree-holders aged 25 and older. For high school graduates without a degree, that number was 4.2% -- slightly under the national unemployment rate.

Minnesota in September had a lower unemployment rate overall, at 3.7%, and a lower rate for college graduates, at 2.1%, according to data from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. But high school graduates without degrees had a higher unemployment rate, at 4.8%.

Faced with a historic worker shortage coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, major employers in Minnesota and across the country shifted to "skills-based hiring" that values experience rather than educational attainment.

Results have been limited: Less than 40% of employers that removed degree requirements in the past decade have significantly changed their hiring practices, according to a report last year from the Burning Glass Institute and Harvard Business School.

Though the college wage premium has stagnated in the past 20 years, according to research from the San Francisco Fed, college-educated workers still earn about 75% more than those without degrees.

"I think that for most higher-paying jobs, it's still the case that a four-year degree is just the cutoff," said Bill Baldus, career center director at Metropolitan State University. "Can people get great jobs without one? Absolutely. But you're going to be a much stronger candidate with a degree."

Students at the St. Paul university are either working or looking for work while pursuing their degree, Baldus said. The school offers resources including a course on navigating the job market in partnership with local employers.

Faculty have started to recognize the need to aid in closing the skills gap for students aiming to become "first-generation professionals," said career counselor Rachel Nihart.

"There's frustrations of, 'I don't have a degree. How do I get into this market?'" she said. "'I don't know what working with Microsoft Teams looks like. I don't know what working with Excel looks like.'"

Nihart said more students are visiting her office as the job market tightens, and more are still in contact six months after their initial visit. Many are applying for jobs and not hearing back, she said.

Kila Seki has worked in retail and other customer-facing roles since she was a teenager. When she pursued higher-paying work, she said, she faced rejection after rejection.

This spring, Seki transferred from a community college to Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn., and expects to graduate in about a year with a bachelor's degree in marketing management.

"The turning point for me was that talent and hard work is not always going to win, so you need credentials," she said. "I knew that I wanted a real opportunity."

As a teenager in Alabama, Wilson was on track to study fashion and design. Then she got pregnant.

Her mother offered to care for the baby while she pursued her degree, but because she had already raised 10 children and one grandchild, Wilson said no.

"I said, 'This is my responsibility, so I won't. I can't let you do that,'" she said.

Decades later, Wilson still wants to work full time. She's taking an online computer skills course through Minneapolis-based nonprofit Hired and plans to seek help brushing up her résumé and practicing interviewing.

She hopes prospective employers can look past what's missing from her résumé, and those of others without degrees, and see what's there -- experience, hard work, an eagerness to learn.

"College is really important, but that wasn't in the cards for me," Wilson said. "But I have worked. I've paid my taxes. Just give us a chance to prove ourselves." more
1   

  • Last First

    19
    21h

    Jobs should be federally provided for everyone. One day we will look back on the state of our system and claim to have always been against it.

    -1

  • Walter Okande

    1d

    In Kenya, many graduates are unemployment with reports indicating that about 40% are jobless. Further reports indicates that about 70% of secondary... school leavers do not proceed to post-secondary education hence jeopardizing their chances of gainful employment. The situation is worsen by skills mismatch, a declining rate of work transition from secondary to post-secondary education despite the fact that about 50,000 of the youth graduates form universities annually. Therefore, the key drivers to high rate of unemployment in Kenya is attributed to the absence of practical skills and experience; lack of curriculum alignment with market needs; not integrating practical learning, community service, and research into the overall education system. The way forward is to embrace entrepreneurship, work-integrating learning, internships, and market-relevant skills that emphasis more on skill acquisitions and relevant knowledge on the job market.  more

Career development

 23h

Why a recruiting veteran says applying online in 2026 no longer works for most job seekers - The Times of India


The job market in 2026 has become increasingly challenging, with online applications no longer guaranteeing interviews or responses, according to recruiting veteran J.T. O'Donnell. "Applying online, if I'm being really honest, has to be one of the most degrading and depressing things people do," O'Donnell said, quoted by CNBC. "I've never seen it this bad," she added, describing the overwhelming... competition and automated filters that often prevent qualified candidates from being noticed.O'Donnell, who has more than 30 years of experience in the hiring industry, said the reliance on online applications has left many job seekers frustrated and demoralised. As companies adopt AI-generated application systems and automated submission tools, the traditional approach of submitting résumés through job boards is becoming increasingly ineffective, CNBC reports.The decline of online applications in 2026According to O'Donnell, employers are posting fewer positions publicly, and many advertised roles are already filled internally or remain ghost jobs. "Positions receive hundreds of applicants within hours because of AI auto-apply tools," she said, as reported by CNBC. This flood of automated applications often means qualified candidates never reach human recruiters, she added.Research supports this trend. Glassdoor data indicates that the proportion of candidates sourced directly by recruiters has increased 72% since 2023, reaching nearly 15% last year. O'Donnell cited this shift as evidence that personal visibility and networking now carry far more weight than submitting multiple online applications, CNBC reports.Building visibility and strategic connectionsO'Donnell also recommends that job seekers aim to get the job through a recruiting process instead of using online job applications as a main way to get a job. To achieve this, one needs to create a presence on online recruiting sites such as LinkedIn, and engage strategically with the companies' content as well as their workers' content. "All of these recruiters that are on those platforms, the way you're going to show up in the recruiting results is by engaging with their company's content," CNBC quoted O'Donnell as saying.She described her approach on how one can use something she termed as documentation streak. In one of the instances, project managers who followed the documentation streak approach ended up receiving a call on the 17th day on an unspecified position from one of their desired companies, although they had not been advertised. The project manager had been actively responding and engaging with posts from the desired companies. He shared some insights and skills in his area of operations. O'Donnell described the outcome as a clear demonstration of how networking and content engagement can bypass traditional online applications, CNBC reports.Five Content Formats that Grab Recruiters' AttentionO'Donnell outlined a few types of content that do well on LinkedIn and can help candidates get noticed:"By creating a space where recruiters can find you and contact you, you start getting interviews in this market," O'Donnell said, as reported by CNBC. She stressed the fact that "Consistency, engagement, and the demonstration of expert skills have now become indispensable requirements for 2026's employment scenario."The new approach to job searchingThe advice from the veteran highlights the fact that there has been a major change in the way that people are selected in jobs, as while "filling out an internet application" remains an option, it "is NOT the way to get an interview these days." O'Donnell's strategy highlights the increased emphasis of recruiter-based recruitment, as well as the importance of "visibility," which has become a part of the contemporary job search process. Individuals aspiring towards a brighter 2026 are encouraged to focus on establishing real relationships, participating in discussions via the internet, and leveraging content sharing in the pursuit of demonstrating expertise. "This is the new networking," she said, talking about the shift in finding the right job in a world filled with AI algorithms that often process applications on their own. more

Loren Davies


Career development 5d
I’m interviewing for a kindergarten teacher position. Yesterday I had an interview with the director and he asked only one question “How would you explain the color yellow to a blind person?”
I’m still in shock! Is this how he treats children? Does he think they’re blind or stupid? Or was he just messing with me?

6   

  • Carter Carter

    1d

    I can honestly say I went to you with the mercy for elementary education and that was never even a question that even popped up ever when I was doing... my teaching methods... But honestly give yourself a break and give yourself some Grace and just better expand yourself and finding out little information I have a client I take care of now that is deaf and blind so he may pose a question like that to you you just do the footwork to make sure next time you don't ever make that mistake I will give an answer... For an abstract mind and then when they ask you do you have any questions at the end I will say now how would you teach a deaf and blind person with the color yellow is and then let me know what's being said or if they take a step back.... You'll be fine girly take this as a a strong lesson to teach yourself to strengthen and areas that you thought people would never even try to test and then come back hard with that last question I just gave you.  more

    -1

  • Kerosky Kerre

    1d

    I'd like to know, what was your answer? Just curious

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Career development

 1d

Job Seekers Wage Legal War Against the "Black Box" of AI Hiring Algorithms - TechStory


Job hunting today is highly frustrating for millions of Americans who lack the chance to even get past the first hurdle of an artificial intelligence that reviews their application before any human ever gets to see them. Now, a revolutionary case raises the question of whether these AI gatekeepers should have to unseal their methods behind rejecting applicants.

This case involves Eightfold AI, a... Silicon Valley-based business that created an enormous database of profiles of workers around the globe totaling more than one billion workers. When people apply to other companies through Eightfold's platform to find other job opportunities, it provides them with a score of one to five based on their skill set and the needs of that company.

The unhappy candidates, whose number didn't make the cut, are often clueless as to where they went wrong or which data was against them.

This is a problem that Erin Kistler is very familiar with. She is a computer science graduate, but like thousands, she has been painstakingly tracking her thousands of job applications over the last year. What is shocking is that only a paltry 0.3 percent have led to follow-up conversations.

Several of those applications went through Eightfold's system, and she never received any feedback about her scores.

"I think I deserve to know what's being collected about me and shared with employers," Kistler said. "And they're not giving me any feedback, so I can't address the issues."

The Landmark Class Action Against AI Gatekeepers

This lawsuit is an innovative approach in the use of the law, as the plaintiffs claim the AI filtering tools need to be subjected to the same level of disclosure as credit reporting agencies.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act, which Congress made into law in 1970, forces credit agencies to disclose the information they have collected on a person and offer the person an opportunity to dispute the information they believe is erroneous. The law actually applies not only to credit but to the "gathering of information on persons. used for employment purposes."

David Seligman, whose nonprofit law firm, Towards Justice, is working to advance the case, agrees that this protection should be granted to A.I.-powered hiring tools as well.

There "is no A.I. exemption to our laws." "Far too often, the business model of these companies is to roll out these new technologies, to wrap them in fancy new language, and ultimately to just violate peoples' rights."

The lawsuit filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court in California seeks to certify a class action and represents one of the first efforts to use consumer protection laws against algorithm-based recruitment systems. The plaintiffs are asking Eightfold to comply with various disclosure obligations and are seeking unspecified financial damages.

This is only the first in a long line of legal challenges to AI hiring technology, according to legal scholars. David Walton, an attorney in Philadelphia who specializes in advising companies about AI, admitted that companies are currently in uncharted legal territory.

When Artificial Intelligence Hiring Crosses the Line from Efficiency to Bias

While the company could say that they are merely providing an assessment that rates applicants as a recruiter would, the mechanisms by which they are doing that are questionable.

"These tools are designed to be biased. I mean, they're designed to find a certain type of person," Walton explained. "So they are designed to be biased, but they're not designed to improperly be biased. And that's a very fine line."

There have been other lawsuits on the discrimination front against AI hiring tools. A high-profile 2023 case against Workday, another major hiring screening tool maker, accuses the company's technology of illegally discriminating against older workers, the disabled, and Blacks.

Federal Judge Rita Lin found the evidence compelling enough to continue the case, as one individual was given an automated "reject message" at 1:50 a.m., less than an hour from when he initially applied, which "plausibly supports an inference of discrimination based on criteria unrelated to qualifications."

The regulatory landscape has shifted dramatically under different administrations. In 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued guidance that was unequivocal.

The hiring dossiers and scores were covered under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Once President Trump took office, acting director Russell Vought rescinded that guidance as part of his broader effort to dismantle the agency.

Jenny Yang, a former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, now representing plaintiffs, said regulators began studying algorithmic hiring more than a decade ago. "We realized they were fundamentally changing how people were hired. People were getting rejected in the middle of the night and nobody knew why," she said.

While corporate litigation typically drags on for years, the case is emblematic of emerging concerns about transparency and equity in cases where AI controls who receives job opportunities and who does not. more

Career development

 1d

Ask an Aviation Recruiter: Aviation Career Advice, 2026 Winter Edition


What does "good cultural fit" really mean in aviation recruitment?

In aviation, as in many other industries, every airline and operator has its own set of values, standards, mission statements, and behaviours that shape how they operate. From fast-paced and performance-driven cultures, to people-centric or heritage-rich environments, understanding the spectrum of airline cultures helps you... identify where you're most likely to thrive.

It's important for professionals to understand and airline's overall culture before committing to a contract or new role, ensuring your career goals, strengths, and preferences align.

If you join an airline that has a highly performance-driven culture but prefer a steadier pace, the environment can feel demanding. Equally, those with driven personalities may find this type of culture energising and motivating.

Finding the right cultural fit can be the difference between your career progressing or stalling, and plays a major role in long-term job satisfaction.

Explore the common airline cultures and the impact they have on your career by visiting our article, Evaluating Airline Culture for your Career here.

Highlighting your weaknesses or gaps on your CV or in your interview can benefit you more than many professionals realise.

Explaining these honestly demonstrates self-awareness and transparency, qualities that airlines value. To turn a weakness into a positive, explain how you plan to address it and continue developing professionally.

Only highlighting strengths, can give the impression that you lack self-reflection or ambition to grow, or could come across as inflexible. Being open about weaknesses allows for more honest, productive conversations.

Adding context around gaps in employment can help put concerns at ease, whilst also highlighting your commitment for the future.

A common misconception when job searching is that success requires constant effort and time, which can often lead to burn out. Job hunting often feels like a job in itself, particularly if you're still working at the same time. However, there are many small actions you can take to allow the right opportunities to find you.

You don't need to spend time scrolling every day looking for the right job posting. Turning on post notifications for these pages will keep you informed when a new job goes live, without repeatedly checking feeds.

Our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram pages are updated every day with new and existing aviation job opportunities, clearly highlighting requirements and benefits. Be sure to visit, press follow and turn on post notifications on your chosen channel to stay updated.

Our AeroProfessional LinkedIn page has many dedicated groups for you to join, from B737, to A320, Non-Type-Rated, and more. These groups feature job postings specific to the group.

This is an easy way to refine your search and stay informed.

The most effective strategy for job opportunities to find you is registering with relevant recruitment firms. You'll receive tailored email alerts with new roles, plus expert support and advice.

By registering with AeroProfessional, you'll receive early notification when a new role goes live. You'll also be directly contacted when a role matches your qualifications, hours, Type-Ratings, and licences, ensuring you receive only the most suitable opportunities. Plus, our monthly bulletin enables you to stay updated on the most in-demand roles, as well as providing valuable insights and advice.

Registering is the easiest way to fast-track your job search, just one click of a button, and opportunities will find you.

To get started, register with us here.

Whether you're currently in a job you love, one you don't, or not working at all, assessing your situation and considering your future is an important place to start when you're feeling stuck.

Taking a moment to put this into perspective can help you to further understand your situation and create a plan, ultimately building a healthy and secure future outlook.

Whether you're ready to move on, or you're unsure where your future is headed and how to navigate it, reach out to our expert recruitment team who will provide their specialist advice on your situation and help you get your career moving again. Reach out here.

Every career move in aviation starts with the right information. Whether you're actively searching or simply planning ahead, staying informed puts you in control of your next step. The more clarity you have, the stronger your career becomes.

By understanding what to focus on, you can approach your next move with greater confidence and clarity. Our recruiters are here to offer honest guidance and support whenever you need it.

If you have more questions or would like tailored advice, we're always happy to help. Keep an eye out for the next edition of Ask an Aviation Recruiter, where we'll continue to share insights to support your career progression. more

Career development

 1d

This One Skill Gets You Hired, And It's Not What You Think


Simply matching a job description isn't enough anymore. The right qualifications will get you considered for a position. But to actually get hired, you must make an impression. Successful candidates communicate their value with clarity and confidence. When you master how you present yourself, interviews stop feeling like interrogations and start feeling like conversations where you're in control.... You walk out knowing you gave them every reason to say yes. That's the difference between hoping for an offer and expecting one.

Another rejection email. Your heart sinks with that familiar feeling of disappointment. Why does this keep happening, especially when you do everything right?

When you apply for a job, you adjust your resume to fit the role. You only apply for positions where you're a top candidate. You write personal cover letters, and you have a strong portfolio. You do get invites to job interviews, but no matter what happens, you just can't seem to land an offer.

If you can relate, just know there isn't something wrong with you! The problem is simple: In interviews, you don't communicate your value clearly. It might be that you feel nervous, or you undersell yourself, or maybe you don't connect with the people in the room.

How you present yourself is the difference between getting interviews and getting job offers. It's how you go from being one of many qualified candidates to being the person they can't stop thinking about after you leave the room.

In this video, Morgane Peng, Head of Product Design & AI Transformation at Societe Generale, reveals why presentations skills are so valuable for every stage of your career.

Why a Good CV Isn't Enough Anymore

If you compare the job market today to a few months ago, it's completely different! LinkedIn job posts that used to attract a couple applicants now get hundreds. Entry-level roles expect years of experience. Mid- and senior-level roles attract over-qualified candidates who compete against others willing to accept much less than they deserve.

Then there's artificial intelligence (AI). It doesn't just help us work; it does the work! Before technology like ChatGPT, humans had to spend months if they wanted to learn to code or understand datasets. Now, AI can do these things, and it can do them fast! Tasks that only a few people could do are now possible for anyone with an internet connection! This means everyone is qualified on paper (especially when AI makes sure you have the perfect resume and cover letter).

To get a job offer, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd.

Recruiters Are Desperate for One Thing

Imagine you're a recruiter. Every day, you open an inbox full of applications. Everyone has the same skills. Everyone is a "results-driven professional" and "team player". Everyone uses AI to write their applications. Soon, candidates all blur together.

That's why recruiters are desperate for people who stand out (in the right way). You need to set yourself apart from everyone else, or you'll get lost in the stack of resumes.

Think back to your last interview. You probably talked through your resume and spoke about past experience and achievements. You might've spoken about the company and asked a few questions. But when you were asked more detailed questions about your work, your ideas, and your process, how did you feel? Did you communicate as clearly as you wanted to? Afterwards, did you think back and wish you'd said something differently?

A strong resume gets you to the interview, but the choice to hire you happens when you present yourself, your ideas, and your value. When you know how to present, you aren't just saying "I'm good." You're showing potential employers "Here's exactly what I bring and how that'll benefit you when you hire me."

Just as importantly, hiring managers want someone the team will enjoy working with. Beyond your qualifications, they're looking to see if they want to interact with you every day. When you present well, you naturally build that connection. You communicate clearly, read the room, and respond thoughtfully. You become the candidate that's remembered, and most of the time, that's the person who gets the offer.

In this video, Morgane Peng explains the value of building trust in your career, and how you can do it too.

Presentations Aren't Just "Public Speaking"

Let's clear something up right now. When we speak about presenting, most people assume it's public speaking. They imagine standing in front of a room full of people, lightheaded with sweaty palms. While public speaking is part of it, it's not all of it.

When you master presentations, you learn what to say and how to use body language to come across as confident and approachable (even if you feel nervous). You use vocal techniques like pacing, pauses for dramatic effect, and adapt your energy to match the conversation. These are the things that convince someone that you're a good fit for the role.

Let's take Marta as an example. Here's what happened in her last interview. She walked in prepared with her portfolio, ready to talk through her recent projects. The first 10 minutes went smoothly. She explained her background, talked about her achievements, and answered a couple standard questions about her experience.

Then the hiring manager asked her to walk through a case study. Marta knew her work inside and out, but as she tried to explain her process, she got stuck. She jumped between ideas without clear transitions. Her energy dropped as she second-guessed herself mid-sentence. She could see the interviewer losing attention. When they asked follow-up questions, Marta's answers felt scattered. She left that interview disappointed. She knew she hadn't shown them what she was truly capable of.

Marta didn't know it, but she'd been presenting the entire interview. When she introduced herself, walked through her portfolio, and explained her approach to the case study. Every moment required the same skills: clear communication, confident body language, intentional pacing, and the ability to read the room and adjust.

What if Marta had those skills? She would've walked through that case study with a clear structure the hiring manager could follow. She would've paused at the right time to let important points have greater effect. When she noticed the interviewer's attention starting to drift, she would've shifted her energy and brought them back in. Her body language would've shown confidence even when her mind was racing.

Presenting is a skill you use in almost every professional situation. When you pitch an idea to your boss, collaborate with your team, or sit across from a hiring manager, you use the same skills. These moments happen all the time, and how you show up in them matters.

In this video, Morgane Peng describes how to capture and hold people attention, from start to finish.

Why Great Presenting Skills Are the Common Denominator in Job Offers

A job offer depends on many things: the right skills and experience, roles that match your background, good timing, and sometimes networking or referrals. But one factor makes a huge difference in interviews: How you connect with people and communicate your value.

When you present well, you make special moments an algorithm can't copy. You watch the people in the room. You notice small changes in how they sit or look and change your approach. You sense when someone is confused so you explain yourself in a different way. You make people like and trust you with your energy, personality, and because you explain difficult ideas in an understandable way.

Take Sarah, who interviewed for a senior product designer role. When she was asked to present a strategy, she structured it so clearly that everyone in the room could follow her thinking from problem to solution. When they challenged her approach, she didn't get defensive. She acknowledged their concern and showed her reasoning. Two days later, they offered her the role above her asking salary. The hiring manager later told her they were impressed by how she communicated under pressure.

Sarah's story shows how presentation skills make you memorable. You become confident without being arrogant. You become the candidate they can actually see in the role because you've painted that picture for them. When AI can do most of the technical work, the person who can walk into a room and make people feel something is more likely to get noticed and hired.

How to Go From "Thanks for Your Time" to "When Can You Start?"

The good news is that these skills are completely learnable! You don't need a special talent or years of experience to get there. Start with the basics so that when your next interview comes, you're ready.

Look up common interview questions and think back to what you've been asked in past interviews. Which of these are easy to answer, and which need deeper reflection? Don't just think about your answers; say them out loud. This helps you find better words and speak more smoothly.

When you practice your interview questions, stand in front of a mirror or record yourself on your phone. This can seem silly at first, but it helps you see what others see. You might notice that you fidget or use too many filler words like "um." Look for things you want to improve, then try again. The goal is to feel confident without sounding rehearsed.

Talk to friends and family about your work as if they know nothing about your industry. Ask for honest feedback: Did they understand you? Were you clear? Did you sound confident? Use their feedback to guide what you change.

Remember that you don't need to be perfect right away. Everyone goes through this when they start out, but the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.

In this video, Morgane Peng discusses common errors in how people deliver presentations, and how to overcome them.

What Happens After You Get Hired

Strong presentation skills don't lose value once you land the job. It's actually the opposite! When you know how to present, opportunities start coming to you. You become the person your manager turns to when something needs explaining to leadership. You're invited to represent your team in important meetings. Your ideas get heard and acted on because you know how to communicate them clearly.

People who present well get promoted faster. Not always because they're the most technically skilled, but because they can explain complex ideas to anyone, build trust across teams, and make others feel confident in their ideas. These are the skills that turn good employees into leaders.

The Take Away

The old formula where you show up, do good work, and your career will grow naturally doesn't work anymore. Industries have evolved and will continue to evolve. Some jobs will disappear and others will transform.

You can't predict the future or control the job market. You can't stop AI from getting smarter and faster. And you can't stop other people from applying to the same jobs as you. But you can control how you show up.

Imagine how it'll feel when you walk into your next interview and instead of feeling nervous and second-guessing every answer, you're confident. You explain your ideas clearly. You connect with the interviewer. You leave knowing you gave them exactly what they needed to say yes. That's what strong presentation skills give you. Not just a better chance at landing a job, but a skill that keeps opening doors throughout your entire career.So don't wait until your next interview is set to start!

References and Where to Learn More

Ace your next interview using presentation skills from our course Present Like a Pro: Fast-Track Your Career.

Find out How to Find Your Voice: Speak with Confidence and Clarity.

Read about why You're Not Bad at Presenting; You Just Haven't Mastered the Right Way (Yet)

Learn about Presentation Pitfalls and How You Avoid Them.

Hero image: © Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY SA 4.0 more

Career development

 1d

Changing face of the job market: When titles stop explaining work and skills take the driver's seat - The Times of India


A journalist, an engineer, an analyst, that is what our professionals identify with. They told employers what skills to expect and told workers where they stood. The notion seems to fade now.The labour market is reorganising itself at a speed few institutions can match. Roles are mutating faster than titles can keep up. Workflows are being redesigned by technology. Yet hiring systems, résumés, and... classrooms still rely on labels that no longer describe reality.What has emerged is not just a skills gap, but a signalling failure. Large-scale labour market data shows a widening disconnect between how workers describe themselves and what employers are actually willing to reward. The economy is no longer structured around roles. It is structured around skills. And the transition has been messy.Most workers continue to market themselves using broad, familiar language. Communication, leadership, and problem-solving. These traits sound serious, and they feel safe. They once helped candidates stand out.Now they barely register. Employers are inundated with applicants who claim the same strengths. What they struggle to find are people with the specific capabilities required to execute the work in front of them.General skills have not lost their importance. They have lost their scarcity. When everyone signals the same thing, it stops carrying information. In hiring, sameness is the fastest route to invisibility.One of the more uncomfortable realities of today's labour market is that skill value is not universal. A capability that boosts pay in one role can reduce it in another.Strategic thinking may be rewarded in customer-facing roles. In highly technical positions, it can be read as distance from the actual work. In fields driven by precision, employers prioritise those who understand the system over those who want to manage it.This challenges a popular myth. There is no single set of future-proof skills. What matters is fit. The right skill, in the right role, at the right time. The market is no longer impressed by ambition alone. It is focused on execution.This shift has deeper consequences than most organisations acknowledge. Skills are quietly replacing job titles as the real currency of work.Yet many companies still rely on rigid job architecture. Roles are defined by tradition rather than workflow. Pay is tied to hierarchy instead of contribution. This obscures where value is actually created and where it is merely assumed.Moving toward a skill-based model forces difficult questions. What tasks matter most. Which skills drive outcomes. Where humans add value in increasingly automated systems. Few organisations are eager to confront these answers.Workers, too, are being forced to rethink their careers. The ladder model no longer holds. Careers now resemble portfolios, built through the accumulation of scarce and relevant skills. Titles may sound impressive, but they age quickly. Capabilities travel further.The implications for education are unavoidable. Many institutions are still preparing students for a labour market that has already moved on. Broad preparation without application is losing credibility.Employers increasingly expect graduates to contribute from day one. They are less willing to fund long periods of adjustment. This widens the gap between what is taught and what is needed.This does not mean education should become narrow or transactional. It means relevance must be taken seriously. Knowledge that cannot be applied struggles to hold value in a market that rewards output.Technology has accelerated this transition. Artificial intelligence has lowered barriers to learning and shortened the time needed to acquire new skills. Access has expanded and competition has intensified.In this environment, knowing tools is no longer a differentiator. Knowing how to think remains one. The most resilient workers are those who can take complex problems and impose structure. They define assumptions. They work through uncertainty. They adapt knowledge across contexts. These capabilities resist automation because they depend on judgment, not repetition.Though we all feel that the real danger in today's job market is being replaced by machines, but, it is the inability to adapt as signal changes. The current mismatch cannot last. Labour markets eventually correct distorted signals. When they do, the consequences are uneven.Those who cling to titles will struggle. Those who invest in depth will gain leverage. Organisations that align work with skills will move faster. Those who rely on outdated labels will fall behind.The message from the market is already clear. Job titles no longer tell the truth but skills do. The future of work will belong to those who understand that distinction, and act on it before the correction arrives. more

Career development

 1d

At Tesla, Proof Beats Pedigree as Musk Asks Applicants to Keep Resume and Show Results - Tekedia


Elon Musk has never been sentimental about hiring rituals, but his latest recruitment call strips the process down to its bare essentials. If you want to work on Tesla's Dojo3 AI chip, he does not want your résumé front and center. He wants three bullet points. Specifically, the toughest technical problems you have solved.

The request, posted this week on X, is less a quirky billionaire flourish... than a window into how elite tech hiring is tightening under pressure. Musk's message was blunt: email three bullets describing hard problems conquered. No flowery cover letters. No sprawling résumés polished to perfection. Just outcomes.

For recruiters watching Silicon Valley's recalibration, the subtext is unmistakable. Companies are no longer hiring for potential narratives. They are hiring for demonstrated impact.

"He's basically just trying to cut through the noise of the job market," Business Insider quoted Michelle Volberg, a longtime recruiter and founder of Twill, a startup that pays tech workers to recommend peers for hard-to-fill roles, as saying.

In her view, traditional résumés and LinkedIn profiles often obscure more than they reveal, especially in technical fields where job titles can mean wildly different things from one company to the next.

Asking candidates to spell out a small number of hard-won victories forces clarity. It moves the conversation away from buzzwords and toward evidence. For hiring managers drowning in applications, that matters.

The timing is not accidental, as tech hiring is emerging from a period defined by excess. Pandemic-era overexpansion, followed by mass layoffs and a surge in AI investment, has produced a market where headcount is tightly controlled, and expectations are unforgiving. In that environment, the premium is on people who can show, not tell.

Volberg said she hears growing frustration from hiring managers about résumés that appear engineered for applicant-tracking systems rather than for humans. Some are so tailored that they reveal little about how candidates actually think or solve problems.

"They don't want to see fluffy résumés that have been written by ChatGPT," she said.

Musk's approach fits neatly into a broader shift toward what HR professionals describe as skills-based hiring. Instead of leaning on credentials, pedigree, or years of experience, employers are increasingly probing how candidates arrive at answers, how they navigate ambiguity, and how they perform under pressure.

In Musk's case, the emphasis on outcomes is also consistent with his long-held skepticism of formal qualifications. He has repeatedly said that a college degree is not a prerequisite for working at Tesla, arguing that evidence of exceptional ability matters more than where someone studied or whether they studied at all.

This is not the first time he has used bullets as a filter. BI reports that in 2025, while overseeing recruitment tied to the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk issued a similar call for "world-class" engineers and product managers, asking applicants to submit two or three bullets showcasing exceptional ability, alongside a résumé. The pattern suggests a philosophy rather than a one-off stunt.

From a hiring perspective, the bullet test raises the stakes for candidates. Volberg said it quickly exposes exaggeration. Anyone claiming to have solved complex technical problems must be prepared to unpack them in detail. In interviews, it becomes obvious who actually did the work and who merely inherited the credit.

"If you say you've solved these three things, you'd better be able to talk about them," she said. Candidates who cannot often do not just lose the opportunity; they risk damaging their reputation with recruiters.

Still, the approach is not without its blind spots. David Murray, chief executive of performance management startup Confirm, cautioned that asking applicants to self-select their greatest wins may disadvantage quieter contributors who are less inclined to market themselves. Technical excellence does not always correlate with confidence or self-promotion.

There is also the risk of overconfidence skewing the pool. The Dunning-Kruger effect, where weaker performers overestimate their abilities while stronger ones underplay theirs, could mean that some of the most capable engineers do not shine in a three-bullet self-assessment.

"What he is asking people to do is to market themselves," BI quoted Murray as saying.

Yet even those caveats underline the larger point. Musk is not trying to design a universally fair hiring system. He is optimizing for speed, signal, and intensity in one of the most competitive corners of AI development. Dojo3, Tesla's in-house AI chip effort, sits at the heart of the company's ambitions in autonomy and robotics. The margin for error is slim.

In that sense, the bullets are less about minimalism than about accountability. They force candidates to anchor their claims in reality. They also signal to the market that, at least at Tesla, the era of hiring on credentials alone is fading.

For job seekers, the implication is sobering but clear. The story you tell about yourself matters less than the problems you can prove you have solved. In Musk's world, results are the résumé. more

Career development

 1d

Woman slams RM1.3k job offer, claims employer was rude


A Malaysian woman turns down a RM1,300 admin cum marketing job in Petaling Jaya, sparking debate over low pay and unfair hiring practices.

JOB hunting is not only daunting but also challenging, not just because of the current job market but also due to certain employers' attitudes towards applicants.

A Malaysian woman recently shared her upsetting encounter with an employer who allegedly not... only offered a low salary but also mocked her current job.

According to a post on Threads, the woman claimed that the company is located in the Petaling Jaya area.

ALSO READ: "Did you only come here for the money?" - M'sian jobseeker called out for asking salary in interview

In terms of salary, the company allegedly offered her a meagre RM1,300 for an "admin cum marketing" role, without EPF or SOCSO contributions.

She also claimed that the employer insulted her for working as a freelancer.

According to a screenshot attached to the post, the woman ultimately rejected the offer, stating that she refused to work for a boss who "looked down on her current job".

In an update, she explained that she did not report the company.

Netizens nevertheless urged the woman to report the company, pointing out that the offered salary does not align with the national minimum wage of RM1,700.

The post also sparked a discussion on recruitment practices among Malaysian companies, with the majority of netizens recommending that jobseekers properly vet employers before submitting their résumés.

"Just report it to the Labour Department and the Public Complaints Bureau. There's no need to follow up. Submit all the evidence. What's important is that these companies are exposed for exploiting the labour system," a user commented. more

Career development

 1d

You Don't Need a Degree


People love to talk about education in business. Diplomas. MBAs. The right schools. The curated path that makes a résumé glow under fluorescent lights. I get it. I've worked with brilliant people -- strategic, refined, well-credentialed. Some can reverse-engineer a global supply chain with three whiteboards and a decaf latte.

But here's what I've seen: When it hits the fan -- and it always does... -- degrees don't save you. Grit does. And grit doesn't live in classrooms. It lives in the moments that burn.

The outsider's expertise

In 1997, I was running the State of Texas Access Reform program, and the Iowa Children's Health Insurance Program. I was 25. By optics? I shouldn't have been there. By capability? Absolutely. I didn't come from wealth. My story started on the streets at 16. But I had scars. Hunger. A work ethic built from not having another option. That mattered more than anyone knew.

I had just enough experience with a system called Vantive -- a clunky piece of software. I studied it obsessively. I opened it, broke it, and reverse-engineered it because I couldn't afford not to. That curiosity -- and the word Vantive on my résumé -- sent me to Silicon Valley to support a merger between Boole & Babbage and BMC Software. They wanted my "expertise."

"Expertise" was generous.

I packed a suit and flew out. I checked into a Motel 6 behind a Denny's off 101 -- with hallway carpets that smelled like mildew and floor wax. The front desk clerk didn't look up. The vending machine groaned louder than the air conditioner. That night, I ordered a Denver omelet. Overcooked eggs. Rubbery ham. Peppers that tasted like lighter fluid. By midnight, I was curled on the bathroom floor, violently sick, cold sweat on my neck, wondering how I was going to survive the week.

Morning came anyway. The sunrise is relentless that way.

I pulled on a wrinkled shirt, straightened a tie I wasn't sure matched, and walked into a room that smelled like espresso and glass cleaner. The table was surrounded by professionals twice my age, five times as polished. Salt-and-pepper hair. Stainless mugs gripped like trophies. They had presence. They had expectations.

And they turned to me: "So...where do we start?"

I spoke slowly. Carefully. Like I was walking barefoot across broken glass. I gave them just enough to buy time. Time to listen. Time to learn. Inside, I was chaos. Outside, I held still.

Built in the dark

That night, the motel room felt colder than it should've -- the way a place feels when you're far from home and in over your head. I opened my laptop -- a plastic brick that wheezed like it hated me -- and shoved in an AOL CD. That disc was the internet.

The modem shrieked like a dying robot, then finally connected. On the TV, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire played while I sat hunched over a scratchy motel bed, stomach twisted, brain buzzing, trying to decode acronyms I couldn't spell. I flipped through notes -- scrawled, frantic, half-legible.

It was 1997. No YouTube. No Stack Overflow. No ChatGPT. God, what I would've done for that in '97.

Still, I sat there. Tired. Nauseous. Determined. Not because I knew what I was doing, but because I had to know more tomorrow than I did today. I unrolled giant database diagrams across the bed until the sheets disappeared. I traced them with a pen like I was solving a crime scene.

I didn't sleep much. But I learned. Every morning, I walked back into that room a little more dangerous. I started building a plan. Not perfect, but something that could flex. That's all part of leadership: knowing just enough to start, and being relentless enough to adjust.

Consequences educate

Eventually, the room changed. The way they looked at me changed. I wasn't just tolerated; I was trusted. I didn't realize it then, but my value wasn't in what I knew -- it was in how I learned under pressure. It was in my ability to stay still when everything whispered, you don't belong here. I knew how to stay when others ran because I had lived in harder rooms than that one.

Scars don't show up on a résumé, but they show up when it counts. They offer a perspective that comfort cannot provide because they strip away the luxury of pretense. When you've been burned, you stop caring about looking like the smartest person in the room and focus exclusively on being the most effective.

There is a clarity that comes with having struggled; it erases the indulgence of overthinking. You learn to move with a survival instinct that replaces hesitation with action. Most importantly, scars force ownership. You realize, usually in the middle of a long night, that no one is coming to save the project; it is entirely on you.

I've seen polished professionals freeze when a plan breaks. And I've seen the ones with scraped-up stories step in and carry it -- not because they had the right degrees, but because they'd already paid the price somewhere else.

So no, this isn't about dismissing education. It's about telling the truth. You don't need a degree to be ready. You need the kind of pain that teaches you how to act when no one has the answers. You need scars that taught you to move through doubt. You need to have learned -- not from comfort -- but from consequence.

I didn't build a career in spite of chaos. I built my career inside it. Some people are trained for the boardroom. Others are built in the dark. And when everything falls apart, you'll know exactly which one is in the room with you.

The early-rate deadline for the 2026 Inc. 5000 is Friday, January 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today. more