by Optimum
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by Optimum
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AI is transforming recruitment – but the phone still wins. Here’s how to blend both in 2026.
Over the past year, I’ve attended several staffing industry events (in-person and online), with one goal: staying abreast of the latest trends in recruitment and talent acquisition, especially around Artificial Intelligence (AI).
As we step into 2026, here are two practical tips for success:
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Embrace AI and Automation
Like many of you, I’m still wrapping my head around the opportunities AI brings. 2025 was a year of experimentation. I’ve spoken with several clients, candidates and recruitment professionals who have tested tools like IBM’s watsonx, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Meta’s Llama, Anthropic’s Claude, and xAI’s Grok, along with niche AI solutions for specific recruitment and HR related tasks.
Here’s my advice: try it.
Start small. Pick a repetitive task and experiment with how AI can automate or streamline it. The benefit is to free up your time while keeping the candidate and client experience front and centre. The tech is evolving fast, so the sooner you start, the better prepared you’ll be.
Personally, I’m training two AI “agents” right now. It feels like onboarding new team members. I’m expecting the time invested now will pay off later. The good news? AI is pretty good at teaching me how to teach it.
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Don’t Forget the Telephone
Amid all the excitement about AI, let’s not lose sight of what’s always worked. Recruitment is, and always will be, about people. Relationships remain the cornerstone of our industry.
The telephone, invented in 1876, is still the ultimate tool for recruitment and talent acquisition professionals. When I started my career in 1998, phone calls were essential, and they still are. In fact, with so much automation and AI-generated messaging, a real conversation is more valued than ever!
Yet, I see many recruiters leaning heavily on email, InMail, and messaging, avoiding calls altogether. A quick phone chat can provide context, save time, and showcase your influencing skills. It personalizes what we do. Computers can’t replicate that.
Blending New and Old
Our challenge for 2026? Embrace new technologies to work smarter and enhance the customer experience, while keeping core recruitment skills sharp. Phone screening, interviewing, taking job briefs, negotiating job offers – they matter as much as ever.
Here’s to a successful year ahead!
Ben Walsh
General Manager, Recruitment
Ben is General Manager – Recruitment at Optimum Consulting Group, an Australian employment advisory firm. He has been actively recruiting and managing teams for over 20 years, with industry experience gained in Australia, Canada and Ireland.
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