Hello Community,
A few days ago, LinkedIn Research released a report highlighting some new insights that caught our attention.
Nearly 80 % of people say they feel unprepared to find a job in 2026, which adds stress and uncertainty to candidate behavior and expectations.
Almost two-thirds of recruiters (65%) say it has become harder to find qualified talent over the last year.
And no wonder—hiring has become an arms race, according to Gartner.
With a market cooled but expected to improve in the second half of 2026, according to JPMorgan, applicant volumes have skyrocketed. In the US, the unemployment rate climbed to a four-year high of 4.6%, according to the Labor Department's November report.
Recruiters are not having things easy: 42% state that there is a growing pressure to fill roles faster and to uncover “hidden gem” candidates (39%).
To make things more complicated, 84% of recruiters must deal with candidate fraud, from resume inflation to deepfakes, and interviewees using GenAI in real-time. The scams have also become common on LinkedIn. Half of the candidates believe the jobs they’re applying for are not legitimate. And according to Gartner, by 2030, 25% of candidate profiles will be fake.
Inside this Edition:
What the TA vs Hiring Manager tension is telling us about org design
6 shared decision points to reduce friction and restore clarity
Join us at the People & Culture Strategy Summit
Meet Assia, our new Growth Director at Hacking HR
Take our HR Community Survey to help build a better hiring framework
🗞️ In case you missed it: You still have a few days to enroll in our Mini Master on Practical AI and the Certificate Programs winter cohorts.
Read on for data, strategies, and tools to reconnect hiring with your broader people and culture strategy.
“Hiring used to feel like a walk in the park—now it’s a chaotic theme park with broken maps and AI-generated resumes.”
HR INSIGHTS
HIRING MISALIGMENT:
TA VS. HIRING MANAGERS
In the context in which teams are operating this year (increasing expectations around productivity, Human+AI collaboration, and laser-speed decision-making), there is less room for hesitation and rework. And certainly not for misalignment between Talent Acquisition and Hiring Managers, which not only slows hiring, but also increases costs that organizations are unwilling to absorb.
You know the scene: A candidate nails multiple interviews. Strong skills. High motivation. One area feels a bit light, and suddenly… silence. The hiring manager hesitates. Interviewers offer conflicting feedback. The candidate asks, “What’s next?” and no one has an answer. Momentum fades. And no one is quite sure who’s driving. Meanwhile, great candidates drop off or accept offers elsewhere.
6 Ways to Align Hiring With People Strategy
A shared hiring model depends on how Talent Acquisition and Hiring Managers work together. In a partnership, both sides share responsibility for decisions, outcomes, and trade-offs throughout the hiring process.
The following steps create the conditions for clearer judgment, stronger accountability, and more consistent experiences for candidates and teams.
1. DEFINE: Assign Decision Ownership Early
Clarify who moves the process forward, who can pause, and who makes the final call, especially when opinions differ.
2. AGREE ON: Set Trade-Off Rules Before You Interview
Decide what you’re willing to flex on and where your non-negotiables are. Align early so decisions don’t get stuck later.
3. ALIGN: Standardize Evaluation Roles
Give each interviewer a focus—skills, potential, or team fit. Reduce feedback noise by clarifying what each person is expected to assess.
4. SET: Feedback Expectations in Advance
Agree on when and how feedback is due. Make turnaround time and format clear to avoid delays and keep hiring on track.
5. MAINTAIN: Keep Hiring Conversations Active
Don’t let silence kill progress. Use check-ins to recalibrate expectations, review concerns, and prevent stalls between rounds.
6. REVIEW: Learn from Every Hire
After each process, reflect: What worked? What stalled? Use those insights to improve how you hire next time.
Let’s Build a Better Hiring Framework
We are running a community survey in collaboration with Spark Hire to better understand how Talent Acquisition and Hiring Managers define culture fit, make hiring decisions, and use interview input after a hire.
The survey takes about 10 minutes, does not collect email addresses, and all responses are anonymous and aggregated.
We will share the findings in a downloadable report, together with a practical hiring framework that you can learn from and apply. The more experiences we gather, the more useful this framework becomes for everyone involved!
👉 Take the survey and help shape a more intentional, collaborative approach to hiring. ➡️ Take the survey now
If you want to get insights before the report is published, Josh Tolan, CEO of Spark Hire, will share the initial findings during the panel “Hiring for Cultural Fit (Not Vibes): Building an Intentional Hiring Framework” at the People and Culture Strategy Summit (February 3-5, 2026) 👇
UPCOMING EVENT
PEOPLE & CULTURE STRATEGY SUMMIT
Join us at the People and Culture Strategy Summit (February 03-05, 7:00 AM - 11:45 AM Pacific Time), a free, virtual event for HR and business leaders navigating growing complexity, constant change, and rising expectations for impact.
Across three days, you’ll explore practical approaches to workforce strategy, operating model design, leadership capability, people analytics, culture, trust, and performance enablement, connecting strategy to real execution.
Through expert-led sessions, applied frameworks, and peer exchange, you’ll gain clarity on aligning people and culture decisions with business priorities and building the conditions for sustained organizational performance.
Premium members of the Hacking HR community who participate in this event can earn 13.5 SHRMs + 13.5 HRCIs + 13.5 IHRMs credits.
All attendees who participate live or watch the post-event recordings may download a certificate of participation.
⌚ Final days to enroll in our Winter Learning Programs…
LAST DAYS TO ENROLL
WINTER CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS AND MINI MASTER ON AI
You have two additional weeks to enroll in any of these programs and fully catch up. All sessions are designed so that late joiners can review recordings, complete materials, and seamlessly integrate into the cohort without falling behind.
Note: In February, we are kicking off our flagship program: "Strategic AI Leadership in Business" Micro-Certificate Program! ALL these Certificate Programs are included in our Premium Membership (only $199 per person, per year!)
Log in to the Hacking HR LAB, explore the syllabus and all the benefits of our memberships, and don’t miss this chance to start this year with a comprehensive upskilling strategy!
MINI MASTER ON PRACTICAL AI
Join a 19-week, live, hands-on learning journey that will help you build your own AI-augmented operating system for work and life.
In this program, you’ll create:
An Executive Assistant Agent to automate scheduling, notes, and follow-ups.
Proposal + Onboarding Agents to win business and onboard clients in minutes.
A Thought Leadership Engine to generate posts, decks, and videos at scale.
A Research & Insights Analyst to deliver briefs and trend reports on demand.
An Automation Layer to connect it all into one seamless AI-powered OS.
Duration: January 14 – May 20, 2026
Format: Live interactive classes + peer-to-peer labs
Time: Wednesdays, 8:00–10:00 AM PT
Cost: $0 (included in our NEW Premium+ Membership: $359/year per person at no additional cost!)
Certificate: Earn a digital diploma and HR credits
💬 Do you have questions about our individual and team memberships? Connect with Assia!
HACKING HR TEAM NEWS
Meet Assia, our new Growth Director. Assia will work closely with our community on programs, memberships, and learning pathways. If you’re ever unsure which option is right for you or your team, or want more clarity about our Mini masters, feel free to reach out.
🎯 Assia will help you navigate what makes the most sense for your goals.
✉️ Connect with Assia on LinkedIn / Email her at [email protected]
😊😊 We are Still Celebrating…
Take 10% off all Holiday Season gear while it lasts! Mugs that say what you really mean in meetings, t-shirts that speak fluent burnout, or digital checklists, ebooks, and templates that might actually save your sanity
Swag for your soul. Resources for your role.
SPONSORSHIPS
Thousands of HR executives will gather at these upcoming summits in 2026 to shape the future of work:
People and Culture Strategy Summit (February 3 - 5)
HR Technology, AI and Digital Transformation Summit (March 03-05)
Workplace Wellbeing and Mental Health Summit (May 05-07)
AI Experience Summit, Third Edition (June 2026)
Workforce Strategy and HR Budget Planning Summit (September 08-10)
If your company provides solutions in HR tech, benefits, people analytics, DEI, or workforce strategy, these events are your opportunity to connect with the exact decision-makers who control HR budgets and are actively searching for partners.
👉 Book an Intro Call with Laurie Baggarly: [email protected] to explore sponsorships and secure visibility at the summits where HR leaders are making buying decisions.