Pandemic-Induced Work Changes

The average recruiter now handles over 5,000 applications, carries 14 open reqs, and conducts 33% more interviews per hire than three years ago. Applications alone have nearly doubled since 2021. The teams got smaller. The job got harder. Most of it happened while nobody outside the function was paying attention. I've spent 9 years building Gem alongside recruiting teams. I've never seen it absorb this much, this fast: 1. Volume exploded, signal got buried 46% of job seekers now use AI to write resumes. Gartner projects 1 in 4 applicants will be entirely fake by 2028. Sourced candidates are nearly 8x more likely to get hired than inbound applicants. More applications doesn't mean more talent. It means more work to find the same few. 2. Every req is urgent until it isn't Hiring manager marks a role critical. You rearrange your pipeline, source 40 candidates, get three to final round. A reorg happens. The req vanishes. Nobody says "sorry we wasted three weeks of your pipeline." They just open a new req and mark it urgent. 3. Recruiting teams took the first bullet HR and recruiting were 27.8% of all tech layoffs in 2022-2023. The largest group. Open recruiter postings dropped 95%. Hiring came back in ~2024/25. The teams never did. Software recruiting teams shrank from 24 to 17. More than half of HR departments are still understaffed. 4. The tools didn't keep up Every recruiter has 47 tabs open right now. ATS, sourcing tool, scheduling link, a spreadsheet pretending to be analytics. 35% of working hours go to scheduling alone. Not strategy. Not relationships. Scheduling. The function responsible for bringing talent into the org runs on the least modern infrastructure in the building. 5. Some roles became nearly impossible 70% of organizations reported difficulty hiring ML engineers. AI comp routinely exceeds $400K, creating bidding wars smaller companies can't win. The recruiter holding these reqs knows the pool is thin and the budget was set before the market moved. 6. Every metric got less forgiving A candidate is 3x less likely to get hired than three years ago. 60% abandon slow processes. Only 28% of orgs measure quality of hire. Recruiters get judged on speed while the metric that would vindicate their work barely gets tracked. 46% of sourced hires are now rediscovered from existing databases, up from 26% in 2021. Offer acceptance rates hit 82%. The recruiters who made it through are adapting. They always do. Recruiters aren't just people who fill roles. You're the connective tissue between new hires and the organization. Often the first person to welcome someone, and sometimes a friend years later. So if you're the one person left at that desk with your coffee and your 47 tabs and your hiring manager's 4:57 PM Slack ping asking "can we chat about pipeline?" - I see you.

The remote work era demands a new approach to team leadership. With distributed work and hybrid setups becoming the norm, it’s time to re-evaluate traditional frameworks. Inspired by Patrick Lencioni’s "Five Dysfunctions of a Team," I adapted it for remote teams—because the rules have changed. 👀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝗗𝘆𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀: 1️⃣ 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗽 Trust is essential in remote setups but harder to build without regular face-to-face time. Consistency, transparency, and empathy are critical to bridge the trust gap. 2️⃣ 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 In virtual settings, it’s easy to skip tough conversations. Healthy conflict is essential for innovation—encourage open channels for feedback and constructive debate. 3️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Misalignments are common without a shared space. Set clear goals, built upon narratives and outcomes — to ensure everyone is moving in the same direction. 4️⃣ 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Remote work can blur accountability lines. Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and track progress consistently to build ownership. 5️⃣ 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 Digital tools create constant distractions, making it easy to lose sight of team goals. Regularly reinforce your team’s mission, celebrate progress, and debrief setbacks. --- Ready to tackle remote dysfunctions head-on? Here are also 10 practical tips for remote leaders: 1️⃣ Visualize team goals in one shared place 2️⃣ Write weekly async updates instead of a meeting 3️⃣ Set clear ownership of outcomes upfront 4️⃣ Build a “virtual watercooler” for informal chats 5️⃣ Plan quarterly offsites (in-person or digital) 6️⃣ Share small wins weekly to boost morale 7️⃣ Run frequent feedback sessions of different scopes 8️⃣ Set clear deep work timeslots for the team 9️⃣ Create a digital playbook for team processes 🔟 Document, document, document --- What's your view on this? Does it resonate? What other tips would you suggest for remote leaders? #RemoteWork #TeamDynamics #Leadership #HighPerformance --- I'm Hugo Pereira. Co-founder of Ritmoo and fractional growth operator, I've led businesses from $1m to $100m+ while building purpose-driven, resilient teams. Follow me to master growth, leadership, and teamwork. My book, 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥, arrives early 2025.

Last week, during a roundtable with a group of 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 leaders, the conversation took an unexpected turn. We started with the usual agenda — hiring trends, automation, and shifting candidate behavior. But somewhere between “AI efficiency” and “employer branding,” the discussion got personal. Then someone asked, “When was the last time you applied for a job?” That question changed the energy in the room. One by one, TA professionals began opening up — about ghosting, no feedback, endless interview loops. It hit us hard: the very people who built these systems are now facing the same frustrations their candidates have endured for years. So: Is recruitment broken? or Are we just finally experiencing it from the other side? And that’s when we started talking about what’s really changed — not just in process, but in power dynamics. 𝗤: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱? A: Artificial Intelligence — but not in the way most think. AI has supercharged the application process. Job seekers are now using AI assistants and resume builders to send 30–50 targeted applications per week — five times more than before. But here’s the twist: 📉 While companies process applications faster, AI filters out more candidates than ever. 📈 The ones who do get through? They’re using smarter prompts, ATS optimization, and personalized strategies. In short: volume is up, visibility is down. 𝗤: 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃��� 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀? A: Yes — for those who adapt. Candidates using AI strategically are landing interviews 3x faster and spending 40% less time job hunting. But the rest are getting buried under algorithmic noise. Employers now use predictive analytics to forecast fit and retention. That means the résumé alone isn’t enough anymore — your digital footprint and positioning matter more than ever. 💡 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿: Adaptation to AI systems is now a career skill and design thinking — empathy, prototyping, iteration — is how we rebuild recruitment from the inside out.

Leading a team remotely can feel like navigating uncharted waters, but it's a journey filled with opportunities for growth and innovation. I've witnessed firsthand, through my coaching clients, how adopting the right strategies can turn the challenges of remote and hybrid leadership into strengths. Initially overwhelmed by the shift to remote work, one of my clients transformed their leadership style using these 5 key strategies. They learned to harness digital tools for effective communication, foster a culture of trust and flexibility, prioritize their team's well-being, continuously upskill in digital literacy, and maintain a balance between autonomy and accountability. The result? A more cohesive, motivated, and productive team. If you're feeling the pressure of remote leadership, remember you're not sailing this sea alone. These strategies are your compass, guiding you to lead with confidence and agility. Let's embark on this journey together, turning the challenges of remote leadership into a story of success. Your team's potential is limitless, and with the right approach, you can unlock it. 💼🌍 #RemoteLeadership #HybridWorkplace #LeadershipStrategies #TeamSuccess #DigitalLeadership

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 The landscape of executive hiring is evolving faster than ever. Artificial intelligence has moved beyond buzzwords and is now a fundamental part of how recruiters’ source and evaluate candidates. Many senior professionals ask themselves how this shift will impact their job search. Will AI replace human recruiters? Will automated systems screen out perfectly qualified candidates before any human even sees their application? Here’s what I have observed working closely with recruiters and candidates navigating this change: AI is a powerful tool that enables recruiters to quickly filter through hundreds or thousands of applications. It scans resumes and LinkedIn profiles for specific keywords, skills, certifications, and experiences that match the role. This helps recruiters focus their time on the most relevant candidates. However, AI is essentially a highly advanced database search. It is not capable of assessing leadership presence, cultural fit, emotional intelligence, or the strategic nuances that define senior roles. That’s where human recruiters remain essential. Experienced recruiters use their judgement, intuition, and deep understanding of the business and leadership dynamics to evaluate candidates beyond what AI flags. They assess soft skills, team compatibility, and future potential, factors that no algorithm can fully grasp. For senior executives, succeeding in this hybrid hiring environment means adapting your approach to meet both AI and human expectations. You need a resume and LinkedIn profile optimised with the right keywords and industry terminology so AI systems can find you in the first place. That means using standard job titles, hard skills, and quantifiable achievements that align with the role. At the same time, you must communicate your unique leadership qualities, strategic vision, and cultural alignment in ways that resonate with recruiters reviewing your application. This includes clear, compelling storytelling and demonstrating impact beyond bullet points. Understanding the dual nature of today’s hiring process, where AI narrows the field and human recruiters make the final call, is critical. Candidates who master this balance will stand out. Those who rely solely on AI optimisation or only on human connection risk being overlooked. The future of executive hiring is a partnership between technology and human insight. Embracing both will give you a decisive advantage as you pursue your next leadership role.

Some of the best conversations in our team don’t happen in a boardroom; they happen in airports, coffee shops, or right after a client meeting. At Youniq Minds, we don’t sit under one roof. Our team lives in different cities, coming together in person only when a client assignment calls us. And yet, every time we meet, it feels like picking up from where we left off, as though distance never stood in the way. That’s the gift and the challenge of leading virtual teams. Flexibility and diversity of thought come naturally. But so do hurdles: miscommunication, different working styles, the absence of casual watercooler moments, and the silent risk of burnout. Over time, we’ve learned that the glue isn’t just processes or tools. It’s intentional leadership. The Center for Creative Leadership offers some powerful best practices that we often apply with our clients: - Define the team’s purpose and align on vision. - Clarify roles and expectations. - Establish clear procedures and working norms. - Invest in trust, celebrate small wins, encourage input, and stay connected. - Recognize differences: cultural, generational, and experiential. For us, one of the most powerful practices has been bringing in a coach to facilitate conversations. Those moments surface the unspoken, strengthen alignment, and turn distance into connection. Because leading virtually isn’t just about managing tasks, it’s about managing distance, diversity, and differences. Done with care, virtual teams don’t just work, they thrive. They become engines of trust and innovation. This picture is a reminder that distance doesn’t limit collaboration, but it does require leaders to be intentional. What about you? What’s one practice that has helped you thrive in a virtual team? #YouniqMinds #VirtualTeam #VirtualLeadership #TeamCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #RemoteTeams #CoachingForLeaders #TrustInTeams #Coaching #LDPerspectives

Recruitment Market Update (my view): The Sky Hasn't Fallen. From where I sit, recruitment is not only steady...it’s strong. Despite economic uncertainties, last quarter was our biggest in two years as a team. This was a pleasant surprise, especially considering we welcomed new team members who are still ramping up. Even with new hires in training, our average placements per consultant have held relatively constant. While down slightly from the post-COVID hiring surge, our numbers are significantly up from last year, proving resilience in the market. 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠: - Higher Demand for Executive and Silent Search: More clients are requesting discreet, high-touch searches, especially at the executive level, where expertise and relationships make all the difference. - Clients Overwhelmed by Recruiter Outreach: We’re hearing from clients that they’re being flooded with offers from recruiters, many of whom are lowering their fees to secure business. But clients see through it: quality beats quantity every time. - Challenges in Finding Top Talent: The market is tight. Job ads are becoming less effective for niche roles, serving more as a tool for building talent pools than immediate placement. In executive searches, we’re noticing fewer candidates willing to explore new opportunities...a testament to both full employment and a more cautious workforce. Our wins are coming from long-term relationships and trust...not quick wins. We’ve taken over roles left unfilled, demonstrating the value of deep expertise and persistence. 𝐀 𝐅𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭: New Jobs: - In September, Australia added over 150,000 roles to the market, even with one of the lowest unemployment rates in recent history. International Policy Impact: - With recent policies slowing immigration, Australia’s pool of available talent is under even greater pressure. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝: - Finding the Best is Getting Harder: Full employment means the active candidate pool is slim. Only the best recruiters(including hiring managers and internal recruiters)...those who genuinely value relationships...will find those hidden gems. Brand (inc. EVP) plays into this. - Quality Over Quantity: Recruitment firms focused solely on revenue, without a commitment to the craft, will likely struggle to adapt (wait for a "wave that won't come") and pull back operations. - More Candidates in the Market, But Not Necessarily the Right Ones: ✅ As layoffs increase slightly, we’ll see more candidates on the move. However, this won’t always mean they’re ideal fits for every role. ✅ To thrive, skilled recruiters who love what they do will be essential partners in tackling this challenging market. ✅ Quality relationships, dedication to the craft (we used to call this hard work), and expertise will continue to differentiate the best recruiters (and firms) from the rest.

I was able to combine my day job (as a Gartner analyst) with my avocation (tracking ongoing COVID risks) in new research for Gartner subscribers. As part of Gartner Futures Lab, I shared a prediction that, by 2029, accumulating #COVID19 infections and other occupational health threats will result in new government regulations for safe air and businesses implementing more safety measures. (These are sensible things we should've done when we declared the health emergency over, as COVID continues to infect many every year or two.) The research is only available to Gartner subscribers, but anyone who follows me will not be surprised by the evidence presented. I cite the growing research on the threat of Long COVID with every additional reinfection. I note that COVID continues to mutate and cause multiple surges of infections annually. And I share the large and growing body of research on the chronic damage COVID can do to brains, cardiovascular systems and other organs. As reinfections accumulate--particularly as vaccine rates decline--the risks to businesses are significant. Every acute infection causes more workplace disruptions. As long COVID and other long-term health issues grow, employers will bear increased healthcare costs and expenses with Long COVID accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the end, this research shares several market implications and some specific recommendations, but in general, the conclusion is obvious: Protect the health of your workers and customers. Implement steps to improve air safety with more ventilation, filtration, and air-quality monitoring. Adopt new policies that encourage sick employees to stay home and adjust to greater work-from-home (#WFH) policies, particularly when COVID and other viral risks rise. Companies that do more to protect the health of employees will decrease staffing challenges, minimize costs, improve employee productivity, and (I predict) will increasingly win the battle for talent. Gartner subscribers can learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g3w2r2ss

Can Leadership Development Thrive Without an Office? For a long time, we have assumed that leadership development requires physical presence—learning by osmosis, catching organic wisdom from senior leaders. These things do matter, but what if they were never the real driver of growth? And if not that, what are the ingredients that really matter? 🔹 Nick Bloom’s research shows remote work doesn’t kill productivity—it can actually improve it. 🔹 Brian Elliott argues that the best companies succeed not because of where people work, but how they work together. 🔹 Laszlo Bock has long said great leadership isn’t a product of proximity—it’s a result of intentional design. So why do so many organizations still fear that remote work will destroy their leadership pipeline? In my latest Forbes article, I explore how Hudson Institute of Coaching helped a global firm with hundreds of thousands of employees crack the code on virtual leadership development: ✅ Structured Peer Learning: tech-powered matching built diverse learning groups across business units. ✅ Embedded Micro-Development: Weekly 15-minute practices turned daily work into a training ground. ✅ Expert-Facilitated Coaching: Monthly deep dives replaced the informal mentorship that offices once provided. ✅ Measurable Business Impact: Leadership skills improved, engagement soared, and turnover dropped. The real challenge isn’t remote work—it’s whether we’re designing leadership development for the way work actually happens today. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gwwpMzTb

❌ We have had more offers declined by candidates in February than any other month in the past 3 years. And it's been coming... Over the past few months, we have seen competing offers and counteroffers at levels comparable to the post-covid "war-for-talent" in 2021/22. Note that this is not across the board, but very clearly for strong AI talent. By "strong", we don't just mean candidates who have experimented with LLMs or built a chatbot demo. We mean candidates who have: 🤖 Shipped production-grade AI products 🤖 Built or deployed agentic AI solutions 🤖 Designed LLM-powered systems with real users and measurable impact 🤖 Worked across infra + application layers (vector DBs, fine-tuning, orchestration frameworks, evaluation pipelines) 🤖 Understood the commercial implications of AI, not just the technical novelty What is particularly interesting is how compensation is being structured differently depending on business type: 🚀 VC-backed scale-ups are stretching on base, often layering meaningful equity to compete 🚀 Established tech firms are leaning into bonuses, LTIPs and retention packages 🚀 Enterprise organisations are sometimes going significantly above traditional internal salary bands to secure talent 🚀 US-headquartered companies hiring in the UK are occasionally coming in well above local market rate But as the competition heats up for AI talent and competing offers escalate, there are risks... For businesses: ⚠️ Salary band distortion and internal equity challenges ⚠️ Pay compression within existing teams ⚠️ Short-term, urgency-driven hiring decisions ⚠️ Inflated expectations for future hires entering the same function ⚠️ Retention risk if counteroffers become the default lever rather than engagement, progression and impact For candidates: 🚨 Accepting packages that may be difficult for businesses to sustain long term 🚨 Increased performance pressure tied to above-market compensation 🚨 Equity packages that look compelling but may not translate into realised value 🚨 Moving for compensation over role scope, leadership quality or long-term career trajectory 🚨 Risk of entering organisations still figuring out how AI fits commercially and operationally We are clearly entering another highly competitive cycle for niche AI skillsets, but it feels more concentrated and more selective than the last.