Thriving in the Perma-Crisis: What We Learned at RecFest 2025
Chris joined Engage Care Talent Co-Host on the AudienceLink stand for RecFest 2025, and the conversations about CHANGE on were brilliant.
Here's what stood out:
The Perma-Crisis Era
We're living in what one festival-goer called a "perma-crisis" – five years of pandemic hiring freezes, the Great Resignation, economic uncertainty, and AI reshaping talent acquisition. But the best practitioners aren't just surviving this chaos, they're thriving by embracing change as a competitive advantage.
Rory Sutherland: Stop Optimising for the Wrong Thing
The Ogilvy genius delivered behavioural science gold: hire for three or four potential roles, not one perfect fit. He shared how 20% of bees don't produce honey – they explore and discover, ensuring the hive's survival.
The question for talent leaders: Are you hiring enough explorers, or just optimising for honey production?
Soft Skills Are The New Hard Skills
Values-based hiring is imperative when you need a workforce that can handle constant change. You can teach technical skills, but finding people with the right values and vocation requires human connection.
The AI Strategic Imperative
Someone will eventually sell an AI TA solution to your CFO, promising to replace your team. If you're caught off guard, game over. Get ahead of it now – develop your AI strategy and show how technology amplifies rather than replaces your team.
The Power of In-Person Connection
Walking RecFest as the sun set, watching thousands of professionals network and share insights, reminded us we're in the people business. AI will change everything, but talent acquisition remains fundamentally about human connection and finding people who'll thrive in your culture.
Looking Forward
The question isn't whether the industry will advance – it's what you'll do differently. Are you hiring explorers or honey producers? Building your AI strategy proactively or reactively? Having strategic conversations with leadership or just order-taking?
Watch the full episode here:
The future of talent acquisition isn't about surviving change – it's about leading it.
What changes are you seeing in TA?
We'd love to feature your insights in future content.
P.S. – If you missed RecFest, put next year on your calendar. Some conversations are worth the sunburn.