The Talent Fix: Future of Hiring and Recruitment Innovation

How is AI changing recruitment, and are we actually hiring better because of it?
In this episode of The Talent Fix, Barry Prost is joined by Niamh Geraghty, Head of People at Strata, to explore the future of hiring, the growing shortage of specialist talent, and why recruitment technology needs to be designed around people, not just efficiency.
Drawing on leadership experience at Google, Procore and Strata, Niamh shares practical lessons from scaling high-performing teams and explains why organisations need to rethink how they attract, assess and engage talent.
In this episode we discuss:
• Why engineering and construction talent shortages continue to grow
• How AI has changed recruitment for both employers and candidates
• The "spray and pray" application problem
• Why recruitment should prioritise human connection over automation
• How Strata is building long-term talent pipelines through graduates, apprenticeships and international hiring
• What companies can learn from Google's hiring process and culture
• How structured interviews lead to better hiring decisions
Whether you're a CEO, founder, HR leader, recruiter or hiring manager, this episode offers practical insights into building stronger hiring strategies in an increasingly AI-driven world.

About Niamh Geraghty
Niamh Geraghty is Head of People at Strata. She previously held senior HR leadership roles at Google and Procore, where she led people strategy, organisational development and employee relations across global teams.
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AI is reshaping recruitment faster than most companies can keep up, but it still can't replace the one thing that closes a great hire: relationships and judgment.
In this episode of The Talent Fix, Barry Prost sits down with David Hanrahan, Chief People Officer at SolarWinds, to unpack what's actually working in talent acquisition right now. David brings 20+ years of people leadership across Twitter, Zendesk, Eventbrite, Niantic, and SolarWinds to share what separates companies that hire well from those that don't.
They cover: the build vs. buy question on agentic AI tools, why executive search still matters for hard-to-fill roles, how to write job descriptions around "wild success," tackling recruiter-hiring manager misalignment, and the growing threat of candidate and recruiter fraud.
Essential listening for CPOs, CHROs, talent leaders, and anyone serious about building great teams.

Many growing companies think they have a hiring problem. In reality, they’re dealing with gaps in structure, compliance, and how they manage people as they scale.This conversation cuts through the noise and focuses on what’s actually working.What we cover:
Why many SMEs are still struggling with HR compliance
How technology is changing the way companies manage people
Where AI will (and won’t) make a real impact in HR
What high-performing companies do differently when hiring
Practical insights on leadership, culture, and retention

If you're reviewing your hiring strategy or trying to reduce cost and improve speed, learn more here:👉 https://rentarecruiter.com

Hiring doesn’t break overnight. It gets harder as companies scale.
In this episode of The Talent Fix, Barry Prost speaks with Laura Walsh, Director of People & Experience at Thinscale, about what’s actually changing in hiring today and what still matters.
From AI tools and CV screening to candidate experience, culture fit, and remote work, this conversation explores how modern hiring is evolving and where companies are getting it right and wrong.
They discuss:
How AI is shaping both sides of the hiring process

Why human judgement still plays a critical role

The challenges of maintaining candidate experience at scale

Hiring for curiosity, culture, and long-term fit

The shift towards output-based work and flexible environments

What scaling companies need to rethink in their hiring approach

If your business is growing and hiring is becoming more complex, this episode offers a practical look at what to focus on and what not to overcomplicate.

Today on The Talent Fix, we’re unpacking the future of skills in Ireland and what it really means for CEOs, HR leaders, and recruiters trying to hire in an increasingly competitive market.
I’m joined by Shauna Dunlop, Director of Research, Future Skills Needs, Statistics and Risk at SOLAS. Shauna leads the teams responsible for tracking labour market trends, forecasting future skills demand, and informing the education and training systems shaping Ireland’s workforce.
In this episode, we discuss what the latest SOLAS research tells us about current and emerging skill shortages, where the real opportunities are for Irish businesses, and how organisations can better access and leverage upskilling initiatives to stay competitive.
If you are responsible for workforce planning, hiring strategy, or long-term business growth, this conversation will help you connect skills data to real hiring decisions.