The 2026 tech hiring market is loosening up — and the rules have changed. Ted Hellmuth, founder of recruiting firm IQ Clarity, joins Paul Farnsworth to unpack what's driving demand, where AI fits in, and the mistakes holding both employers and candidates back.

Key insights from this episode:

• Hiring demand is up, especially for leadership roles — a strong signal that companies are investing again

• AI proficiency is now a dividing line: candidates who can stitch AI tools together and explain their process get hired fast

• Employers dragging out five-round interview processes are losing top talent to faster competitors

• Job seekers relying only on applications are missing 60% of the process — networking and referrals still win

• Lateral moves inside a company can be a powerful entry point, especially for early-career professionals

• 2026 will be a year of transformation — not a return to normal

Ted Hellmuth is the founder of IQ Clarity, a Denver-based boutique recruiting firm specializing in engineering and tech placements.

Dice is the leading tech career platform. Find your next role — or your next hire — at Dice.com.

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AI is transforming how companies hire, but not in the way most HR teams expected. Mahe Bayireddi, CEO of Phenom, joins host Paul Farnsworth to break down the real mechanics of AI-powered recruiting: where agents add value, where humans stay essential, and why data quality is the problem standing between HR and meaningful automation.

Key insights from this episode:

• Dynamic, AI-driven workflows are replacing the static recruiting processes that have been standard for 30 years
• High-volume frontline hiring can be automated up to 80% — but knowledge worker hiring requires a fundamentally different approach
• AI-assisted identity verification is becoming critical as generative AI enables candidate fraud across remote hiring
• HR generates more data than any other department, but poor data quality limits what AI can actually predict and automate
• Work redesign — restructuring teams around what AI can and can't do — is the top priority for HR leaders today

Mahe Bayireddi is the CEO of Phenom, an applied AI company helping enterprises build intelligent talent acquisition, onboarding, and growth systems.

Dice is the leading tech career platform. Find your next role — or your next hire — at Dice.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The way companies train their workforce has changed. Mike Pitta, Talent Principal at Guild, explains how AI is driving a shift from episodic training programs to continuous, on-demand learning across all roles—not just technical teams.

Key insights from this conversation:

• Low-level coding tasks are being automated, pushing companies to prioritize soft skills like communication, critical thinking, and business fluency over specific programming languages
• Adaptability and resilience have become trainable skills that companies can systematically develop
• The hiring process faces "signal collapse" as AI-tailored resumes make candidates look increasingly similar on paper, elevating the importance of credentialing and authentic interviewing
• Peer-to-peer AI adoption through champion programs beats top-down mandates from leadership
• Guild's data shows companies achieve roughly 3X ROI on employee training investments through improved retention and accumulated internal knowledge

Mike shares practical examples of scaling AI tools at Guild, from automated interview note-taking to building internal champion networks. He also gives technologists specific advice on which skills to prioritize: communication with non-technical stakeholders, business impact fluency, systems thinking, and adaptability.

Looking ahead five years, Mike predicts most learners will have personalized AI companions providing real-time learning opportunities—transforming how we develop skills throughout our careers.

About Guild: Guild provides education benefits and skilling products that help companies train, grow, and re-skill their workforce.

About Dice: Dice connects tech professionals with opportunities and helps companies find the talent they need.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.