When Hiring Breaks, Strategy Fails

January 14, 2026

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.

Promotional graphic for the People and Culture Strategy Institute's Mini-Master Program titled "Practical Applications of AI," scheduled for January to May 2026. The image features a vibrant, futuristic background with dynamic light trails in blue, purple, and orange, conveying a high-tech, digital theme. The program title is prominently displayed in bold white text, with the organization name at the top in orange and white. A purple label above the dates reads “Mini-Master Program,” emphasizing the educational nature of the offering.

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.”

Anonymous Recruiter on Reddit

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.

Informational graphic by Spark Hire and the HR platform outlining "6 Starting Points for a Shared Hiring Partnership." The image presents six colorful icons with titles and brief descriptions under each: 1) Define decision ownership before interviews—clarify who advances candidates and resolves disagreements; 2) Agree On acceptable trade-offs upfront—identify core role priorities and where flexibility exists; 3) Align roles to specific evaluation goals—ensure each interviewer has clear focus to avoid noise; 4) Set expectations for feedback—define timing and content of feedback to keep decisions moving; 5) Maintain ongoing hiring conversations—use check-ins to recalibrate expectations and risks; and 6) Review the model after each hire—reflect on successes and challenges to improve future hiring. The background is dark, making the colorful icons and text stand out clearly.

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

Promotional image for an HR Community Survey titled "Hiring for Cultural Fit (Not Vibes): Building an Intentional Hiring Framework," presented by Hacking HR and Spark Hire. The design features bold white and orange text on a dark background, with a row of blue chairs at the bottom—one orange chair stands out in the center, symbolizing intentional hiring. A blue button on the left side invites viewers to "Take the survey." The visual emphasizes thoughtful, values-based hiring over vague impressions or "vibes."

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

Promotional graphic for the "People and Culture Strategy Summit" organized by Hacking HR. The image features a black background with bold white text announcing the event, along with the tagline: "Harnessing the Power of People and Culture to Solve Complex Business Challenges in a Volatile World." At the top is the Hacking HR logo in an orange circle, and at the bottom, it notes the event is "Brought to you in partnership with" Spark Hire and Emtrain, whose logos appear side by side. The design is minimalistic and professional, emphasizing collaboration and strategic leadership in HR.

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

Professional profile graphic featuring Assia Amghar, Growth Director at Hacking HR. The image includes a circular portrait of Assia smiling and wearing a light-colored blouse, set against a neutral background. On the left, the Hacking HR logo appears above her name in bold black text, followed by her title. Decorative gold star icons are scattered around the image, giving it a celebratory or spotlight effect. The overall design is clean and polished, highlighting her role within the organization.

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.

😊😊 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.

A promotional image for Hacking HR features a smiling woman wearing a black t-shirt that says, "I'M IN HR – I celebrate wins in between FIXING AVOIDABLE DISASTERS." Next to her are four colorful HR document templates: "Skills Gap Analysis Checklist" (green), "People Metrics Cheat Sheet" (purple), "Individual Development Plan" (yellow), and "Managers' Onboarding Checklist" (orange). The Hacking HR logo is at the top center, and the background is a pink radial pattern. A banner at the bottom reads: "Your HR toolkit, reimagined: Templates and merch for modern HR pros."

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.

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