Simi Awokoya

Rewiring Recruitment: Smarter, Faster Hiring with AI at IQ-EQ Can we really hire top talent in under 24 hours? That’s the question I asked myself after attending SmartRecruiters' All In For AI Lab in London — a no-fluff, high-impact event focused on practical applications of AI in hiring. As part of IQ-EQ’s Vision 2028, we’re scaling our recruitment model globally, and this event came at the perfect time. We’ve since become early adopters of Winston Match and recently began piloting Winston Screen across high-volume roles. The Impact Winston Match uses contextual AI to match candidates to roles with a four-star scoring system — reducing time spent manually reviewing CVs. Winston Screen automates candidate triage with structured screening questions — ranking applicants fairly, consistently, and quickly. Together, they’re helping our TA team prioritise faster, shortlist smarter, and deliver a more consistent candidate experience. What It Means for IQ-EQ This isn’t just about tech. It’s about raising the bar — scaling our hiring without losing quality or fairness. AI is helping us spend more time influencing outcomes and less time sorting data. A Note of Thanks Big thanks Austen Field Rebecca Carr Bronwyn A. Moritz Tegel Rebecca, and the SmartRecruiters team for showing us how this partnership can support our global growth. And to our TA team at IQ-EQ — thank you for embracing change with energy and ambition. The rewiring has begun.

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When hiring: Speed = Competitive Advantage In fast moving markets like fintech and AI, the best candidates are often off the market in under 14 days. We recently introduced a senior engineer to one of our clients in the UAE. We had CV reviewed, interview scheduled, offer made all in 72 hours. Why? Because they acted quickly and trusted the process. Too many businesses lose out by dragging their heels or overcomplicating decision making. If you're hiring the best talent in high demand sectors, consider this: - Have a clear process (and stick to it) - Keep feedback loops tight - Trust your recruitment partner - Don’t wait for “perfect” move on great Whether you're scaling your dev team or replacing a critical role time kills talent. Talent Connect Group (TCG) #TechHiring

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This might p*ss some people off… but here we go If you run social media for your company:   ❌ Stop posting Happy Pancake Day - no one’s hiring you because of pancakes. ❌ Stop obsessing over follower counts - they don’t equal sales. ❌ Stop relying only on the company page - the reach is brutal. ❌ Stop posting once a month when you “get a chance” - momentum dies fast. ❌ Stop making every post about your product - people smell ads a mile away. ❌ Stop waiting until it’s perfect - you’ll post once a year at that rate.   Here’s what actually works 👇   ✅ Post stuff that makes people think, learn, or laugh. ✅ Measure success on reach + engagement, not vanity metrics. ✅ Use personal pages - people buy from people, not logos. ✅ Share stories and opinions - humans connect with them more than stats. ✅ Treat it like training - the more reps you put in, the better you’ll get. ✅ Stand for something - clarity beats trying to please everyone.   Social isn’t about filling the feed. It’s about earning attention. The brands who get this win. The ones who don’t? They’ll keep shouting into the void.

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Being great at filling roles won’t get you the Head of TA job. If you’re a TA Lead or Manager aiming up, what matters is proving you can scale recruiters and systems. Marc Baselga recently wrote a great post about the leap from IC to Director interviews in Product. The same is true in Talent Acquisition. Most underestimate how different these interviews are. It’s no longer about how strong you are as a recruiter, it’s about whether you can make other recruiters better, and build a function that scales. Here’s what hiring execs are really testing in Head/Director of TA interviews: 1/ Frameworks, not one-offs Not hero stories, but repeatable systems like scorecards, intake processes, enablement playbooks. 2/ Real complexity Expect questions on headcount planning trade-offs, exec pushback in a hiring freeze, or redesigning a team after hypergrowth. 3/ People leadership depth Who have you promoted? How do you handle underperformance? Can you grow recruiters into business partners? 4/ Cultural leadership The job isn’t “delivering reqs.” It’s shifting TA from service provider to strategic partner with hiring managers and C-levels. 5/ Strategic communication How do you build trust at the top table? What’s your operating rhythm for planning, reporting, and risk management? 6/ Vision + systems thinking Directors don’t just run today’s hiring. They architect tomorrow’s. What’s your vision for TA in 2 years, and what systems will scale it? The shift is this: Director-level interviews aren’t about proving you’re the best recruiter. They’re about proving you can build the best recruiting function.

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💥 The hall of shame: interview feedback edition 💥 Let’s be honest — some of the feedback candidates get after interviews can be fairly insulting. It’s vague, lazy, and does nothing to help someone actually improve. Here are 5 of the worst offenders I hear all the time: 1. “It was a really close call.” Translation: We don’t want to tell you why we picked someone else. Zero substance, zero value. 2. “We promoted someone internally.” Fair enough — but why invite external candidates in the first place? 3. “You don’t have the right background.” Strange, considering my CV screamed that from the beginning — and you still dragged me through multiple rounds. 4. “You’re too experienced.” Ah yes, the classic crime of knowing too much. Since when is capability a liability? 5. “Another candidate was a stronger fit.” The most meaningless feedback of them all. It’s a polite way of saying nothing at all. 👉 If businesses actually want candidates to respect them (and maybe even reapply in future), feedback has to be constructive. Otherwise, it’s just hot air and wasted effort on both sides. #job #interview #candidatefeedback #business #recruitment #hiring

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Candidate Alert: Beware of Recruitment Scams on Telegram 🚨 We’re seeing a rise in Telegram scams targeting job seekers by impersonating recruiters or hiring companies. These messages may appear convincing, but please exercise caution. ⚠️ Key things to watch for: You’re contacted via Telegram or WhatsApp without any prior engagement on LinkedIn or email You’re offered a job without an interview You’re asked to pay a fee for training, software, or onboarding ✅ Legitimate recruiters will never: Ask you to pay for a job opportunity Offer you a role without a proper interview process Reach out only through Telegram or other informal channels 📩 We typically connect through LinkedIn, professional email, or a direct phone call and we always welcome questions if something seems off. If you’re unsure whether a message is genuine, feel free to reach out directly to the recruiter or check the company’s website for official contact info. Let’s help each other stay safe out there. If you’ve seen or experienced anything suspicious, share it in the comments or DM. #JobScam #RecruitmentScam #JobSearchSafety #CareerTips #Recruitment #Hiring #StaySafeOnline Lorraine MD TalentHub | Recruitment

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