Graham Watts

𝗟𝗼𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗔 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 (2026), 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗟𝗫𝗜 (2027), 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗔28 𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸-𝘁𝗼-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for SoCal hospitality. Or a once-in-a-generation staffing headache waiting to happen... Many operators want to wait and see how things develop. From what I’m seeing, starting to hire just six months before kickoff won’t cut it. And hiring is generally taking more time than it used to. The competition isn’t just the restaurant down the street. Hotels, event venues, and global brands will all be going after the same talent pool. The time to start building your leadership team is NOW. Here are a few reasons why: 1️⃣ 𝗔-𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆. While some operators hold off, the ones who move fast are already locking in solid GMs and Chefs before the market heats up. Wait too long, and you're stuck with what’s left. 2️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝘆. Someone hired today has time to learn your systems, shape your culture, and actually lead. Waiting until the frenzy hits means hiring warm bodies just trying to stay afloat. 3️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. Your top leaders will be targeted hard. Competitors will throw serious money at them. Retention plans aren’t optional anymore. They’re basic survival. 4️⃣ 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲. Even one open seat during peak times causes burnout, bad guest experiences, and lost sales. Those guests won’t come back, and they’ll tell others why. This isn’t just about filling roles. It’s about having a plan to protect your business. We’ve already started helping partners shore up their teams with the coming events top of mind. 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢, 𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚? 🔔 Tap the bell to get notified of future posts.   𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 / 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 to join my network. EHS Recruiting Company - Southern California

17

1 Comment

🔍 AI Tip of the Week from Lauren Jones: Hidden Gem Tools for Recruiting Workflows While everyone talks about ChatGPT and mainstream AI tools, I've discovered some under-the-radar platforms that are absolute game-changers for staffing workflows. When combined with our "Role, Context, Outcome" prompting framework, these tools create seamless automation from sourcing to hiring. 🚀 The Tools: Lovable.dev → Build AI apps through simple chat interface. Perfect for creating custom recruitment portals or candidate dashboards in minutes, not months. Abacus.AI → Enterprise-grade custom AI models. Train specialized agents for resume analysis, candidate matching, or predictive hiring analytics. Gamma.app → AI-powered presentations and microsites. Generate compelling job postings, candidate pitch decks, or hiring manager briefs in seconds. n8n.io → Open-source workflow automation. Connect AI tools for automated screening, candidate outreach, or evaluation pipelines with drag-and-drop simplicity. 💡 Why These Matter: These tools shine when building responsible, bias-free workflows. They're not just powerful—they're designed for the nuanced work recruiting demands. Ready to transform your team's AI capabilities? Join our live AI training featuring 200+ industry-specific prompts, hands-on support, and interactive sessions designed for lasting results. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4z745t2 #AITipOfTheWeek #AITools #RecruitingWorkflows #TalentAcquisition #AIAutomation

15

2 Comments

THIS WEEK IN REC TECH powered by Dalia & Jobcase, Inc. *** Big funding for Findem ** SHRM Labs seeking #HRtech startups to join accelerator ** Sinecure, Inc. acquires The Second Shift ** $5M for Casium * New job search tech platform Jack and Jill lands $20M The money is flowing! Listen --> https://lnkd.in/gaYM6CDu

7

1 Comment

October 1 just became your AI compliance deadline California's new FEHA regulations on AI and Automated Decision Systems in employment take effect October 1, 2025. If you're using AI for hiring, screening, or performance reviews in California, here's what changed: What's covered: Any automated decision system (ADS) that helps make employment decisions - from resume screening to candidate matching to promotion algorithms What's required: ➡️ Three compliance areas: bias testing, recordkeeping, and vendor liability ➡️ Bias audits for discrimination against FEHA-protected categories ➡️ Four-year recordkeeping on all AI-assisted decisions ➡️ Vendor accountability (you're liable even if a third party built the tool) What's prohibited: Using AI systems or selection criteria that discriminate based on protected categories or use proxies that create discriminatory outcomes Here's what most staffing firms are missing: "Black-box" AI tools you can't explain = legal risk you can't defend. If your AI vendor can't show you: → How candidates are scored → What data points drive decisions → Bias testing results and methodology You're not compliant. At Blink Hire, we built for this from day one: Human-in-the-loop recruiting: AI surfaces candidates, recruiters make decisions Full audit trails on every sourcing and screening action Transparent methodology that survives regulatory scrutiny The question isn't whether AI hiring will be regulated. It's whether your systems can survive the first audit. Are you compliant or just hoping you don't get caught? #AICompliance #CaliforniaFEHA #StaffingLaw #BlinkHire

170

65 Comments

Recently at The Ortus Club’s ‘The HR Leaders' Dinner Roundtable’ in New York City, AMS’s Jonathan Kestenbaum and Jeffrey Anderson led a conversation on "Ethical AI in Hiring". We’re leading the charge in ethical and responsible AI. Our industry-first Global Ethical AI Charter sets the standard for ethical use of AI in talent acquisition, including non-discrimination and human intervention. Establishing vital standards and a framework, the Charter was signed and enacted by members of our AI Board, comprising of distinguished AI ethicists and independent professionals from a wide range of industries including business, human resources, academia and not-for-profit. Learn more about the Charter, our AI board, and the future of AI-enabled TA: https://lnkd.in/eUqSVdyv Learn more about AI and digital transformation in TA: https://lnkd.in/eRdVrfEY   #Hiring #Leadership #Recruitment #TalentAcquisition #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Technology

11

1 Comment

Ignition K.K. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿��𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀? There’s a lot of noise about AI replacing recruiters. The reality is probably simpler — and more practical. I see two big shifts coming for large agencies. 𝟭. 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 Many middle layers today focus on reporting, KPIs, and internal oversight. But once AI has access to company data, it can instantly generate reports, forecasts, and performance insights. Much of that operational work becomes automated. So the value of managers has to shift. Less internal control. More external impact. Future leaders will need to win clients, open doors, and create opportunities — not manage spreadsheets. Rainmakers, not administrators. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 Sourcing, screening, and admin are increasingly automated. That likely means fewer junior and mid-tier “process” roles, and more focus on higher-value work: senior hiring, niche searches, and trusted advisory relationships. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 Recruitment won’t disappear — it moves up the value chain. The transactional parts get automated. The human, trust-based parts become more valuable. And if AI ever truly replaced all recruitment? It probably means it replaced most jobs too — and then there’d be nothing left to recruit for anyway. AI disruption will have essentially eaten itself and caused its own extinction...;) More likely, the industry just evolves. Agencies that adapt will thrive. Those that don’t will struggle. If you’d like to better understand the recruitment market in Japan and the options available to you, please feel free to get in touch Michael Craven #rec2rec #japanjobs #ignitionkk

23

2 Comments

Expediting straight to onsite? It's the new move some talent-dense teams are using to win in this market. And this isn't some hack that only three-person YC teams are using -- we're hearing of multi-billion $ AI household names moving just as quickly here too. It's all because of a brutal reality: If you want to hire top engineers in SF or NYC, it's more challenging now than it ever was. We're seeing good candidates go off the market in as little as 2-3 weeks. So if you miss the timing window or move just a tad too slowly, it's easy to get surprised. But doing this requires a dialed-in screening process. You have to use the first call to get some clear signals on technical skill. It can't just be a casual vibe check. And the best founders and hiring managers know how to finesse this and still keep it casual. Best of all, the strongest engineers are also doing their due diligence on each team they interview with. So when a team can quickly read their skillset and is practical about moving fast screen them robustly, that can get great candidates excited as well (not to mention saves them time!) It's a win-win on all fronts -- but it's never easy to do this right.

23

Big changes in U.S. tech hiring! The new $100K fee for new H-1B visas is set to reshape the market. What is likely to happen... - Startups & SMEs may struggle to justify the cost - Expect more competition for domestic tech talent - Companies may shift hiring offshore or embrace remote models - Senior/rare skill hires will still command sponsorship despite the cost Whilst a lot is up in the air... If the U.S. becomes more expensive and harder to enter for foreign tech workers, skilled professionals may look for alternative markets which could be a great advantage for the UAE if they can benefit by attracting more international tech talent, especially those dissuaded by U.S. cost/visa hurdles. Keen to hear peoples thoughts on this! Talent Connect Group (TCG) #TechHiring #H1B

52

11 Comments

The most dangerous question for staffing firms in 2026: “How much can we grow?” The better question is harder, and more honest: "Where can we grow profitably, predictably, and sustainably?" This is where firms get tripped up: - Chasing volume that erodes margin - Saying yes to high-chaos, low-trust accounts - Confusing activity with progress Growth that looks good on paper but drains focus isn’t growth. It’s noise. In selective growth environments, clarity beats speed. And restraint becomes a competitive advantage.

9

2 Comments

California just updated its Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) regulations to clarify how automated decision systems (ADS), like AI-powered applicant screening tools, can and cannot be used in hiring. Starting October 2025, employers must ensure that using these technologies doesn’t result in discrimination, even unintentionally. The new rules also require employers to keep records of any ADS data used in employment decisions. This is a reminder to be thoughtful about the technologies we choose. Whatever new thing CA does from an employment perspective, you should expect other states to follow. Here's the pipeline from what I could dig up.... Colorado - Starting in 2026, employers must conduct bias audits on AI systems used in employment decisions and implement risk management policies. Texas and Virginia - Both have proposed legislation to prevent discrimination in employment decisions and require transparency and care in the use of AI. It's coming! Honestly, I've tested a few of these applicant screening tools and have yet to find one that's useful. At least for the roles we focus on in the sciences, here are our conclusions: They don't reduce the work. They just create "different" work. They create false negatives. When you put them up to an experienced human who can make these decisions, I've seen first hand how these tools fall short and NOW, put you at risk of being sued. Let this be a warning to CA employers to make sure you are working with a knowledgeable talent partner to help you not only navigate the hiring process, but to also protect you from risk.

15