AI, Hiring, and the Future of Work: What to Expect at IAMPHENOM

2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for talent experience, and what better way to kick it off than with an inside look at IAMPHENOM 2025? In this episode of Talent Experience Live, host Devin Foster sat down with John Deal, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Phenom, for a lively preview of the event. They took an unconventional approach — pulling session topics from a hat, mixing in some Philadelphia trivia, and sharing a few laughs along the way.

But beneath the fun, the conversation tackled serious themes shaping the future of hiring:

AI is transforming how companies attract, hire, and retain talent, from automating sourcing and screening to powering skills-based workforce planning.
As businesses face increasing pressure to move faster and smarter, HR teams must rethink how they leverage AI, automation, and data-driven insights.

“This isn’t just Phenom talking. It’s our customers and industry leaders sharing what’s working, what’s not, and where talent technology is heading,” Deal explained. With 100+ sessions — 75% led by industry practitioners — the event will deliver real-world insights, best practices, and AI-driven strategies to help talent leaders stay ahead.

Watch the full episode below or jump into the highlights.

Recruiting with AI

AI has become a core part of hiring strategies, moving beyond automation to actively enhance recruiter capabilities. But with so many solutions available, how do companies know which ones actually deliver results? That’s the focus of Recruiting with AI: Unlocking the Power of Phenom X+ , a session at IAMPHENOM that will showcase real-world applications of AI that drive measurable impact.

“Recruiting with AI is a necessity, not a luxury anymore. The challenge is making sense of the tools available and understanding what actually drives impact,” mentioned Deal. The most effective AI solutions streamline recruiting workflows while keeping human decision-making at the center.

Companies are leveraging AI for:

AI-powered sourcing & screening: Automates resume reviews by ranking top candidates.
Intelligent job matching: Recommends best-fit roles based on a candidate’s skills, experience, and career interests.
AI-driven outreach: Personalizes recruiter communications, improving response rates.
Predictive analytics: Identifies hiring trends and forecasts candidate success using historical data.

While concerns about AI replacing recruiters persist, Deal emphasized that AI is an enhancement tool, not a replacement. Selecting AI tools is like choosing a streaming service — success depends on finding the right fit for a company’s needs. “Some jobs require recruiters to be hands-on, analyzing a candidate’s potential beyond a resume, while others can be streamlined with AI handling the repetitive tasks. The key is knowing where to apply AI to make the biggest impact,” highlighted Deal.

Hitting the High Notes of Hiring Efficiency

Hiring managers face increasing pressure to fill roles faster, but efficiency can’t come at the cost of quality or candidate experience. Hitting the High Notes of Hiring Efficiency is a session where Jordan Applegate, VP of Talent Acquisition & HRBP, Sweetwater Sound will explore how they orchestrated a TA transformation that attracts, engages, converts, and hires the best.

For many companies, AI-driven automation plays a key role — but the level of automation depends on the role itself. High-volume hiring benefits from automated screening and scheduling, while skilled positions require more human involvement.

“Some jobs, as you mentioned on the high-volume side, don’t need as much hands-on involvement. But for roles like skilled engineers or sales executives, more intelligence needs to be brought into the process,” explained Deal.

Organizations optimizing hiring efficiency are leveraging:

Automation in high-volume hiring: AI handles screening, allowing recruiters to focus on high-value tasks.
Data-driven decision-making: AI insights help recruiters assess candidates based on more than just resumes.
Candidate experience improvements: AI simplifies applications, provides instant updates, and automates follow-ups.

Next Level Conversational AI

Conversational AI has evolved beyond basic chatbots — it now functions as a career assistant that supports candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers throughout the hiring journey. Tansy Zhang, Global People Technology Lead, Verisure and Markus Hertlein, Product Manager, Phenom will talk about how AI is making job searches, recruiting, and internal mobility more intuitive and engaging during their session Reimagining Screening: How Verisure is Redefining the Candidate Experience.

“We’ve moved past the standard chatbot and moved more into the talent companion, the assistant that’s going to really help you as a candidate get through the hiring process in a meaningful way,” said Deal.

Companies are leveraging AI-powered assistants to:

Guide candidates through job searches with human-like interactions that provide personalized job recommendations.
Assist recruiters and hiring managers by surfacing best-fit candidates and reducing manual resume screening.
Automate interview scheduling and send real-time reminders, minimizing administrative delays.
Support internal mobility by proactively recommending internal job opportunities, upskilling programs, and mentorship connections.

Unlike traditional chatbots, modern AI-driven career assistants engage in real-time, back-and-forth conversations, making hiring interactions more seamless.

Driving Change Management

Even with AI transforming hiring processes, many organizations struggle with adoption due to unclear strategies, internal resistance, and skepticism from recruiters. Jim Shultman, Head of Talent Acquisition - Americas, Thales and Faina D’Angelo, Senior Director & Manager, Solutions Consulting, Phenom will explore how companies can successfully introduce AI into hiring workflows while securing team buy-in in the From Vision to Victory: Driving Change Management and Adoption Through Seamless Implementation at Thales session at IAMPHENOM.

“The scary part of buying technology is… now I need to roll it out. What does that mean for my organization?” asked Deal.

To promote AI adoption, companies should:

Address skepticism with transparency: Acknowledge past technology challenges and highlight how the AI solution overcomes previous limitations to deliver real value.
Position AI as a recruiter’s tool, not a replacement: AI improves efficiency and hiring accuracy without replacing human decision-making.
Measure AI’s effectiveness beyond usage rates: Success should be tracked by quality-of-hire, recruiter productivity, and workforce outcomes.

“Adoption is not the same as success. You need to measure the outcomes AI is driving, not just whether people are using it,” noted Deal.

Skills as a Strategy

More organizations are embracing skills-based workforce planning to build agile and future-ready teams. In the Achieving Agility: EPAM Talks Skills as a Strategy for Flexible Workforce Planning session, Sandra Loughlin, PhD, Chief Learning Scientist, EPAM and Jesus Latorre-Socas, Director, Product Management, Phenom will explore how businesses can use AI to analyze workforce skills and improve hiring, internal mobility, and talent retention. “If you don’t know what skills your employees have, you can’t create a workforce plan that’s actually based on business needs,” explained Deal.

Companies prioritizing skills-first hiring gain advantages such as:

AI-driven skills mapping: Identifies workforce strengths, gaps, and future hiring needs.
Improved workforce agility: Organizations can respond to business changes faster by focusing on competencies over rigid job titles.
Stronger internal mobility: Employees can be matched with upskilling and career growth opportunities, reducing external hiring costs.

This session will highlight how leading organizations are implementing skills-first hiring using AI-powered workforce intelligence.

Related reading: State of Skills: 2024 Market Data Report

Get Ready for IAMPHENOM 2025

With 100+ sessions, personalized demos, a hands-on AI and automation lab, and expert-led discussions, IAMPHENOM 2025 is set to be the must-attend event for talent leaders navigating the future of work. Expect actionable insights, AI-driven strategies you can implement tomorrow, and real-world success stories to help transform hiring and workforce planning. Here's what you can expect from the 3-day conference:

Exclusive insights from industry leaders at Freedom Mortgage, DHL, Baylor Scott & White Health, Regions Bank, and much more.
Join 100+ keynotes and sessions on AI, GenAI, automation, and skills-first hiring.
Network with 5,000+ HR professionals across talent acquisition, talent management, HRIT, and executive leadership.
Earn SHRM & HRCI credits and enjoy on-demand access to session recordings.
Immerse yourself in Philly culture — from a welcome party at Reading Terminal Market party to the Rocky Run, cycling, and yoga.

Check out the full agenda to plan your experience.

Join us for more TXL every Thursday at noon ET. Get notified of all upcoming TXL episodes here.

Apurba