Ep 115: Humanizing the Hiring Experience and Earning Candidate Trust with Jerry Jao

Bob Pulver is joined by Jerry Jao, CEO of Employ, who brings a perspective shaped by years of building AI-driven consumer personalization before turning that lens on hiring. Jerry shares how he is restructuring Employ for greater agility, how Pillar's interview and screening companions are reducing friction for job seekers and recruiters alike, and why the surge in AI-assisted applications is complicating matching on both sides. He also addresses candidate fraud and deepfakes, and explains how Employ's IBM partnership helps reduce bias and hallucinations across nearly 100 million applications processed annually. Keywords Jerry Jao, Employ, Lever, JazzHR, Pillar, interview intelligence, screening companion, talent acquisition, candidate experience, AI bias, responsible AI, IBM, deepfakes, candidate fraud, AI literacy, two-sided marketplace, organizational design, hiring technology Takeaways Jerry's background in AI-powered personalization at Retention Science informs his approach at Employ, viewing both job seekers and hiring managers as people deserving a more thoughtful, personalized process Employ processed nearly 100 million applications last year, with some roles receiving two to three thousand submissions, making meaningful evaluation a serious operational challenge Pillar's interview and screening companions are being integrated platform-wide to improve TA accuracy and give recruiters measurable time back in their day Responsible AI is a strategic priority, with IBM as a thought partner on model bias, hallucinations, and protecting candidate data at scale Candidate fraud, including deepfakes and multiple identity submissions, is an emerging risk Employ is working to detect earlier in the funnel AI-optimized resumes are eroding the signal value of traditional screening, making interview intelligence increasingly critical Quotes "What I'm most excited about is creating a more effective process for people to provide for their loved ones by getting to their dream jobs." "We want to help our TA team get home a little sooner, or take a 30-minute mental break if AI can help get that time back in their day." "Hiring managers are telling us people sound incredibly amazing, but once they get on the call, it's a little different." "We're all people at the end of the day, so how do we personalize the experience so no one feels overlooked?" "It's almost as big a change as when the internet first arrived. We're in a very uncertain and unprecedented time." Chapters 00:02 Welcome and introductions 02:03 From consumer personalization to talent acquisition 04:55 Building a human-centered hiring marketplace 07:16 AI on both sides: the cat-and-mouse dynamic in recruiting 09:24 Restructuring Employ for agility and accountability 14:12 Screening companion, talent fit, and processing 100 million applications 20:40 Candidate fraud, deepfakes, and emerging hiring risks 22:07 Responsible AI and the IBM partnership 30:38 AI literacy in job descriptions and skills assessment 34:54 Jerry's new podcast and the future of TA storytelling 39:02 Navigating workforce uncertainty in the AI era 41:12 Closing reflections and Employ research reports Jerry Jao: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerryjao Employ: http://www.employinc.com For advisory work and marketing inquiries: Bob Pulver:⁠⁠ https://linkedin.com/in/bobpulver⁠⁠⁠ Elevate Your AIQ:⁠⁠ https://elevateyouraiq.com⁠⁠⁠Substack: ⁠https://elevateyouraiq.substack.com⁠