3 minute read
Posted by Chris Platts on 15 January 2026
Hiring is changing fast.
AI, assessments, candidate expectations, tighter regulation, and constant pressure on time and quality mean recruiters need more than recycled tips and shiny tools. They need clear thinking, real-world insight, and perspectives that challenge how hiring actually works.
Podcasts remain one of the best ways to stay sharp, especially for in-house recruiters juggling delivery with strategy.
So we’ve updated our list for 2026, curating 10 of the best recruiting and talent acquisition podcasts worth your time right now.
Hung Lee remains essential listening. Thoughtful, global, and consistently ahead of the curve, Recruiting Brainfood explores the intersection of recruiting, technology, economics, and human behaviour. If you want to understand why hiring works the way it does — not just how — start here.
One of the longest-running and most respected talent podcasts, Recruiting Future continues to evolve with the market. Expect deep dives into TA strategy, AI, employer branding, candidate experience, and what “good” looks like in modern hiring.
Unapologetically opinionated and often provocative, Chad & Cheese is where recruitment tech gets challenged. Not always comfortable — but always useful if you want to understand where hype ends and reality begins.
Short, practical conversations with senior TA leaders tackling real operational and strategic challenges. Particularly useful for in-house teams navigating scale, stakeholder pressure, and technology decisions.
A broad and accessible podcast covering TA metrics, hiring processes, DEI, and candidate experience. A strong choice for recruiters looking to build well-rounded, people-centred hiring practices. The link opens in Spotify.
Focused on modern recruiting operations, Hiring on All Cylinders explores sourcing, assessment, data, and TA optimisation — making it especially relevant for teams under pressure to do more with less.
Short, sharp episodes focused on employer branding and candidate attraction. Ideal for recruiters working closely with marketing or responsible for improving application quality and perception. Link opens in Spotify.
Not a recruiting podcast in the traditional sense — and that’s why it’s valuable. Culture, motivation, and how people actually experience work all feed directly into better hiring decisions.
Focused on the realities of in-house talent acquisition, The Modern Recruiter explores how TA teams are adapting to changing candidate expectations, technology, and internal pressure. Less hype, more practical reflection on what actually works inside organisations. Link opens in Substack.
A long-running show covering the wider HR and people landscape. While broader than recruitment alone, it’s useful context for in-house recruiters operating within complex organisations.
Hiring technology is becoming the norm.
Assessments, automation, and AI aren’t going away.
But staying effective in 2026 means understanding how hiring feels, where risk sits, and what actually improves decision-making — not just adopting the loudest tools.
These podcasts won’t give you shortcuts.
They’ll give you better judgement.
Happy listening.
PS: If podcasts aren’t your thing, we’ll also be putting together a round-up of our favourite recruitment books — practical, evidence-led, and worth revisiting in 2026.
Subscribe for insights, debunks and what amounts to a free, up-to-date recruitment toolkit.
ThriveMap creates customised assessments for high volume roles, which take candidates through an online “day in the life” experience of work in your company. Our assessments have been proven to reduce staff turnover, reduce time to hire, and improve quality of hire.
Not sure what type of assessment is right for your business? Read our guide.
Why “Fairer” Hiring Still Fails to Deliver Better Outcomes There’s a growing belief in hiring: 👉 AI will solve bias. And on the surface, that’s happening. AI screening tools can: Compared to manual CV screening, that’s a clear step forward. But focusing only on bias misses a bigger issue. 👉 Because even if hiring becomes […]
Continue reading
You set up a realistic job assessment for your latest open role. Candidates log in, answer a few scenario-based questions, and receive a score. You get a neat dashboard showing who performed best. The process feels efficient. But are you actually evaluating if the candidate fits the reality of the job, or are you just […]
Continue reading
Most hiring assessments try to predict performance. Work sample assessments don’t predict it.They observe it directly. And the data is increasingly clear: candidates trust them more, see them as fairer, and perform better when they’re used properly. What is a work sample assessment? A work sample assessment is a hiring method where candidates complete tasks […]
Continue reading