Hiring is hard. 2026 is really noisy.

No dark-mode styles — this email renders the same in a dark client.

And the "iced coffee in interviews" debate is only part of the problem.
Practical advice, real data, and honest perspectives for employers who are trying to hire and lead better.
Hey gang!
Brian here.
Once a year, our research team surveys employers and job seekers across the country and asks a bunch of questions about how hiring is actually going .
Then, they hand my team and I approximately 9,000 data points and we get to channel our inner Jack Skellington and ask, “But what does it MEAN?”
Ok, I’m going to dig in for a second to make sure everyone gets that reference. If you don’t know, Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King and a feature character of the 1993 hit The Nightmare Before Christmas.
His storyline focuses on growing bored of doing the same holiday every year (Halloween) and searching for a new spark (Christmas) which is widely seen as a metaphor for existential crisis and professional burnout.
So, are we going to talk about professional burnout? No 🙃 But we are going to talk about how the same old hiring approach may be slowing you down, and what tactics you can introduce to bring a fresh perspective to recruiting.
Introducing: Our 2026 State of Online Recruiting Report!
This year, we surveyed more than 1,300 employers and job seekers across 57 industries, and one theme kept jumping out at me: Recruiting has gotten noisier .
More applications
More automation
More AI
More messages
More ghosting
Less quality
Application volume may be higher, but that’s kinda like being part of a big group chat. The 200 messages on your phone make you feel special for a moment, until you realize 90% of them are a waste of your time.
Employers need to change their perspective on what success looks like in recruiting talent.
Instead of asking: “How do I get MORE applicants?”
Ask yourself: “How do I make it easier for the right people to find me, understand the job, and determine if they’re actually a fit?” 🤯
In other words, the answer isn’t simply more reach. It’s more clarity, credibility, and trust throughout the recruiting process – from the job ad and application to what candidates learn about your company before applying.
I’ll give you one nugget from the report that helps illustrate how much employer brand matters. Candidates are researching companies before they ever click “Apply.” A strong employer brand helps candidates understand what your organization is really like, and decide whether the job is right for them.
Seriously, employer brand is not just a buzzword. And there are a lot of ways you can use it to attract better-fit candidates .
More on that in the full report , along with other actionable advice you can really benefit from. Want the TLDR? We’re covering everything you need to know in our upcoming webinar .
1 Bullet on the Labor Market
(Because it’s important, but not that exciting)
Hiring is still happening, but employers are being selective. That makes candidate quality even more important. When every hire matters, generating more applications isn't nearly as valuable as generating the right applications (have we mentioned the State of Online Recruiting Report has lots of great tips for this very thing? 🙂)
Want the numbers? Here’s our latest breakdown of the BLS Jobs Report .
What Are You Saying?!
Last newsletter we asked you to share a hiring process you think you can improve to build a more authentic, connected recruiting experience, and you responded in droves. Here are a few of my favorite responses:
“We are in our AI retreat right now. We invested heavily in new AI forward processes, but everything we began delivering to candidates was so inauthentic we were losing good people. We’re customizing outreach again, and it’s way better.” – Ally B., Florida
“We set an HR team mandate that every disqualified candidate must be informed within 24 hours of the ‘no hire’ decision. We just feel it’s the right thing to do, and I think candidates appreciate our honesty.” – Jennifer M., New York
“I think our job descriptions are a little bland. Sometimes I see JDs with lots of personality and a bit about the company culture, and I think we could do a little more to tell candidates who we are. Because we do have a really excellent team!” – Alicia M., Michigan.
And most importantly... 😉
“I like all your movie references Brian. The Usual Suspects is an all-time classic! How you related it to the trust gap between candidates and employers made me laugh.” – Francesca M., New York
👉 This month’s question: If you haven’t heard, there’s a very important debate being discussed on the internet right now… Is it appropriate to bring iced coffee to an interview? Yay or nay? Hit reply and tell me where you stand!
Steal This Idea
This month’s stealable idea is data-focused: Stop reporting application numbers to your superiors without including qualified applicant rate .
Instead of: “[Job Board X] generated 120 applicants.”
Try comparing recruiting sources using a very simple formula:
Qualified Applicants/Total Applicants = Qualified Applicant Rate
Example:
Source A:
120 applications and 12 qualified = 10%
Source B:
25 applications and 10 qualified = 40%
Which one would you rather pay for?
I’m team B all the way, because I don’t want to spend time disqualifying 90% of the incoming applicants.
Just remember, applicant volume is a vanity metric. It makes you feel good but provides little value. Qualified applicant rate tells you whether your partners were useful! That’s the number I’d want on my dashboard.
What other workforce metrics should you be tracking? We asked an HR pro, so you wouldn’t have to. Here’s what she said .
There Is No ROI in This Section
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Until next month,
Brian
41 E. All Saints St., Frederick, MD 21701
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15 October 2026 · 14:00 UTC