From Hiring to Thriving

Why Good Recruitment Practices Matter More Than Ever

Recruitment Then and Now

When I began this journey in 2013 under the name Neli Petkova Coaching, recruitment was still largely transactional. Job descriptions were fixed, interviews were rigid, and success was measured by how quickly a vacancy was filled. Over time, the landscape shifted dramatically.

By the mid-2010s, flexibility and culture-fit began to take centre stage. Today, in 2025, we see an even deeper evolution: recruitment is no longer about filling positions, but it is about shaping experiences, fostering belonging, and aligning values.

At EvolveTalent®, our own evolution mirrors this change. From one-to-one coaching to guiding multinational organisations, we have seen how clarity, care, and coaching can transform the way people hire and the way people thrive at work. Recruitment, for us, has become a space where values meet action and where leaders grow alongside their teams.

Why Good Practices Matter

Good recruitment practices are not “nice-to-have”—they directly impact business outcomes. Poor recruitment can be one of the costliest mistakes an organisation makes. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the cost of a bad hire can be up to five times the employee’s annual salary (SHRM).

Beyond the financial impact, poor hires drain morale, increase turnover, and disrupt team cohesion.

But the true cost goes even further. Candidates talk. An interview that feels careless, a process that drags on without feedback, or an onboarding that leaves new hires unsupported can damage an employer brand for years. Harvard Business Review notes that “candidate experience is brand experience” (HBR).

By contrast, when organisations apply good practices- clarity, speed with care, openness, feedback, and a human-first experience- they build trust, strengthen culture, and retain their best people. Recruitment then becomes more than a process. It becomes a reflection of who you are as a company.

You can read more about our practices here.

The Next Decade of Recruitment and Leadership

Looking ahead, we believe the next decade of recruitment will be defined by two forces working in balance: technology and humanity.

Artificial Intelligence will continue to reshape how we search, screen, and analyse talent. Skills-first hiring, supported by AI tools, will increasingly replace rigid degree requirements (LinkedIn Talent Trends). Yet, what will distinguish exceptional organisations is not their technology, but their ability to stay human.

Leaders who adopt a coaching mindset—listening deeply, asking the right questions, supporting values alignment—will create workplaces where people want to belong. And as research consistently shows, engaged employees deliver not only better performance but also higher profitability (Gallup).

At EvolveTalent®, we are convinced that the future of recruitment lies at this intersection: humans as the heart of decision-making,  AI as a supportive tool, and values as the compass for sustainable growth and evolution.

Would you like to read our White Paper about Sustainable Recruitment with good practices in recruitment and talent search? Write us to hello@evolvetalent.eu