The Evolving Landscape of Employer Branding in the Age of AI

Chris Hoyt: Good. So Richard, I’ve known you for ages—we’ll get into that—but you mentioned you’re back to running. Training for 10Ks, half marathons? What’s going on?

Richard Mosley: I’m trying to! The trouble is, I don’t get up early enough like I should. I leave it until the work is done—and the work is never done. You know how that goes. I’m either running in the dark, running into trees (which isn’t great), or squeezing it in between calls thinking, “Oh my God, I’m gonna be late for my next meeting.” A bit stressful, but I’m sure it’s good for me.

Chris Hoyt: Yeah, I’m sure it is. I just finished this book—I know it’s been around forever—Younger Next Year. Have either of you read it?

Richard Mosley: I know the one. Sounds like something you’d pick up when you’re thinking you’ll be older next year—though sometimes you wake up feeling five years older already.

Gerry Crispin: I’m past that. I don’t buy into that stuff.

Chris Hoyt: I get it. I’m over 50, and stuff just breaks. You put on underwear wrong and tweak your back—it’s wild.

Richard Mosley: I want to fit in reading those long Russian novels and history biographies I’ve always meant to read—the ones piled up in the corner. If I get younger, maybe I’ll have time.

Chris Hoyt: I’d slot exercise between the Russian classics and the biographies.

Gerry Crispin: Exercise for me is just walking upstairs.

Richard Mosley: We don’t have stairs—I live in a single-story. When I do encounter stairs, I’m out of practice. I get to the bottom and think, “Is there another way?”

Chris Hoyt: I’ll be 53 soon and the other day I went upstairs to our rumpus room—a hangout space—and halfway up thought, “Why did I buy a house with a second floor?”

Richard Mosley: Exactly. And avoid houses with steep basement stairs—you’ll get stuck down there. But going up—second floor—feels like moving toward light.

Chris Hoyt: All right. We’ve got the master of brands on today—ready to dive in?

Richard Mosley: Absolutely, 100%.

Announcer: Welcome to the Recruiting Community Podcast, the go‑to for talent acquisition leaders. Hosted by CXR, connecting industry minds on attracting, engaging, retaining top talent. I’m Chris Hoyt with Gerry Crispin. Streaming across social platforms—questions welcome if you’re watching live or replay.

Chris Hoyt: Richard, welcome back. I’ll give you the big‑kid seat.

Richard Mosley: I thought you were paying me, not the other way around!

Chris Hoyt: For listeners who don’t know you: Todd at TMP for eight years, then Universum for ten—leading employer branding. Then recently moved on.

Chris Hoyt: If Gerry’s the godfather of recruiting, you’re definitely the godfather of employer branding.

Richard Mosley: That title came from working with Ferrero in Italy. They called me that—so I said fine—kiss the ring!

Chris Hoyt: Got a godfather impression?

Richard Mosley: Only with cotton wool in the mouth—might be unintelligible. Maybe another time.

Chris Hoyt: We’ve just published two state‑of‑EB reports—30 and 40 leaders involved. Interesting trends surfaced: reporting structures, doubling down on EB, political shifts influencing messaging. What’s your take?

Richard Mosley: My first EB book was 20 years ago—no social media reference. Now it’s entirely different. Biggest shift now: AI tools like ChatGPT becoming people’s first stop to learn about companies. Instead of link‑hopping, they ask GPT. First impressions matter even more.

Richard Mosley: I’ve shown companies GPT‑generated employer comparisons: McKinsey vs. BCG, EY vs. Deloitte, Coke vs. Pepsi. Companies are alarmed. That forces a new focus on content sources: Glassdoor, career sites, reviews—content optimization for AI is real.

Chris Hoyt: That was a light‑bulb moment: AIO—AI Optimization—new “channel,” less dependent on SEO/SEM.

Richard Mosley: Exactly. You need to consider what AI crawlers pull from. Better Glassdoor ratings, richer career site content.

Gerry Crispin: And with AI’s visual side evolving, prompting image‑based views matters more.

Richard Mosley: Yes—visual disruption matters now. We’re back to 30‑second impact—reels, TikToks. Eye‑catching visuals open doors; you still need depth behind them to build trust and authenticity.

Chris Hoyt: We keep getting tools offering snippets with captions, bubbles—the whole works. The tools exist. People push them constantly.

Richard Mosley: Big orgs are piloting, but cautious. Risk‑averse. Someone should build an AI tool that filters “AI vendor pitch” emails. That’d be revolutionary.

Chris Hoyt: Bet Workday already has that in dev.

Richard Mosley: They’re on it! Of course.

Chris Hoyt: But I’m surprised by low adoption rates—many teams aren’t using ChatGPT or resist it. We run member exercises—smart people struggle. I’m worried future recruiting jobs depend on AI fluency, and some will be left behind.

Richard Mosley: EY has done a ton on upskilling employees in Gen AI—fundamental and practical training. That’s the kind of work needed.

Chris Hoyt: And still, as familiarity increases, fear increases—that jobs may go away.

Richard Mosley: McKinsey looked at that—a paradox: better understanding of AI leads to more fear, not less.

Chris Hoyt: I’d expect a curve: early fear fades as capability grows and empowerment wins out.

Gerry Crispin: And smart folks pivot into roles AI can’t easily replace. That’s how you future‑proof.

Chris Hoyt: Recruiting jobs won’t be replaced—it’ll be those who know how to use AI.

Richard Mosley: Meanwhile, many execs say, “Go hire some AI people”—but without clarity on what that means. There’s still a knowledge gap at C‑suite levels.

Gerry Crispin: Completely.

Chris Hoyt: One member is using AI to model weather patterns, forecast product demand, align supply chain hiring with that—all powered downstream to TA planning. Brilliant ripple mapping.

Richard Mosley: That’s a powerful example. But there’ll be an AI backlash: people craving substance again. LinkedIn is seeing longer posts and videos trend again.

Chris Hoyt: I’m skeptical. Summary headlines may cut through—but long‑form backup content still matters for authority.

Richard Mosley: Right. Reels are the pickup line, but employer brand is not a one‑night stand. Real brand relationships take depth.

Chris Hoyt: I like that. People can GPT‑summarize a 30‑page report, but they need that original article in case the summary isn’t enough.

Richard Mosley: Precisely. Long‑form content still has a place—it is the substance behind the hook.

Chris Hoyt: And we’re seeing more companies fuse EB with culture strategy—not just recruitment marketing. That’s how internal and external alignment occurs.

Richard Mosley: Absolutely. HR teams now rebrand as “People & Culture.” Projects I’ve done recently integrate EB with internal experience, mobility, retention strategy. It’s holistic.

Richard Mosley: For example: Vacheron Constantin—the world’s oldest continuously operating watchmaker built culture on its founders over 270 years. That historical DNA still drives culture.

Another: Russian cybersecurity exiles rebuilding culture globally from Dubai, Singapore, Brazil—shifting from technocratic roots to diverse, inclusive identity. Culture transitions deeply impact employer brand.

Chris Hoyt: That’s compelling. I love seeing organizations embrace authenticity—even if not everyone fits, that’s okay.

Richard Mosley: Precisely. Many companies see too many applications. Recruitment isn’t like consumer marketing—quantity isn’t always good. EB should target accurately—and deter mismatches. AI can support that segmentation too.

Chris Hoyt: Speaking of structure: where should EB live in organizations? Under TA, marketing, or somewhere else?

Richard Mosley: We did benchmark study across 30 global companies. Most EB still reports into TA—but very few into corporate comms or marketing. That often leaves EB starved for attention and budget.

I believe EB belongs in People or Talent Management—aligned with culture, retention, mobility; TA should work closely, and marketing can be a COE partner. But EB needs stronger internal alignment than TA can always provide.

Chris Hoyt: That makes sense—better synergy if EB lives closer to People Management.

Gerry Crispin: That is the strongest argument I’ve heard for shifting EB into the CHRO or People function instead of TA. Timing’s right.

Richard Mosley: Agreed 100%.

Chris Hoyt: Last question for you: if you wrote another book on EB in the AI era—what’s the title?

Richard Mosley: I’ve published three: The Employer Brand, Employer Brand Management, Employer Branding for Dummies. Might “Employer Branding for Even Dumber People” be cruel but funny? Realistically, my next book would focus on culture and purpose. I’ve toyed with On Purpose. Purpose, culture, and brand fused into a clear narrative—especially relevant in AI era.

Chris Hoyt: Great title. And the first signed copy goes to?

Richard Mosley: My new friends at Workday—with all their organizational IQ in this space!

Chris Hoyt: Richard, thank you so much. Really valuable conversation. We’re grateful you joined us.

Richard Mosley: Pleasure.

Chris Hoyt: For listeners, check out cxr.works/podcast to subscribe, watch archives, and learn how to get involved or be a guest. Thanks, everyone!

Announcer: Thanks for listening to the Recruiting Community Podcast. Visit cxr.works/podcast to explore episodes, upcoming programming, and how to join the conversation—with or without a guest slot. See you next week.