This week: LinkedIn’s AI Hiring Assistant lands in Europe’s recruitment market, a Belgian founder proves that starting small can be a competitive advantage, and the Talent Business Awards are officially open for submissions. Plus, register for the upcoming Recruitment Tech Talks webinar taking place next week!

RECRUITMENT TECHNOLOGY

The Two Skills That Will Separate Recruiters With LinkedIn's AI Agent

LinkedIn’s AI-powered Hiring Assistant has arrived in Europe. For agencies already dealing with tight budgets, shrinking demand, and mounting pressure from competitors using AI, the timing matters.

The agent handles candidate sourcing, CV screening, and pre-qualification — then hands the conversation back to the recruiter. Early users report finding 25% more qualified candidates than with traditional search methods. Two skills will separate the recruiters who thrive from those who struggle: interpersonal skills and prompting.

TALENT BUSINESS AWARDS

Talent Business Awards 2026 Are Open. Here's What the Jury Wants to See.

The Talent Business Awards 2026 submissions are officially open. 🎉

If your agency delivered standout results this year — whether through innovation, client impact, growth, or leadership — this is your moment. Last year’s winners proved that you don’t need to be the biggest agency to win. You need to be the best at what you do.

The entry kit has categories, criteria, and tips from last year's jury.
Submissions close 30 April.

AGENCY SPOTLIGHT

A Recruiter Who Said No

Philip Pousset spent 17 years at Harvey Nash. He had a team of seven, a portfolio of 220 consultants, and a salary that made leaving harder than it should have been. He left anyway.

In 2022, he founded WHY — We Help You, a specialist agency in Belgium’s Kempen, Antwerp, and Flemish Brabant regions. His approach: one to three candidates per role. Maximum. Every assignment starts with a physical company visit. If the culture isn’t right, he walks away before taking the brief.

His philosophy is simple: you don’t have to be big to be successful. You just have to look people in the eye and do what you said you would.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Recruitment Tech Talks

Your recruiters are using 11 to 15 tools daily. New AI-powered software launches every month. So what actually belongs in your tech stack — and how do you get your team to use it?

Join a live panel discussion and Q&A on technology adoption in recruitment agencies. What does the ideal tech stack look like? What role does AI play? And how do you make the investment worth it?

Speakers: Marc Boomsma (Bullhorn), Floriant Sturm (Daidalo), Frederic Ledent (Inguz), and Karel Vergauwen (Digital Staffing Experts). Language: Dutch.

A 45-minute peer discussion for agency leaders who want to cut through the tech noise. No sales pitches. Just real talk about building a tech stack that actually drives performance — in-house versus third-party, and everything in between.

Speakers: Guillaume Lepercq (FreelanceRepublik) and Alexandre Scheck (Bureau des Talents). Moderated by Vincent Baron (StudioDino). Language: French.

Thanks for reading Talent Business Insights. Hit reply and tell us — what topics should we cover next? What's keeping you up at night? Your answers shape future editions.

Jeroen Van Ermen
Founder, Talent Business Partners

P.S. Know an agency that deserves recognition? Share the Talent Business Awards entry kit with them. Submissions close 30 April.