English
Format: Half-day workshop (4 hours) Target audience: HR director, hiring managers, CEO
Background
A growing SaaS company was planning to hire 15 people in 2026. The HR director asked the question more and more are asking: "Should we require AI competence? And if so – how do we test it?"
We ran a workshop to define their new recruitment strategy based on how the talent market actually looks today.
What we did
Part 1: The U-curve (60 min)
We presented data on how the labour market is being restructured:
Left side (Junior "AI-natives"): - No old process to unlearn - Integrate AI directly into workflows - Reach productivity faster than traditional juniors
Right side (Senior experts): - Deep domain knowledge gives enormous AI leverage - Can steer and validate AI output - Shopify's CTO produced the most AI-generated code in the company
Middle (Squeezed): - 3–5 years of experience with manual processes - Hardest to retrain - Competing with both junior+AI and senior+AI
Discussion: Which roles are we hiring for? Where on the curve do they sit?
Part 2: Skills over title (90 min)
We worked with the concept of "skills over jobs" – that abilities matter more than formal titles.
Practical exercise: Participants rewrote three of their planned job ads. Instead of listing experience requirements, they defined: - What problems should the role solve? - What output is expected? - How do we measure success?
The result was job descriptions that attract "AI centaurs." These are people who naturally use tools to extend their reach.
Part 3: Interview process (90 min)
How do you test AI competence in practice? We designed an updated interview process:
1. Screening: Ask the candidate to describe how they solved a problem recently – with which tools? 2. Practical test: Give a realistic task with access to AI tools. Assess process, not just outcome. 3. Deep interview: Focus on judgment and decision-making, not technical production.
We rewrote their interview guide together.
Results and decisions
The workshop landed on:
1. New requirement profile: "AI fluency" as a core competence in all roles, on a par with digital communication 2. Revised process: Practical tests replace traditional case interviews 3. Compensation structure: Discussion on how to reward "AI leverage" without creating unfairness
Participant reflections
> "We realised we've been hiring for the middle of the U-curve for two years. That explains a lot." >, HR Director
> "The interview process we had tested the wrong things. We tested whether people could produce – not whether they could think." >, CTO
> "The question 'how did you solve it last time' reveals more about AI maturity than any certification." >, CEO
The workshop is suitable for
- Companies hiring 5+ people in the coming year
- HR teams that want to update their recruitment process
- Managers who are unsure what competence they actually need
Common questions we address
"Should we require specific AI tools?" No. Tools change. Test the ability to use tools, not specific products.
"How do we avoid discriminating against older applicants?" The U-curve is about mindset, not age. Seniors with the right attitude have the greatest potential.
"Should AI competence be a requirement or a merit?" From 2026 onwards, it's a requirement. It's the new literacy.
Next steps
Need help updating your recruitment strategy? We run the workshop tailored to your roles and your industry.