AI Readiness Framework for HR: 9 Checks, 5 Hits, and the Misses That Should Keep You Up at Night (Playbook Recap, Part 2)
Key Takeaways Start with the “why.” PJ Rossi says that about 75% of the time, organizations can’t clearly say what problem their AI tool is meant to solve. An AI readiness framework has nine checks in three phases: Prepare (strategy, AI visibility,...
DE Talk Unplugged | The End of “Jobs Near Me”: Conversational AI Is Changing How Candidates Find Jobs
For over two decades, the playbook for job hunting was simple: open a search bar, type a rigid job title or career focus and a zip code, and wade through pages of mismatched links. That playbook is officially expiring. In a recent episode of the DE Talk Podcast, host...
AI Hiring Compliance Playbook Recap, Part 1: The Legal Landscape, the Efficacy Data, and Why the 80% Rule Isn’t Enough
Key Takeaways AI is already in your hiring process. 58% of attendees are piloting AI or using approved tools in their workflows. 40% said their biggest AI hiring compliance worry is simply figuring out which rules apply. Federal law is still the bedrock. Title VII,...
Beyond Accessibility: Everyday Innovations Born from Disability Inclusion
Key Takeaways Many everyday tools—closed captioning, typewriters, curb cuts, ergonomic handles, and texting—were originally designed to solve a specific disability-related need, then went mainstream because they made life easier for everyone. This pattern is known as...
Protected Veteran Hiring Lags at S&P 500 Federal Contractors: What the RAND Report Means for Your Protected Veteran Hiring Program
Key Takeaways Protected veteran hiring is below the benchmark. RAND found that protected veterans were 2.4 percent of new hires at S&P 500 federal contractor establishments in the 2025 VETS-4212 filing cycle. The national VEVRAA hiring benchmark was 5.1 percent....
DE Talk | The End of “Jobs Near Me”: Conversational AI Is Changing How Candidates Find Jobs
Season 8 • Episode 4
“Jobs near me” has been the most common job search for 20 years, and with the introduction of AI, it’s on the verge of disappearing. Candidates have stopped typing keywords. They’re asking ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude for jobs that fit their experience, their schedules and their lives. If your jobs aren’t in the handful of answers those tools give, candidates never see you. And because the AI platforms share no search data, most employers have no idea what candidates are asking. In this episode of the DE Talk Podcast, host AJ Selvey of DirectEmployers Association sits down with Ben Russell, co-founder of SonicJobs, to talk about what’s changed, the misconceptions costing employers good candidates, and how CareerGPT brings a ChatGPT-style conversation to your existing career site without replacing your website or ATS. Ben also shares early CareerGPT data showing that more than half of candidate conversations lead to an application start.
Subscribe links, guest bios, and full transcript available.
GAO Urges DOL to Resume Section 503 Audits: What the Report Found, How DOL Responded, & What Federal Contractors Should Know
Key Takeaways GAO report GAO-26-107937, dated September 29, 2026, found that DOL has reduced its Section 503 oversight of federal contractors since January 2025. From fiscal years 2017 through 2025, 532 OFCCP audits found Section 503 violations. OFCCP’s...
DE Talk Unplugged | Section 503 Changes: What Employers and the Disability Community Need to Know
Major regulatory shifts can create uncertainty, but they also offer a rare opportunity to re-evaluate what truly drives workplace culture. On the latest episode of the DE Talk Podcast, guest host and Chief Advisor at Forte Advisory Group PJ Rossi sits down with...