Talent attraction is entering a new era. And most organisations aren’t ready yet.

SEO transformed recruitment marketing; now AI Answer Engine Optimisation (AI AEO) has quickly become the go-to for search engines.

The snowball effect has already started, and talent acquisition teams will start to see more changes over the next few years:

👉 Job seekers have increasingly started their research with AI tools instead of traditional search engines. They're asking which companies have the best culture and work-life balance. This behaviour change may mean they may never visit a search results page.

👉 Most job adverts today are written like marketing copy; however, AI prefers structured information. Future job adverts will need to shift from being written with SEO in mind to being more focused on working patterns, career progression, and responsibilities.

👉 Careers sites will need "answer pages"; SEO won't hold the same weight they have done in recent years. AI will be looking for "what it is like working at x" or how competitive x's graduate programme is. If the answer exists, AI will surface it. Businesses can leverage career site FAQ hubs to help AI navigate their site with ease. If your careers content is structured correctly, AI models will use it as a source.

The differentiator won't be using AI; it will be knowing how to guide it.