Login
Book a demo

Articles

When AI Meets Employer Branding – How to Keep the Human Touch in an Automated World

When AI Meets Employer 
Branding – How to Keep the Human Touch in an Automated World

Paulina Frank, 
Recruitment Marketing Specialist, Grade

Paulina is one of Grade’s expert advisors in recruitment marketing, with extensive experience in employer branding and selecting the right channels for advertising job vacancies.

AI is on its way to transforming the entire recruitment landscape. From how we write job ads to how we analyze candidate behavior, technology is becoming more and more present, and we need to learn how to manage it wisely.

At the same time, new questions arise:

  • How do we make sure algorithms don’t take over the candidate experience?
  • And how do we preserve the human, personal, and cultural aspects in a process that’s increasingly automated? 
AI Is Here – And It Changes Everything (Almost)

AI has already made a significant impact on recruitment. We use it to:

  • generate job ad drafts and visuals 
  • optimize ads for the right audiences 
  • analyze candidate data 
  • and streamline screening and selection . 

It makes processes faster, smarter, and more precise. But the more we automate, the greater the risk that we lose the sense of connection and care. And for candidates, that shows immediately. They can tell when communication is “written by a machine”, when the tone feels flat, the responses too fast, or the interaction lacks personality. 

In the worst case, AI can create exactly what employer branding is meant to prevent: distance. 

The Human Element Is Still the Competitive Edge

Let’s be honest. A strong employer brand isn’t built on perfection, it’s built on authenticity. And authenticity requires people.  AI can help us find patterns, create content, and free up time. 
But it’s people who create emotion, express values, and set the tone.

In the future of recruitment, successful employers will be those who:

  • use AI for efficiency 
  • but let humans bring the warmth  

Just as a recruiter can read between the lines in a conversation, communication also needs nuance, that subtle touch that makes a candidate feel seen. 

How to use AI Smartly — Without Losing the Human Touch
  1. Don’t qutomate empathy 
    Use AI for administration, not relationships. Keep the human interactions in feedback, interviews, and candidate communication. 
  2. Let AI enhance, not replace, creativity 
    Let AI generate ideas, but let people set the tone. An algorithm can write text, but not capture your unique voice. 
  3. Be transparent 
    Be open about when and how you use AI in your processes. Candidates appreciate honesty and responsible use of technology. 
  4. Build culture, not just processes 
    Employer branding is about reflecting the people behind the company. Let your own voices shine through in communication. 
  5. Measure with both heart and mind 
    Data can tell you what works, but only humans can interpret why. Combine quantitative insight with qualitative understanding. 

Jean Hedayat, Head of LinkedIn Sweden, put it well during Gradedagen 2024: “AI will not replace humans, but we will replace humans who cannot manage AI.”  This applies just as much to marketing and employer branding. 
AI will redefine how we work.

The greatest opportunity lies in using technology as a tool to make more time for what truly matters: the human connection. When AI handles the repetitive, it frees up energy for what creates real impact, seeing people, building relationships, and creating belonging. Because in the end, it’s not the technology that decides who chooses you as there next employer. 
 
It’s how you make people feel. 

Bringing structured, evidence-based interviews into a seamless recruitment workflow

Bringing structured, evidence-based interviews into a seamless recruitment workflow

Recruiters are under pressure to screen more candidates in less time, without compromising quality or fairness. Traditional screening and interviews often rely on subjective judgment, inconsistent criteria, and time-intensive coordination. This is where Recright enters the picture: a modern, intelligent selection platform built around smarter screening and structured, video-based interviewing that supports fairer and faster hiring decisions.

At Grade, we believe the full potential of recruitment technology is realized when best-in-class tools are connected and orchestration replaces fragmentation. That is why we integrate with partners like Recright to enhance the recruitment ecosystem and help teams not only attract and manage talent but also evaluate candidates with structure, insight, and confidence.

 

What Recright does

Recright is an Intelligent Selection Platform designed to help recruiters and hiring teams create structured, evidence-based hiring flows that elevate screening and interviewing. It extends beyond simple applicant tracking by adding:

  • Structured screening using consistent criteria
  • Video interview tools that make candidate evaluation more efficient
  • AI-supported insights to help shape role profiles, interview guides, and summaries
  • A unified process from preparation to final decision support

The platform supports both asynchronous video screening, where candidates record responses at their convenience, and recording structured interviews with guidance, which strengthens fairness and consistency across decisions. This helps organizations identify talent that might not stand out on paper but demonstrates potential through thoughtful responses.

Recright’s emphasis on structure and data helps recruiters reduce bias and make decisions that teams can stand behind. By standardizing how interviews are guided, captured, and reviewed, hiring teams gain clarity and comparability that normally requires extensive manual coordination.

“The biggest shift we see when teams adopt structured methods is that decisions become comparable and defensible. Recruiters stop debating impressions and start discussing evidence. That’s when hiring quality really improves: not by adding more steps, but by making every step count,” says Rasmus Nybergh, CEO at Recright

How the Recright and Grade integration works

Grade’s mission is to provide organizations with a connected recruitment ecosystem that reduces manual work and surfaces structured data across tools.
The Grade–Recright integration connects these worlds by linking Recright’s video interview flow with Grade’s recruitment platforms (such as Kuntarekry, Varbi, and Onecruiter). This enables teams to initiate video interview processes directly from within Grade.

In the future, the integration will extend to structured interviews, making it easy for teams to manage more of the hiring process directly within Grade. Recruiters will be able to send interview invitations straight from Grade, track candidates’ status automatically, and access the full interview – including recording, notes, and evaluation – directly from the platform. This ensures a seamless, connected view of the candidate journey from screening to hiring.

By integrating Recright’s video interview and structured screening technology with Grade’s core recruitment workflows, recruiters can keep candidate data connected and reduce manual coordination between systems. This streamlined approach saves time and helps ensure consistency in candidate data, supporting fair and confident hiring decisions while maintaining a holistic view of the recruitment pipeline.

“Recruiters shouldn’t have to choose between a structured process and an efficient one. By connecting Recright’s interview intelligence directly into Grade’s workflow, teams get the fairness and comparability of structured evaluation without the administrative overhead. Everything stays in context, from screening to final decision,” says Rasmus Nybergh

Why this integration matters

Recruitment success today requires more than posting jobs and tracking applicants. It depends on how decisions are made and how candidates are evaluated. The Recright and Grade partnership supports teams by:

  1. Reinforcing structured hiring:
    Recright contributes interview structure, decision support, and candidate comparison tools that reduce bias and promote fairness at every stage of the process.
  2. Enhancing recruiter efficiency:
    The ability to initiate, manage, and review structured interviews without switching platforms reduces administrative work and helps teams focus on decisions that matter.
  3. Improving candidate experience:
    Candidates receive clear, guided interactions, whether recording responses or attending live interviews, giving them a consistent and transparent experience.
  4. Connecting data and decisions:
    Combined with Grade’s recruitment data and workflow orchestration, structured insights from Recright help recruitment teams compare candidates, document outcomes, and support auditability.

The Recright and Grade partnership represents a shared vision for recruitment that is smarter, fairer, and more efficient. By combining Recright’s structured interview and evidence-based hiring capabilities with Grade’s centralized workflows, organizations can streamline interviewing processes without compromising on quality, candidate experience, or decision integrity.

“The future of hiring is about connected, intelligent and evidence-based workflows where every decision is transparent and every candidate gets a fair shot. Partnerships like this one with Grade are how we turn that vision into everyday practice for recruitment teams across Europe,” says Rasmus Nybergh

Connect your recruitment workflow with intelligent interview technology.

Book a demo
Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

Report: The Year of Recruitment 2025 – What the data reveals about a changing hiring landscape

Report: The Year of Recruitment 2025 - What the data reveals about a changing hiring landscape

Sanna works in B2B marketing at Grade, focusing on the Finnish market. She is dedicated to understanding the everyday realities of HR and public sector organizations and turning those insights into clear, relevant communication that supports better recruitment and HR practices.

Recruitment 2025 – Statistics and Key Insights

2025 was not a typical year in the Finnish labour market. In the public sector, the number of recruitments declined while applicant volumes increased significantly. Competition for jobs intensified, and expectations for recruitment processes rose at the same time.

It is no longer enough to simply attract a large number of applicants. What matters is how well the processes work.

  • How can growing applicant volumes be managed effectively?

  • How can fairness and transparency be ensured?

  • How does recruitment influence employer reputation during periods of increasing applicant volumes?

In this report, we take a closer look at what the data truly reveals.

What’s Inside the Report?

The report brings together recruitment data from Kuntarekry and Kirkkorekry in 2025 and highlights key developments in the public sector labour market.

Inside the report, you will find:

  • Key statistics and changes from 2024–2025

  • Sector-specific differences in recruitments and applicant volumes

  • The growth of anonymous recruitment and its implications

  • The role of temporary staffing in day-to-day resource management

  • Key findings and expectations from the candidate survey

  • Perspectives on how recruitment should be developed today

Download the Report for free and explore the 2025 recruitment data and the insights it highlights

The report provides an up-to-date overview of developments and key statistics in public sector recruitment.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

How to Streamline the Candidate Experience in an Inspiring Direction

How to Streamline the Candidate Experience in an Inspiring Direction

Hannu Juvonen, 
Account Manager, Grade

Hannu Juvonen, Account Manager at Grade, specializes in strategic employer branding development and optimizing recruitment processes. He helps organizations build impactful candidate experiences and make effective use of Grade’s modern solutions. Hannu is known for his straightforward, solution-oriented approach in coaching clients toward clear and measurable development steps.

By first identifying which roles you will be recruiting for next within your target groups – and what kind of competencies and experience backgrounds these individuals should have – you can ensure that you are doing the right things at the right time, and at the right touchpoints from the candidate’s perspective.

In addition, once you have examined how current job seekers have experienced your recruitment process, you can begin delivering an even better candidate experience to your target audiences.

When the direction for developing the candidate experience is clear, consider at least the following actions to streamline it in an inspiring way:

1. Stay One Step Ahead of Your Target Groups

Through successful recruitment marketing, you help candidates discover the strengths of your employer brand.

Take advantage of the targeting opportunities offered by paid social media advertising. At the heart of a positive candidate experience is exceeding expectations – so surprise members of your target group by presenting an open role before they even begin actively searching for one.

While advertising platforms offer powerful targeting tools, they are not flawless. The people reached may not always be perfect matches. Therefore, make sure to incorporate a referral aspect into your recruitment marketing campaign messaging. You will reach both representatives of your core target group and individuals similar to them, so openly encourage viewers to recommend the role to their networks.

If paid advertising solutions are not yet familiar to you, we are happy to help.

2. Informative and Relatable Job Advertisements

Remember that professionals reviewing your job advertisement most likely already understand the basic day-to-day responsibilities of the role. Instead of focusing solely on tasks, highlight sources of motivation and opportunities for growth. Prioritize clarity, attractiveness, and emphasize your organization’s employer strengths and unique qualities.

Be transparent about your company culture and values- and explain how these are reflected in everyday work life.

Give candidates the opportunity to see how they would fit into your organization. Don’t miss the chance to introduce potential future colleagues through videos or career stories. Include links within the job ad to an online environment where you showcase authentic employee stories – for example, by utilizing an extended employer presentation page or career site.

Demonstrate that growth and learning are genuinely possible within your organization. Also take into account the upcoming pay transparency directive, which will reshape recruitment practices for all of us.

Make a clear promise of high-quality onboarding and, at the latest during interviews, explain how your onboarding plan has been structured and what it includes.

3. View the Application Process from the Candidate’s Perspective

Ensure that the recruitment process is clear to all internal stakeholders and that every applicant is treated equally. Carefully assess whether, for example, anonymous recruitment could serve as a pillar of equality that your target groups value.

Provide candidates with a realistic timeline already in the job advertisement and keep them informed throughout the recruitment process. Remember that delivering on the promise of seamless communication begins immediately after applications are received.

Focus on open and human-centered candidate communication. Take advantage of the automation capabilities within Grade’s recruitment systems – such as automated candidate messaging- and tailor communications to reflect your organization’s tone of voice. This helps create a positive and transparent communication atmosphere.

Offer candidates clear channels for contacting relevant people during the recruitment process, ensuring they can receive accurate answers quickly and effortlessly. Design these contact channels according to the preferences and needs of your target groups.

4. Enable Genuine Human Encounters

Provide candidates with opportunities for personal interaction and consider the expectations of different generations regarding interview processes. However, do not assume that younger candidates prefer only digital touchpoints. A job interview is not only your opportunity to get to know the candidate – it is also the candidate’s opportunity to assess how well their values align with your organization’s.

Be strategic with your time and utilize video recruitment solutions for pre-screening interview rounds. This allows you to explore candidates more deeply around themes that are important for success in the role. Pre-recorded video interviews enable you to get to know candidates beyond their CVs and written applications – and even introduce them to potential future colleagues through video questions.

Introduce candidates to possible future teammates as early as possible. Mutual commitment is key. If you have managed to spark genuine interest in your organization, the role, and motivated the candidate to apply, it is crucial to maintain that engagement until the very end.

Drop-offs toward the final stages of recruitment are common – especially if candidates have not formed any social connection during the process. Keep in mind that you are rarely the only employer receiving the candidate’s time and effort in the form of applications.

Creating an engaging and realistic image of working with the new team at an early stage helps both you and the candidate assess whether the role is truly the right fit.

When you focus on improving the candidate experience strategically, you may discover that you have simultaneously developed a tactical recruitment marketing strategy – one that supports increasing applicant volume while delivering an inspiring candidate experience.

 

Develop the Candidate Experience Step by Step

Avoid trying to implement too many development initiatives at once. Instead, prioritize step by step the actions that best suit your organization’s candidate experience goals.

And remember: at Grade, we are here to support you and your organization in delivering a superior candidate experience.

Let’s shape a more effective and impactful candidate journey together – just get in touch.

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

HR Year Compass 2026: Part 1

HR Year Compass 2026: Part 1

Setting the foundation for the year

Rafae is the voice behind the screen and the strategist turning data into impactful digital marketing campaigns. With a strong analytics mindset and a background in marketing, he focuses on creating, optimizing, and scaling campaigns that cut through the noise and deliver measurable results for HR tech audiences.

Most HR year plans assume you start on January 1 with unlimited energy, perfect data, and a calm calendar.

Reality is usually more like: the year is already moving, managers want answers, employees want clarity, and you are trying to build structure while everything is in motion.

That is exactly why we are publishing this series.

Welcome to HR Year Compass Sweden 2026, a practical set of short, action-oriented articles you can save and revisit. This is Part 1, focused on the first stretch of the year, when the smartest move is to build the foundations that will make everything easier later.

How to read the initiatives in this article

To keep this useful (and realistic), every initiative is labeled:

  • (L) Legal requirement / mandatory

  • (R) Strongly recommended

  • (I) Inspiration / culture-building

You do not have to do everything at once. The point is to know what must be done, what will pay off quickly, and what strengthens culture if you have the capacity.

Why this “foundation phase” matters in 2026

Three forces are shaping HR work right now, especially in Sweden’s public sector, but honestly across most organizations:

  1. Higher expectations for transparency, particularly around pay and terms

  2. AI moving from buzzword to colleague, meaning HR analytics and automation will increasingly be expected

  3. A continuing skills shift, where reskilling is not optional if you want future-ready teams

On top of that, pay transparency is no longer a distant topic. The EU Pay Transparency Directive has a June 2026 implementation deadline in Sweden, and many organizations are treating 2026 as the preparation year because the quality of your pay process and your data will matter just as much as the numbers.

So for this first part of the series, the goal is simple: build trust, reduce ambiguity, and make sure you can execute pay, development, and work environment initiatives without chaos.

 

The foundation initiatives

1) Pay and fairness readiness

This is where trust is built or lost. Pay work is not just a compensation task, it is a credibility task.

  • (L) Start the salary review and the year’s pay equity analysis
    This is not only about compliance. It is about being able to answer questions with confidence later, from managers, unions, and employees. The earlier you begin, the more time you have to resolve inconsistencies rather than rush decisions.

  • (L) Finalize the salary review and ensure new salaries are ready for payout or retroactivity (depending on agreements)
    The end result needs to be operationally clean. If there is confusion around dates, retroactivity, or what was decided, it will spill into employee trust immediately.

  • (R) Communicate your pay principles broadly
    People do not need every detail, but they do need a credible explanation. What are the principles behind pay decisions? What is rewarded? How is fairness checked? A short, clear explanation goes a long way.

  • (I) Run a pulse check on perceived fairness
    Even a small pulse survey can show you whether employees experienced the process as respectful and understandable. If the perception is off, that is your early warning signal to improve communication and manager enablement.

What this sets you up for: pay transparency readiness, fewer escalations, and better manager confidence.

2) Direction and alignment with leaders

If managers do not share the same picture of what HR is prioritizing this year, HR will spend the year reacting.

  • (R) Set HR goals and KPIs and align them with the operational plan
    This is your anchor. The best HR KPIs are the ones managers recognize as useful, not just HR metrics that look good in a dashboard. Keep it simple and tied to outcomes: leadership capability, retention risk, skills readiness, engagement, health, and delivery capacity.

  • (R) Hold a manager kick-off for the HR year
    The purpose is not to “inform”. It is to align expectations. What will HR own? What will leaders own? What will be different this year compared to last year? If you do this once early, it reduces friction for months.

  • (I) Send a year-start message centered on trust and development
    You do not have to pretend the year just started. You can frame it as a reset: what kind of culture you want, what matters in leadership, and how employees can expect HR to support them. It is a small initiative that can have outsized cultural impact.

What this sets you up for: fewer ad hoc requests, clearer ownership, and a shared language for the year.

3) Performance, development, and skills momentum

This is where many HR plans get stuck: development is “important”, but never urgent.

Your job in this phase is to create momentum and make development practical.

  • (R) Conduct or follow up performance and development conversations
    The value is not the meeting itself. The value is the clarity it creates about expectations, capability gaps, and what support is needed.

  • (R) Update individual development plans
    Keep them lightweight and usable. One strong development priority beats five vague ones.

  • (I) “Love your data”: review HR data quality before pay and spring processes peak
    If pay transparency and fairness reporting are becoming more real, data hygiene becomes strategic. Where is data missing? Where are job titles inconsistent? Where are role levels unclear? Clean data is how HR earns a seat at the table in 2026.

What this sets you up for: better reskilling decisions, more credible analytics, and fewer painful cleanups later.

4) Work environment and operational stability

Work environment work is often treated like a separate track. In practice, it is one of the strongest predictors of your ability to retain and perform.

  • (L) Carry out safety rounds and update action plans for Systematic Work Environment Management
    Do not treat this as paperwork. Treat it as a real feedback loop. What risks are present? What is improving? What needs follow-up?

  • (L) Collect and approve vacation requests with correct notice timing
    This one is simple but underrated. Clear vacation planning reduces operational stress and conflict. It also signals that the organization respects boundaries.

  • (R) Update routines for crisis management and security
    The goal is preparedness, not fear. Make sure roles are clear and routines are known.

  • (I) Use World Day for Safety and Health at Work (April 28) as a culture moment
    Instead of only focusing on risks, spotlight what supports sustainable performance and wellbeing, the “health factors” that help people thrive.

What this sets you up for: fewer surprises, lower risk, and a healthier culture.

What is next in the series

This was HR Year Compass Sweden 2026: Part 1. Next up: Part 2 will cover the mid-year stretch when many organizations hit capacity limits, and Part 3 will be the “wrap up your HR year” edition with everything needed to close strong and prepare for the next cycle.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Grade and Hubert Partner to Improve Early-Stage Recruitment

Grade and Hubert Partner to Improve Early-Stage Recruitment

Recruitment teams are expected to move faster while meeting higher demands for fairness, transparency, and compliance. Early-stage screening is often where this balance is hardest to achieve and where processes tend to slow down. 

That’s why Grade has partnered with Hubert. 

By integrating Hubert’s AI-based interview technology directly into Grade Varbi, talent acquisition teams can streamline early screening while keeping structure, consistency, and control. 

Structured screening without the bottlenecks 

Manual CV reviews and initial phone screenings are time-consuming and difficult to scale. With the Hubert integration, candidates complete structured interviews early in the process. Experience, motivation, skills, and behaviours are assessed consistently for every candidate. 

Recruiters receive clear summaries, scores, and full transcripts directly in Varbi—making it easier to identify relevant candidates and move forward with confidence, while reducing manual workload. 

“Our customers operate in regulated environments where fairness, security, and transparency are essential. With Hubert, we add AI-based screening that meets these requirements while helping customers modernise early-stage recruitment—without losing control or trust.” 

Martin Heden Lindgren, Head of Partnerships, Grade 

Better decisions, fairer comparisons 

Standardised interviews give recruiters a stronger decision foundation. Candidates are assessed using the same criteria, making it easier to compare fairly, reduce unconscious bias, and base decisions on relevant competencies rather than gut feeling. 

For public-sector organisations, this structure also supports auditability and compliance without adding complexity. 

A better experience for candidates 

Candidates can complete interviews when it suits them, without scheduling delays. Clear structure and faster feedback create a smoother and more respectful experience, even in high-volume recruitment. 

Fully embedded in Grade Varbi 

Because Hubert is integrated directly into Varbi, recruiters work in one system and follow existing workflows. AI supports the process where it adds value—while human judgement remains central. 

Through this partnership, Grade continues to support modern, responsible recruitment by combining a trusted ATS with structured, AI-supported screening 

About Varbi
Share the Post:

Related Posts

Security isn’t optional in public sector recruitment

Security isn’t optional in public sector recruitment

It’s the foundation everything else depends on

When public sector organizations invest in a recruitment system, they are not just buying software. They are taking responsibility for how personal data is handled, how decisions are documented, and how trust is maintained — with candidates, employees, and society at large.

That’s why security can never be an afterthought.

Recruitment data is personal — and powerful

A recruitment process contains some of the most sensitive information an organization handles: identities, work histories, references, assessments, and sometimes protected data. In the public sector, this information is covered by strict legislation and even stricter expectations.

A single weak point can have serious consequences. Not only in terms of compliance, but in lost trust — from candidates who expect their data to be treated with care, and from citizens who expect public organizations to set the standard.

Security starts long before a contract is signed

It’s easy to focus on features, workflows, and user experience during procurement. Those things matter. But security is what makes everything else sustainable.

A secure recruitment system is not something you “add” later. It’s built into how the system is designed, how data flows through it, and how the supplier works internally.

That includes:

  • Clear structures for who can access what — and why

  • Thoughtful handling of personal data throughout the entire recruitment process

  • Defined routines for data retention, deletion, and follow-up

  • A supplier who understands public sector requirements and takes them seriously

If these foundations aren’t there, no amount of functionality will compensate for it.

What public sector buyers should expect

Public sector organizations have every right to ask detailed questions about security — and to expect clear answers.

Not marketing language. Not vague promises. But transparency.

Where is data stored? How is access controlled? How is GDPR handled in practice? What routines are in place if something goes wrong?

A trustworthy supplier welcomes these questions. Security should be visible, documented, and understandable — not hidden behind technical jargon.

How we think about security at Grade

At Grade, security is not a feature we talk about only during procurement. It’s part of our everyday work.

We build our recruitment solutions with public sector realities in mind — where compliance, structure, and long-term reliability matter just as much as usability.

Our approach is grounded in:

  • GDPR-aligned handling of personal data

  • Clearly defined roles and permissions

  • Stable, secure system architecture

  • Established routines that support audits, reviews, and accountability

Security is not static. It requires continuous attention, responsibility, and respect for the data entrusted to us.

Trust is built quietly — and lost quickly

A secure recruitment system doesn’t draw attention to itself. It simply works. Candidates feel safe. Recruiters feel confident. Organizations know they can stand behind their processes.

In the public sector, that quiet reliability is essential.

Choosing a recruitment system is ultimately about trust — in the technology, in the partner behind it, and in the processes it supports.

Security is what makes that trust possible.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

Grade and Talentech Are Coming Together

Grade and Talentech Are Coming Together

January 15, 2026

Grade and Talentech have now completed their merger, following approval from competition authorities in all four Nordic countries. The two companies are coming together to form one organization, operating under the name Talentech.

For customers, the purpose of this merger is simple: to strengthen the platform and the partnership you rely on today, while creating better opportunities for development over time.

By combining the strengths of Grade and Talentech, we are building a broader and more integrated HR software offering that supports the full employee journey — from recruitment and onboarding to development and retention.

The combined company serves close to 4,000 customers across the Nordic region, including both small and medium-sized businesses and public sector organizations. With increased scale, Talentech will be able to invest more in product development, security, and long-term innovation, while continuing to deliver stable and reliable solutions.

Walter Leicher has been appointed CEO of Talentech. He brings more than 30 years of experience leading and developing companies across software and other industries.

“HR teams today face increasing complexity and pressure, often without the tools to truly make an impact. The new Talentech will help even more customers to manage recruitment, onboarding and employee development, now also by taking our solutions to the next level,” says Walter Leicher.

Over time, customers will benefit from a more unified platform and a clearer product roadmap. Any changes will be introduced gradually and communicated well in advance.

What This Means for You as a Customer

Below are answers to some of the most common questions we have received.

No. There are no immediate changes to your services, contracts, pricing, or points of contact.

Yes. There are no immediate changes to your services.

No. You can continue to work with your usual contact person.

The merger allows us to combine complementary products, expertise, and resources, so we can support customers better over time and invest more in development and innovation.

The company will operate under the name Talentech. We will communicate clearly and well in advance about any visible brand changes that may affect customers.

Any future changes will be introduced gradually and communicated clearly. Our focus is on improving the experience and value for customers, without disruption.

If you have questions that are not covered here, your usual contact person is available to help, or you can reach us at info@grade.com 

Building Sustainable Teams: Why Competence Based Recruitment is the Key to Growth

Building Sustainable Teams: Why Competence Based Recruitment is the Key to Growth

This article was written by the team at Grade. We enjoy sharing insights and perspectives on everything related to the employee journey. Our goal is simply to offer some inspiration and our own thoughts on how to build better workplaces together. Enjoy your reading!

Many leaders take pride in their intuition. They believe they can spot a great colleague within the first few minutes of a coffee chat. But if we are honest with ourselves, that gut feeling is often just a reflection of our own biases. When we hire based on how well we click with someone over a coffee, we aren’t necessarily building a high performing team. Often, we are simply building a mirror.

At Grade, our focus is the entire employee journey. We know that the first step has to be the most intentional. Recruitment isn’t just about filling a vacancy as quickly as possible. It is about designing the future of your culture through a methodology called Competence-Based Recruitment.

Moving from Vibes to Evidence

Traditional hiring usually leans on vague ideas of culture fit. Our approach replaces that uncertainty with a structured process focused on what a candidate can actually contribute.

By identifying the specific competencies required for a role, meaning the behaviors and knowledge that actually lead to success, we create a level playing field. This makes the process both fairer and more predictable. Instead of looking for someone you would like to have a beer with, you find the person who will actually help the team reach its goals.

The Science of People

You wouldn’t develop a product without a roadmap, and we believe you shouldn’t build a team without a solid foundation in research. Our work is anchored in the research of Dr. Malin Lindelöw. With over twenty years of experience in psychology and work life research, her methodology gives us a professional advantage that goes beneath the surface.

By grounding the process in her work, we gain a clear perspective:

  1. A clear process that ensures every hire is treated with the same consistency.

  2. A deep understanding of work psychology to help us see why certain candidates perform the way they do.

  3. The ability to use critical reflection questions to challenge our own assumptions and find true talent.

The Employee Journey

Recruitment is just the beginning. When you hire based on clear competencies, you aren’t just getting a productive employee for today. You are gathering the insights needed to support them for years to come.

Because we define these competencies early on, we can map out a person’s future growth with precision. We don’t have to guess where a new hire needs support because we already have the roadmap. This is how we ensure that scaling your company also means scaling the potential of your people.

If you look back at your recent hires, can you point to the evidence that predicted their success? If the answer is no, it might be time to move away from the gut feeling and toward a more sustainable way of growing.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

The EU Pay Transparency Directive is Coming. Don’t Panic – Pivot.

The EU Pay Transparency Directive is Coming. Don’t Panic – Pivot.

Rafae is the voice behind the screen and the strategist turning data into impactful digital marketing campaigns. With a strong analytics mindset and a background in marketing, he focuses on creating, optimizing, and scaling campaigns that cut through the noise and deliver measurable results for HR tech audiences.

Let’s be real: “Regulatory Compliance” isn’t usually the phrase that gets HR leaders out of bed in the morning. But the new EU Pay Transparency Directive is different. It’s not just red tape; it’s a massive shift in how we value people, build trust, and manage the entire employee journey.

The clock is ticking, and the scramble to get data in order is real. But here is the good news: You don’t need a law degree to get this right. You just need a solid plan.

We’ve stripped away the legalese and complex jargon to give you exactly what you need: a clear, actionable roadmap to get compliant (and competitive) in just three months.

Inside the guide, we cover:

  • The Reality Check: What the directive actually demands of you.

  • The Audit: How to spot gaps in your current pay structure.

  • The Roadmap: A step-by-step 90-day plan to move from policy to practice.

 

Stop guessing and start leading.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

The “Post-Post-Recruitment” Era: Why Your Employer Brand Needs a Marketer’s Brain

The “Post-Post-Recruitment” Era: Why Your Employer Brand Needs a Marketer’s Brain

Estelle leads the global marketing team at Grade. With a background spanning everything from high-paced advertising to brand identity for international clients, she is dedicated to making the Grade brand vibrant across the entire employee journey.

Let’s be honest for a second. If your employer branding strategy in 2025 is still just “posting a job ad and praying,” you aren’t recruiting—you’re gambling.

I’m a marketer. I spend my days obsessing over funnels, conversion rates, and customer journeys. But here at Grade, where we live and breathe the entire employee journey, I’ve realized something uncomfortable:

HR and Marketing are solving the exact same problem. We just use different words.

  • I call it “Customer Acquisition.” You call it “Talent Acquisition.”

  • I call it “Retention.” You call it “Employee Engagement.”

  • I call it “Brand Advocacy.” You call it “Culture.”

The companies winning the talent war right now aren’t the ones with the best ping-pong tables. They are the ones where HR thinks like a growth engine.

Here is why your employer brand might be failing, and three marketing “hacks” to fix it.

1. The “Funnel” is Dead. Long Live the “Loop.”

The Old Way (HR): Post job >Interview >Hire > Onboard. Done.

The New Way (Marketing): Attract >Engage > Delight > Advocate.

In marketing, we know that the real value doesn’t happen when a customer buys; it happens when they stay and tell their friends. The same applies to your employees.

The Fix:

Stop front-loading your budget on job boards. Shift 30% of your resources to the “Advocate” stage. Empower your happiest employees to create content—videos, LinkedIn posts, honest “day in the life” stories.

In marketing, we call this UGC (User Generated Content). In HR, it’s trust at scale.

2. Your “EVP” is Too Fluffy. Get Specific.

Marketers hate vague value props. “We have a great culture” is the “Best Pizza in New York” of HR—everyone says it, so it means nothing.

If your external promise (branding) doesn’t match the internal reality (culture), you have a “churn” problem.

The Fix:

A/B test your messaging and get radically specific.

  • Don’t say: “We value work-life balance.”

  • Do say: “We have a ‘Log Off at 5 PM’ policy that is actually enforced.”

At Grade, we look at the whole timeline. If you promise growth during the interview, you need the infrastructure to deliver it in year two. That consistency is what builds a brand.

3. Treat Candidates Like “Leads” (Because They Are)

In marketing, if a potential customer visits our site and leaves, we don’t just ignore them. We nurture them. We stay top-of-mind.

The Fix:

Build a “Talent Nurture” stream. Did you have a silver-medalist candidate who was great but didn’t get the role? Don’t ghost them.

  • Add them to a quarterly “Insider” newsletter.

  • Send them relevant industry reports.

  • Invite them to your company webinars.

When the next role opens, you won’t be starting from scratch. You’ll have a warm audience ready to convert.

The Bottom Line: We Are All in the “Journey” Business

The wall between HR and Marketing is crumbling.

  • Marketing needs HR to build the culture we brag about.

  • HR needs Marketing to tell that story effectively.

At Grade, we believe that you can’t separate the “candidate” from the “employee.” It’s one continuous timeline. If you want to fix your recruitment, stop looking at your job ads and start looking at your entire employee journey.

Are you ready to stop recruiting and start attracting?

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

The Death of the “Gut Feeling”: Why 2025 is the Year We Finally Let Data Drive the Human Side of HR

The Death of the “Gut Feeling”: Why 2025 is the Year We Finally Let Data Drive the Human Side of HR

Estelle leads the global marketing team at Grade. With a background spanning everything from high-paced advertising to brand identity for international clients, she is dedicated to making the Grade brand vibrant across the entire employee journey.

Let’s be honest for a moment. How many times have you hired someone because you “just had a good feeling” about them? And how many times has that feeling evaporated three months later when the onboarding honeymoon phase ended?

If you’re nodding your head, you aren’t alone. For decades, the HR profession has balanced on a tightrope between intuition and process. But as we close out 2025, the ground has shifted. The era of the “gut feeling” hire is officially over—and that is the best thing that could happen to the human side of our work.

The Efficiency Paradox

We often talk about digitalization in HR as a way to “speed things up.” And yes, speed is nice. But if you are only using tools to do the same old things faster, you are missing the point.

Research from McKinsey and local insights from Chef.se this year have pointed to a single, undeniable trend: Precision. The labor market in late 2024 and 2025 hasn’t just been about finding bodies to fill seats; it’s been about finding the right skills for a rapidly changing landscape.

We are seeing a move away from “filling a vacancy” to “solving a skills gap.” And you cannot solve a skills gap with a gut feeling. You need data.

The Unsung Hero: Digital Reference Checking

Let’s talk about the one step in recruitment that everyone claims to love but secretly dreads: reference checking.

Historically, this was a compliance exercise. You called a former boss, exchanged pleasantries, and they told you the candidate was “a hard worker.” You checked the box.

In 2025, digital reference checking has transformed from a formality into a strategic weapon. Why? Because it captures data, not just opinions.

  • It removes the bias: Standardized questions mean every candidate is measured by the same yardstick, not by how chatty their former boss is.

  • It predicts the future: When you aggregate data points on behaviors—like “adaptability” or “grit”—you aren’t just vetting a past; you are predicting a future trajectory.

Key Takeaway: If you are still playing phone tag to ask “Would you hire them again?”, you are leaving critical intelligence on the table.

Connecting the Dots: The Entire Employee Journey

Here is where it gets interesting—and where the real value lies for us as HR leaders.

Data gathered during recruitment (like reference insights) shouldn’t die in an archive folder the moment the contract is signed. That data is the blueprint for the employee’s success.

Imagine an onboarding process where you already know that your new hire is brilliant at strategy but struggles with public speaking (based on honest, digital feedback from three former managers). You don’t find this out six months later after a failed presentation. You know it on day one. You tailor their development plan immediately.

This is what it means to deliver the entire employee journey. It’s not just about hiring; it’s about using that initial data to fuel retention, development, and growth.

The Human Element

There is a fear that more data means less humanity. I would argue the opposite.

When you automate the administrative heavy lifting—the scheduling, the chasing, the form-filling—you buy back the only resource you can’t manufacture: Time.

Time to have a real coffee with a struggling manager. Time to design a mentorship program. Time to actually listen to your people.

As we head into 2026, let’s make a pact. Let’s stop apologizing for using data. Let’s embrace it so we can get back to doing what we actually signed up for: building great teams, not just filling empty chairs.

3 Quick Wins for HR Managers This Week:

  1. Audit your “Gut”: Look at your last 5 bad hires. Was the data there to warn you, or did you ignore it?

  2. Digitalize the “Boring” Stuff: If you are still doing manual reference checks, look for a tool that integrates with your ATS. The ROI on time saved is immediate.

  3. Bridge the Gap: Set a meeting with your L&D (Learning & Development) team. Ask them: “What data from the recruitment process would help you onboard people better?”

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

Stop Selling the Dream: Why the Future of Employer Branding is Radical Honesty

Stop Selling the Dream: Why the Future of Employer Branding is Radical Honesty

The Grade Team
We are the storytellers and strategists behind the screen. We exist to cut through the noise of the HR world, curating the freshest trends and actionable insights. From the first hire to the last goodbye, we explore what it really takes to deliver the entire employee journey.

Walk into the lobby of any high-growth tech company circa 2018, and the employer brand was physical. It was the kombucha tap, the exposed brick, and the vague promise that “we are a family.” It was a marketing exercise designed to dazzle.

Fast forward to today. The taps are dry, the offices are often empty, and the “family” metaphor has been rightfully retired in favor of something healthier: a high-performance team.

For HR leaders, the ground has shifted beneath our feet. The era of Employer Branding as a glossy marketing function is over. We have entered the era of Radical Honesty.

The Great skepticism

If you are a CHRO or a Head of Talent today, you are facing the most skeptical candidate pool in history.

Candidates are no longer looking at your “Life at [Company]” video. They are on Reddit, scouring blind threads on Fishbowl, and reading the one-star reviews on Glassdoor that you frantically tried to bury. They are cross-referencing your stated values with your actual layoff history.

They are performing a forensic audit of your culture before the first screening call.

In this environment, polish is suspicious. Perfection is a red flag. When an employer brand paints a picture of a utopia where “everyone brings their whole self to work” and “innovation never sleeps,” top-tier talent rolls their eyes. They know that work is hard. They know friction exists.

The Power of the “Anti-Sell”

The most interesting employer brands emerging right now aren’t the ones promising ease; they are the ones promising challenge.

Consider the shift in narrative. Instead of saying, “We offer great work-life balance,” brave companies are saying, “We move incredibly fast, and it can be chaotic. If you crave structure, you will hate it here. If you crave autonomy, you will thrive.”

This is the Anti-Sell.

By highlighting the friction points of your culture, you do two things:

  1. You build immense trust. When you admit a flaw (or a feature that feels like a flaw to the wrong person), candidates believe you when you talk about your strengths.

  2. You filter proactively. You stop wasting recruitment hours on candidates who will resign in six months because “it wasn’t what they expected.”

Employer branding is no longer about maximizing the funnel; it is about filtering the funnel. It is better to scare away 90% of the market to deeply resonate with the 10% who are actually built for your specific environment.

Your Employees Are the Only Billboards That Matter

For years, we treated Employer Branding as an external activity—something we projected outward. But in a transparent digital world, your external brand is simply a lagging indicator of your internal reality.

You cannot “brand” your way out of a retention problem.

If your net promoter score (eNPS) is tanking, your employer brand is tanking, regardless of how nice your LinkedIn banners look. The smartest HR leaders are pivoting budget away from recruitment marketing ads and into the employee experience itself.

They are realizing that retention is the new recruiting. The story your alumni tell at a bar (or on a Zoom call) three years after they leave is the permanent ink of your brand.

The New Mandate

So, where does this leave the modern HR leader?

It requires us to take off the marketer’s hat and put on the journalist’s hat. We need to stop writing copy and start uncovering the truth. Go into your organization and ask: What is the ugly truth about working here? Who fails here? Why do they fail?

Take that reality, package it with empathy, and put it front and center on your career page.

Stop selling the dream. Start selling the reality. It’s messier, it’s harder, and it’s significantly less glossy. But in a world drowning in AI-generated content and corporate fluff, reality is the only thing that actually sells.

Key Takeaways for HR Leaders

  • Audit for Fluff: Review your EVP (Employee Value Proposition). If it sounds like it could apply to any of your competitors, it’s failing.

  • Embrace the “Warts”: Identify the difficult parts of your culture and put them in job descriptions. Frame them as challenges for the right person to solve.

  • Internal First: Shift focus from external attraction to internal consistency. Your current employees are your primary brand ambassadors.

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Join Our Newsletter

Cookies consist of small text files. These files contain data stored on your device. To place certain types of cookies, we need to obtain your consent.
At Grade, we use the following types of cookies. To read more about the cookies we use and their storage duration, click here to visit our cookie policy.

Manage your cookie-settings

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies are cookies that must be placed for basic functions to work on the website. Basic functions are, for example, cookies which are needed so that you can use menus on the website and navigate on the site.

Functional cookies

Functional cookies need to be placed on the website in order for it to perform as you would expect. For example, so that it recognizes which language you prefer, whether or not you are logged in, to keep the website secure, remember login details or to be able to sort products on the website according to your preferences.

Cookies for statistics

For us to measure your interactions with the website, we place cookies in order to keep statistics. These cookies anonymize personal data.

Cookies for ad-tracking

To enable us to offer better service and experience, we place cookies so that we can provide relevant advertising. Another aim of this processing is to enable us to promote products or services, provide customized offers or provide recommendations based on what you have purchased in the past.

Ad measurement user cookies

In order to show relevant ads we place cookies to tailor ads for you

Personalized ads cookies

To show relevant and personal ads we place cookies to provide unique offers that are tailored to your user data