I write high-quality content for companies helping people live their best life ✍🏻 CEO & Content Marketing Specialist at Penbridge Communications

I bet you're tired of never having enough time.

I hear ya.

It gets away from you. ⏳ You lose track of it. ⏳ You’re always running out of it.

And because your time is at a premium, you have to decide what’s going to get your attention and what will have to wait.

You and I both know, it’s your content marketing that usually gets sacrificed.

Because it takes time to write content that will drive organic traffic to your company's website. Someone has to write email sequences, get blog posts up, and put something out on social media.

And if you’ve finally admitted you and your team just can’t swing it, it takes time to find someone who can.

It’s me. I’m someone.

You can’t market a business – any business – without putting out content like:

     ✅ blogs

     ✅ emails

     ✅ ebooks

     ✅ web copy

     ✅ white papers

     ✅ case studies…

…and on and on.

Content helps you build your brand.

It answers questions your customers have.

It shows why you’re a leader in your industry.

And great content will keep bringing people to your website for years.

But you already know all that. What you don’t know is how you’re ever going to find the time to give it the effort it deserves.

The effort it NEEDS.

Here’s the secret: You don’t have to.

👉🏻 If you’re already maxed out for time
👉🏻 If your team doesn’t have the skills to do it
👉🏻 If someone used to do it but they left and now no one does it

Let’s talk about how you and I can fix that.

Dianne Duckett

🚀 Who is Trent Cotton? Buckle up, because here are the Top 10 things you should know about me!

1. Not your Normal HR Executive: 20 years in HR. I'm on a transformational journey from an HR professional into a Talent, Learning and Development maestro, and High Performance Coach, attempting to reshape the future of HR.

2. Author and Thought Leader: I've penned not ☝️, but two✌️ essential reads in the HR world—Sprint Recruiting and High Performance Recruiting. I hope those who read the books describe them as blueprints to revolutionizing HR strategies.

3. Champion of HR Analytics: I’m a loud and proud nerd!🤓 I trust numbers more than people. In my current role, I am in the data every day. Harnessing the power of HR analytics, I like to transform data into strategic goldmines, driving unprecedented organizational growth. (I talk a lot about analytics on my blog and on the speaking circuit.)

4. AI in HR Evangelist: From algorithms to automation, I believe in leveraging AI to enhance human capabilities, not replace them. My discussions cut through the hype, delivering practical insights into AI’s transformative role in HR.

5. Builder of High-Performance Cultures: Creating environments where talent thrives and businesses boom is my kind of game.

6. HR Tech Early Adopter: Tech isn’t just for the IT people. I enjoy spearheading cutting-edge HR technology implementations that streamline processes and enhance employee interactions.

7. Master Strategist: Whether it’s talent acquisition or workforce planning, my strategies are designed to change the game. I strive to craft innovative approaches that attract, develop, and retain top talent.

8. Community Leader: I’m deeply rooted in giving back, serving on boards and committees that champion education, workforce development, and diversity. It’s about lifting while climbing.

9. Engagement Guru: Engagement is at the core of everything I do. My leadership style ensures every team member is heard, valued, and motivated. I also enjoy training other leaders to do the same. 

10. Innovative Networker: Follow my journey on my blog at www.sprintrecruiting.com. I share my world where creativity meets execution, and every interaction is an opportunity to learn, grow, and connect.

🌟 If you are a fellow maverick and rebel, let’s make magic happen. Connect with me, and let’s drive the future of HR together. 
🌟 If you are looking for a speaker on any of the topics above, DM me. 
🌟 Follow my other channels by checking them out here: https://linktr.ee/humancapitalist

Trent Cotton

I tracked what actually made me happy last year. Spoiler: it wasn't the thing I've been optimizing for.


Here's what I learned: you can't fix a problem you won't name.

I spent over a decade in leadership roles that were challenging, exciting, demanding, and quietly devastating to my ability to rest. I clearly missed the warning signs. 

Then last year I actually looked at the data. Not productivity metrics or output. Real data: when was I actually present? When did I feel alive? When was I just running on fumes and calling it purpose?

The answer was uncomfortable. I'd optimized myself so hard for movement that stillness felt like failure.

So I'm not doing resolutions. I'm doing intentional yearly goals which means I actually looked at what's broken before I decided what to fix.

Goal 1: Be intentional about connection.
I realized I was showing up at conferences, meeting people, then disappearing. I want to shift to actually reaching out to people in my network consistently. Being vulnerable when I need to, not just performing the Chief Data Nerd version of myself. Same applies to my content. More authentic depth, less constant content production.

Goal 2: Learn the skill I'm avoiding.
I started creating on YouTube because I love sharing what I learn about AI and workforce trends. But I had hit a wall: my video editing is mediocre and I knew it. So I'm going all in. Not to pro level, but to a place where I'm not embarrassed by the craft. You can't teach people if you're self-conscious about the medium.

Goal 3: Get comfortable with being still.
This is the one that made me realize how broken I'd become. Over a decade of leadership roles optimized me for constant motion. Crisis mode became my baseline. Now, when there's nothing urgent, I panic. I'd rather create problems than sit with silence. I want to rewire that. Learn that stillness isn't laziness. 

Goal 4: Mentor people who meet three criteria.
First: they make the time. Second: they do the work. Third: they're vulnerable enough to be coachable. I'm investing deeply in a small group this year but if they meet the criteria, I'm going all in.

Goal 5: Focus my expertise.
I care about two things: AI adoption data and how AI is reshaping the workforce. My job allows me to dig deep into both. So I'm going all in on becoming genuinely immersed in these topics and sharing patterns I find. I refuse to chase trends. I'm going to be focus on building actual expertise.

Goal 6: Finish one book.
Two books are cooking. One is documentary-style and data-driven about the future of People Operations in the AI era. The other is personal and motivational — leadership lessons from my grandmother's wisdom. One of them happens this year.

Here's what changed my thinking: resolutions are about forcing yourself to be different. Goals are about choosing to be honest first, then different.

I'm excited to share my journey throughout the year.

hatchfutures

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #recruiting, #sprintrecruiting, #talentacquisiton, #recruitingstrategy, and #highperformancerecruiting

Head of Talent Acquisition Insights & Analyst Relations @iCIMS | The Human Capitalist | FastCo Executive Board Member | Turning Recruiting and Workforce Data into Success Strategies | LinkedIn Top Voice

Someone asked me a question last week that I couldn't answer right away.
"How did you get so comfortable on stage?"

I presented at our company kickoff. Got to talk about recruiting, the industry, the stuff I care about. Always fun to do that. Even better when it's for your own company.

But that question stuck with me.

I didn't have an answer until I remembered middle school.

I got bullied. A lot. For being different. For thinking different. For dressing different.

One day I read in National Geographic that the two biggest human fears are heights and public speaking.

So I started doing public readings at church. Then school speeches.

Here's what I figured out: on stage, I was in control. The bullies who seemed so big on the playground got very small when I was up there. I could narrate the story. I could just be me.

Years later, I've learned to be vulnerable on stage. I think about what actionable steps I want the audience to walk away with. I use data. I tell stories. I make people laugh.

And I've accepted that I'm not for everyone. I'm more like gas on a fire.

But it took someone asking me that question for me to realize: my passion for the stage started because I was trying to beat the bullies.

Weird how the things that hurt us early on end up shaping what we're good at later.

I spent years proving I could solve anything thrown at me. And it nearly destroyed my team and me.


Because every time I jumped in to fix something, I sent a message: "You can't handle this without me."

Then I started asking one clarifying question before responding to anything: "Are you looking for Support, Strategy, or a Solution?"

It sounds simple. But it completely rewired how I lead.
➡️ Support = they need to be heard. Not fixed. Just heard. My role is listener. "That sounds tough. I get why you're frustrated."
➡️ Strategy = they need a roadmap. Not the work done for them. My role is consultant. "Let's think through your options here."
➡️ Solution = they're blocked and need me to step in. My role is fixer. "I'll take care of this for you."

Before this, I defaulted to solving. Every single time. I thought that's what made me valuable and needed. But I wasn't developing anyone. I was creating dependency and unfortunately, I began quietly resenting them for always relying on me.

I like this question because it forces me to slow down and meet people where they actually are, not where I want them to be.

I have learned it's the difference between being needed and being effective.

So the next time someone comes to you in need, try asking this question and reframe your approach based on their answer. It's a great way to check yourself and to show the other person you really are listening.

On a recent iCIMS Fireside Chat, Tim Sackett, SCP  🟦 just called AI screening "the most inclusive technology in recruiting."

Bold claim — until you think about it.

Right now, maybe 10% of applicants get a real look. The rest disappear into resume parsers and keyword filters.

AI screening flips that. Every candidate gets evaluated. Every one.

And it's about to go mainstream. 12–18 months, according to Tim.

Could this be infrastructure layer that stops recruiters from spending 80% of their time on volume work and lets them actually build relationships with hiring managers?

Tim believes we're going to see companies A/B test this in 2025 — one facility traditional, one facility AI-only — and compare outcomes.

The result? A consistent average experience beats an inconsistent terrible one.

If recruiting leaders aren't stress-testing this now, they're going to be reacting to it in 12 months when their competitors already have the data.

If you have 20 minutes to listen to Tim's other 2 predictions for 2026, check out the full episode here:  https://bit.ly/4sPpz8G

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said something in 1967 that I wish more executives understood:
"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."

I keep this quote with others on my desk because groupthink scares me more than almost anything else in leadership.

Not the obvious kind where everyone's clearly wrong. The subtle kind where smart people convince each other they're right because no one's willing to say "wait, are we sure about this?"

I've been in those rooms. So have you.

The meeting where your plan gets approved in 12 minutes because everyone's too polite to poke holes in it. The strategy session where the most senior person speaks first and everyone else just builds on that idea. The decision that feels good until three months later when you realize you all missed the same obvious problem.

Real consensus isn't built by finding people who already agree with you.

It's built by bringing together people who see things differently and doing the hard work of integrating those perspectives into something stronger than what any one person brought to the table.

That means creating space for tension. For disagreement. For the voices that make you reconsider your assumptions.

It took many years for me to become comfortable in my own skin to be that lone voice, as uncomfortable as it always is. But none of the discomfort I have felt compares to the charge on Dr. Martin Luther King's life and his resulting legacy. 

Dr. King's lesson applies everywhere. Inside organizations and outside them.

We're better when we're challenged. When we have to defend our thinking. When we're forced to consider perspectives that don't come naturally to us.

This is a core civil rights principle. 
It's a leadership principle. 
A decision-making principle. 
A "how do we actually get this right" principle.

And unfortunately, it's a principle I see slowly slipping in boardrooms, team meetings, and in society. 

The lessons #MLK taught us aren't stuck in history books. They're sitting in every conference room where someone's about to make a call without hearing from the people who might disagree.

My sincere hope is today? While many organizations CLOSE offices to observe his memory, we take the time to reflect on his words and find ways we can OPEN our minds to what could be ...rather than what's comfortable enough to be.

Do you know where 90% of your good hires come from? Not LinkedIn, Not Indeed, where? 

Matt Charney joined the Human Capitalist podcast and had something to say about the most overlooked source of the best hires for most organizations. 

And he isn't wrong. 

Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eiH46xax or on the Purple Acorn Network or search Human Capitalist Podcast on Youtube! 

#recruiting #recruitment

One thing I have learned doing a podcast for the last 15 months: some episodes just hit you differently. This episode with Adam Posner did just that. 

You know him as the host of #thePOZcast, a founder, a recruiter, co-host of the Purple Acorn HR Morning show, but this episode, we pull back the curtain and go deeper. 

For me, our conversation on The Human Capitalist was a different kind of reset. It took the headlines we all know—flat hiring outlooks, AI failures, burnout—and put a human operating system underneath them.

Adam’s story really about three things leaders do not like to confront:
-how unforgiving this job market really is
-how badly most organizations are using AI
-how little time any of us spend doing the inventory on what actually matters

Here is what I took away.

Identifying the signs of a faltering career story is pretty straightforward. You wake up exhausted but keep saying yes. You scroll job posts you are n

Open article: Why the Best Career Advice Has Nothing to Do With Your Career by Trent Cotton • 6 min read

Why the Best Career Advice Has Nothing to Do With Your Career

Recruiting is in the middle of a reset. For two decades, the story has been more tools, more applicants, more noise. 

Underneath that, something more fundamental is happening: talent acquisition has drifted from a relationship-driven craft to a transactional machine. Now, we are witnessing AI begin to reshape how work gets done.

The question now is not whether AI will transform recruiting, but whether recruiters and HR leaders will use it to get back to what made this function valuable in the first place. 

Judgment. Relationships. Strategic insight.

This is exactly the topic I brought on industry veteran, Denise Chaffin, on to the Human Capitalist Podcast to unpack.

If you want to get to the real data, stories and strategies, I'll give you two options: 
👀 Read the news article for the recap or...
📺 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e-2QGDhd

I know I learned a lot about what's wrong and what's missing in recruiting. I hope you will too!

Recruiting is in the middle of a reset. For two decades, the story has been more tools, more applicants, more noise. Underneath that, something more f

Open article: AI, Skills, and Skilled Trades: Rethinking Talent Acquisition for What’s Next by Trent Cotton • 4 min read

AI, Skills, and Skilled Trades: Rethinking Talent Acquisition for What’s Next

If you are planning to use or purchase an AI tool in recruiting, your legal team isn't the problem. You just haven't given them a reason to say yes.


I spent over twenty years in leadership roles watching TA teams get mad at legal for saying no to things.

The frustrating part? Legal was right 70% of the time. Not because the idea was bad. But because the TA team showed up unprepared.

Our very own Courtney Dutter, General Counsel at iCIMS, broke down exactly what this looks like in a recent iCIMS Fireside Chat.

Legal teams manage risk. It's their job. And when you come to them with "We want to use AI in hiring" without any supporting evidence or vendor diligence, they see risk with no upside narrative.

So they say no. But here's what actually happened.

TA asked legal to take on risk without giving them a reason to. That's not legal's fault. That's TA's fault.

The TA leaders who actually move AI initiatives forward do something different.
They come to legal with three things.
-One: Here's what we want to do and why. (Business case.)
-Two: Here's what the ROI looks like if this works. (Time to hire down 30%, top-of-funnel expanded by 40%, whatever it is.)
-Three: Here's the vendor, here's their responsible AI practice, here's how they protect data. (Homework done.)

Legal doesn't become an obstacle then. They become a partner because you've given them something to work with. You've shown them you've thought about risk on the front end, not just hoped it would work out.

Courtney gave some great advice to her fellow legal teams in the industry: 
"Get in the boat. Understand what they want to do. Figure out how to make it happen."

That's what good in-house counsel does.

But they can only do that if TA leadership meets them halfway. If your legal team is blocking AI, it's probably because you haven't done the work to make them comfortable and informed. 

Legal teams want to say yes. They're just waiting for TA to give them a defensible reason to.

Check out our Fireside Chat episode here: https://lnkd.in/eM6bUCmQ

Not five minutes into our podcast, Matt Charney  was dropping one liners. But he isn't wrong. 

We talk about OpenAI's job platform and ask, what will it really mean for candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers? Will it be a "thing"? 

Maybe it'll be like Google and LinkedIn's attempt in the skills arena. Who knows, only time will tell. 

Catch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eiH46xax

And don't miss our Buzzworth or B# segment where we go through what's hype and what's hot.

Is AI really to blame for all of the layoffs attributed to it in 2025? Thanks to a new bipartisan proposal, we may soon find out. 

I spent some time reading the bill and I have some thoughts on it.

Short story: considering my day job is workforce and hiring data... this bill is a great start. 

In this week's newsletter I give you the breakdown in video and written options. Maybe 2026 will be the year of AI layoff clarity or it could just be more of the same. Time will tell.

Is AI really to blame for all of the layoffs attributed to it in 2025? Thanks to a new bipartisan proposal, the AI‑Related Jobs Impact Clarity Act, we

Open article: Layoffs by Press Release, Not by Data: The AI Excuse Meets Its Match by Trent Cotton • 6 min read

Layoffs by Press Release, Not by Data: The AI Excuse Meets Its Match

One of the things I do not miss from my days as an HR practitioner is workforce planning. 

I always felt like it was a busywork exercise because almost 60% of the time, the plan went out the door at the end of Q1. So I spent 90 days towards the end of every year having conversations and cascade planning sessions for what? A Beautiful New Plan? 

No, it was most often a waste of time. 

This week's digest is going to look at how workforce planning is changing in the era of AI.

I am sure I am the only one in HR who found the workforce planning process a waste so I am sure this edition will fall on deaf ears. But here it goes anyway!

One of the things I do not miss from my days as an HR practitioner is workforce planning. I always felt like it was a busywork exercise because almost

Open article: Week of January 23rd by Trent Cotton • 3 min read

2025 was a bumpy year and iCIMS has the data to prove it! 


Our January Workforce Report is live today and packed with a 2025 year in review along with some predictions from names you might know like Madeline Laurano, Ben Eubanks, Kyle Lagunas and JESS VON BANK. 

Want a preview? How about this: 47% of workers think AI will kill their job. But here's what the data actually shows.

Worker sentiment on AI is split.
-47% see it as a threat to job security.
-56% say they have skills AI can't replicate.
-48% think AI is a tool, not a replacement.

That gap is real. And it matters because the narrative you're running internally determines whether your best people stay or leave.

Companies that are transparent about AI in hiring — how it's used, what it's not used for — are seeing better retention and faster internal mobility.

Companies that are vague? Employees get nervous. And nervous employees start looking.

We broke down all the worker sentiment data and what it means for your recruiting ops in 2026. Here are a couple of ways to get the headlines: 
1. Watch my video recap below and leave your questions or insights in the comments. 
2. Download your FREEEEEEEE report by visiting our newsroom: https://lnkd.in/eBEdps8a

I'll see you in the comments!

For years, modern work has run on a quiet agreement: as long as everyone looks busy, we’ll call it productivity.


The problem? No one seems to challenge to whether any of it moves the business forward.

AI is now breaking that agreement. When a machine can generate in seconds what used to take a team days, it doesn’t just make work faster. It makes some kinds of work look embarrassingly like BS.

I have been itching to get into this topic and finally took the time to get into it. I'm giving you two options, depending on how you like to get this type of information: 
1. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eDA5JSGZ
2. Read the debrief in this week's Human Capitalist Newsletter

For years, modern work has run on a quiet agreement: as long as everyone looks busy, we’ll call it productivity. Calendars stay full, decks get longer

Open article: AI Productivity: How HR Can Kill Fake Work by Trent Cotton • 4 min read

AI Productivity: How HR Can Kill Fake Work

Since skill based hiring is such a hot topic, I decided to do a 2026 prediction piece for Fast Company Executive Board.


If I had to nominate the "power couple" of skills that we will see become increasingly important in the workforce, these would be my two. 

Want to know what they are? Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/eC5TrAvw. 

A big thank you to iCIMS for allowing me to explore such relevant topics.

In 2026, are we looking at more job hugging or are people about ready to jump ship? 

Our iCIMS January Workforce Report tackles this question. 

Recent trends in the labor market suggest we may see another shift in how and when workers make career moves. ​

We could see an evolution from ‘job hugging’ to ‘job chaining’ as employees remove themselves from the job market due to instability and uncertainty. While this may help retention, it could also be short-term. If the job market changes positively, employee confidence could prompt them to reenter the market to seek better opportunities.

From our data, over two-thirds of those surveyed feel less optimistic about the 2026 job market improving. 

Be sure to download the full report with all of our insights here: https://bit.ly/45Q3iO2

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If you only read headlines, you would think the 2026 job market is a no‑win game.


Nearly 80% of people say they feel unprepared to find a job next year, while two‑thirds of recruiters say it is harder to find quality talent—even as applications per role have doubled since 2022. 

In my own day job, surveying 1,000 hiring managers, 62% told us that “candidate quality” is still their biggest obstacle.

So which is it? Too many candidates or not enough good ones? A broken workforce or a broken process?

In a recent Human Capitalist episode, psychotherapist and Gen Z expert Tess Brigham, MFT, BCC helped me connect those dots. What started as a conversation about LinkedIn data and AI layoffs turned into a much sharper diagnosis of what is really going on:
-job seekers are rattled by AI narratives
-employers are still hiding bad decisions behind AI
-Gen Z is about to force a different kind of accountability at work

Here is what Tess and I unpacked and what it means if you employ, lead, or are Gen Z.
📺 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e2p-ttsG
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms through Purple Acorn : https://lnkd.in/ehVBRB9D
🗞️ Read the recap in this week's Human Capitalist Episode Recap

If you only read headlines, you would think the 2026 job market is a no‑win game. Nearly 80% of people say they feel unprepared to find a job next yea

Open article: Gen Z, AI Layoffs, and the Truth About the 2026 Job Market by Trent Cotton • 8 min read

Gen Z, AI Layoffs, and the Truth About the 2026 Job Market

Highly configurable. Market-leading AI innovation. Built to scale. Yep, that sounds like us! 
 
That’s why iCIMS has been named a Leader for the 6th consecutive year the latest Nucleus Research Standalone Talent Acquisition Value Matrix 🎉
 
Nucleus Research recognizes iCIMS for its usability and functionality for delivering proven ROI beyond innovation. 
 
We’re proud to lead the way for six years running, continuing to invest in advanced functionality that meets our customers' growing needs and helping organizations scale with confidence.
 
Thank you for the recognition, Nucleus Research, and especially to Evelyn McMullen!

 🏆 Download the full report: https://okt.to/aitr95

To tout your tenure or not to tout... that is the question. 

Long tenure is a real asset for stability and continuity, but in my experience, when you need genuine transformation, an unbroken, long‑serving middle layer usually becomes the bottleneck rather than the engine of change. 

The good news is you do not have to clear the bench to fix it. You just have to deliberately rewire how the middle layer thinks, learns, and is incented to operate.

I am sure this will spark a debate so I'm getting myself ready for it but it is a conversation that needs to be had. So read up, and let's get this conversation going.

Long tenure is a real asset for stability and continuity, but in my experience, when you need genuine transformation, an unbroken, long‑serving middle

Open article: When Tenure Becomes a Trap in Transformation by Trent Cotton • 4 min read

When Tenure Becomes a Trap in Transformation

The data is interesting. If I had to give trade jobs a theme song, I think it would be Justin Timberlake's "I'm bringing sexy back!" 

Denise and I talk about some recent news articles that point to a new trend: white collars are out, trade jobs are in. 

You can catch the full breakdown and analysis on the latest Human Capitalist Podcast: https://lnkd.in/e-2QGDhd

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Dianne Duckett

Trent Cotton

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The Battle

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Trent Cotton's LinkedIn Performance

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