Nonstop Talent Ltd

Recruitment isn’t just about filling jobs. It’s about understanding people - what drives them, what excites them, and what matches their goals.

I love to help. But what I love even more is changing how people see recruitment. For businesses, it’s not a cost. It’s an investment in their future. For candidates, it’s about uncovering opportunities they didn’t know existed.

What makes my approach different?
	•	I focus on people: The best hires aren’t just skilled. They’re a great fit for the team and culture.
	•	I rethink problems: Can’t find the right person? Let’s look somewhere new. Need to hire faster? Let’s change how you approach it.
	•	I create wins for everyone: The right hire isn’t just about filling a gap. It’s about helping businesses and people grow together.


I launched my recruitment business before the global pandemic. One of the toughest times for many industries. Thriving through that experience taught me how to adapt, solve big problems, and support clients and candidates when it mattered most.

What I’ve helped others achieve:
	•	Found top talent for $100k+ roles that seemed impossible to fill.
	•	Simplified hiring processes, saving businesses time and money.
	•	Helped people land jobs that weren’t just roles. They were life-changing.

Let’s make hiring better.
If you think recruitment is broken, let’s fix it together. Whether you’re building a team or looking for your next role, I’ll help you find the right fit.

Founder

Native Recruit

The best part of being a recruiter is changing people's lives, getting them the opportunity that they wouldn't find it on their own. We are creating real experience for the real people. It feels fantastic when we call candidates to tell them they've got a job. Cause we realise that what we do does matter.
​
​At Native Recruit, everyone supports each other, we offer a one-of-a-kind competitive yet collaborative work environment where you'll work harder and have more fun than you've had at any other job. We are each others' inspiration and we bring the best version of each other.

General Manager

920 Recruitment Specialists

Auckland IT & Digital, recruiting of permanent employees and contractors across infrastructure, product management and development, telecommunications, programme and project management, security, web development and production, business and systems analysts, architects and IT sales.

Senior Consultant

RWA Technology People

Business Development Manager/Senior Recruitment Specialist

Beyond Recruitment

I specialise in both permanent and contract recruitment across IT throughout the North Island of New Zealand. Working with exceptional customers within the IT sector, my primary focus is to partner with candidates and clients, using the depth and breadth of my expertise and market knowledge to ensure we make the unique match that makes individuals, companies and industries flourish.

Client Manager - IT & Transformation

Hays

I specialised in contract recruitment across IT Infrastructure Service throughout the North Island of New Zealand.

Recruitment Consultant

Enterprise Recruitment New Zealand

I specialised in providing temporary staff solutions in Manufacture/logistic and Transportation Service in Auckland region.

MedCall

I specialised in providing temporary staff solutions in Medical and Healthcare sectors within Waikato region.

Most tech recruiters send resumes.
We send results.

At Nonstop Talent, we headhunt BAs, Engineers, PMs & Cyber Pros who don’t just tick boxes.
They ship fast, solve problems, and scale teams from day one.

No job ads.
No CV spam.
No “maybe” candidates.
Just high-impact hires that drive ROI from day one.

I helped teams at fast-growing NZ companies:

→ Hire engineers who deploy production-ready code in Week 1
→ Place BAs promoted to lead within 90 days
→ Reduce project delays by 40% without adding more headcount

Our approach is simple:
We don’t ask “what does the candidate need?”
We ask, “What ROI does this hire need to drive?”
Then we headhunt for that outcome.

So if your team is:

→ Wasting time screening average CVs
→ Slowing delivery with misaligned hires
→ Missing deadlines due to poor technical fit

Let’s fix it.

Take the free Hiring ROI Scorecard
Find out what your current hiring process is really costing you.
And how to hire for impact, not interviews.

Scorecard Link: https://scorecard.nonstoptalent.co.nz

✅ Built for NZ tech teams.
✅ Exclusive roles only.
✅ Outcomes over resumes, every time.

24 years ago, I arrived in NZ with two suitcases.


No backup plan. 
No family waiting. 
No map.


I often think about that first step.


Because the hardest part wasn’t the flight, the language, or even the degree I was pushed into.


It was walking forward when everything felt uncertain.


That’s what courage really is.
Not “being fearless.”

But moving forward with fear in your pocket.


Over the years, I’ve learned this lesson again and again:

	•	When I changed industries and took a pay cut.

	•	When I started my own recruitment business weeks before a global pandemic.

	•	Every time I’ve said “no” to the safe choice, and “yes” to the right one.


And here’s the truth:

If you’re waiting for certainty before you act, you’ll wait forever.

But if you act with courage, you’ll adapt, you’ll learn, and people will trust you more.


Maybe that's why candidates trust me: because I was one of them.


Careers aren’t built on perfect plans. 

They’re built on courage, adaptability, and the trust that grows when you keep moving forward.


What’s one time you chose courage over certainty?

⸻

Repost ♻️ to remind someone: courage comes first.

Follow 🔔 for real stories on careers, hiring, and ROI.

Jessica Xin Dong

Helping businesses grow revenue by hiring top-tier tech talent | 3-week headhunting speed | Placements with 90-day follow-up | DM “HIRE” to get started

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Most recruiters celebrate on signing day.
I celebrate on day 30.
Because that's when ROI is won or lost.

Here is why that difference matters to your bottom line.

Not through surveys.
Not through tick-box exercises.
Through real conversations that matter.

The market truth no one talks about:
Most placement issues show up between day 14-45.
That's exactly when other recruiters disappear.
That's exactly when I show up.

And yes, I bring donuts. 🍩
Because small gestures unlock honest conversations:
→ Managers share what's really working (or not)
→ Teams reveal the cultural fit reality
→ New hires open up about roadblocks

Sometimes the chat turns into future training plans.
Sometimes it drifts into how their kids love NZ because there's so little homework 😅
That's the point: people feel safe enough to be real.


It's not about donuts.
It's about catching the small cracks before they become expensive exits.


My onboarding process checks for:
1️⃣ Clarity - Does the hire know exactly what success looks like?
2️⃣ Connection - Does the team feel stronger with them in the mix?
3️⃣ Contribution - Are we already seeing signs of ROI?


Real example:
A data engineer I placed wasn't sure what was expected in their first 30 days.
Because we caught it early in the check-in, we realigned expectations with their manager.
By day 60, they were delivering the reporting pipeline that's now driving faster decision-making across the business.


Looking to make a critical tech hire before year-end?
DM me "Q4 hire" - I have a few slots left for companies who want placement certainty, not just promises. 
Full-time or contract, I've got both covered.

And if hiring isn’t on your desk today, hit Follow Jessica Xin Dong, 🔔 for more ROI hiring insights.

ROI is won or lost in the first 90 days.

Hiring is like fishing.

Nets and spears both have their place.


In-house teams are brilliant with nets.

They cast wide.
They bring in volume.
They keep the funnel moving.


And I know this first-hand.

I’ve worked alongside talent managers who are some of the sharpest people I’ve met.

We’ve shared laughs and tough moments.

I’ve seen their workloads, absolutely insane.

They juggle so much, and they do it well.


That’s why companies don’t pay me to copy and paste their job description on Seek;

they could have done that themselves.


They bring me in when a role is critical.

When they can’t afford the wrong catch.

That’s when the spear matters.


Headhunting is precise.
One target.
One strike.
One ROI hire who pays for themselves 10× faster than a pile of CVs.


It’s not about competing with in-house.

We’re not even fishing in the same channel.

They don’t pay me to do what they can already do.

They pay me to land the ones they can’t reach.


What do you rely on more today - the net, the spear, or both?


♻️ Repost if you agree: Hiring isn’t about nets vs spears. It’s about knowing when to use each.

👤 Follow Jessica Xin Dong for practical ways to make every hire count. 

🔔 Press the bell to stay ahead.

"Your role will be automated in 6 months."


This wasn't a question. It was a message from a senior engineer that made me pause.

Then a tech lead followed up: "I'm watching juniors use AI to write code I would have spent hours reviewing. How long until it replaces us all?"

But the real threat isn’t AI replacing engineers.
It’s engineers not reframing their value.

These aren't entry-level worries. 
These are real concerns from people building critical systems and leading high-performing teams.


And they're asking the wrong question.

Here's what a decade of placing tech talent has taught me:

Juniors are using AI to learn faster
Mid-levels are using it to code smarter
But real tech leaders? They solve problems AI can't even define


Here's the framework I share with engineers and tech leads:


1. Find the Gap
   AI can write clean code and spot bugs.
   But it can't understand why your team's velocity dropped after a reorg.
   It can't sense when your best engineer is about to quit.
   It can't navigate the politics of a critical architecture decision.

2. Double Down on Human
   Remember: Tools write code.
   Humans solve problems.

   You had to choose between technical debt and team burnout.
   No AI could have made that call.

3. Reframe Your Value
   Stop measuring output in lines of code.
   Start measuring impact on business outcomes.

   The question isn't "Can AI code better than me?"
   It's "What breaks without human context and experience?"


I've watched engineers at every level adapt to new tools.
The ones who thrive don't compete with AI.
They use it to tackle bigger problems.

Your turn: What's one technical decision you made where pure logic would have led you wrong?

Share below, real stories only 😉

Follow me for tech hiring insights and career strategies that deliver real ROI. 
I share what works in the real world, not theory. 🔔

The most profitable people in your company don’t make a cent.

We praise sales.
But the real profit often comes from the roles you ignore.

Think about it:
One missed scope change? Months of wasted salary.
One outage? $50K per minute gone.
One breach? $4.45M erased.

BAs, IT Support, PMs, Cyber Analysts, Data Engineers:
they don’t “make” money.
They stop you from losing it.

If you’ve invested in these people, you’re not “overstaffed.” You’re protected.
 
Smart leaders know profit protection is profit creation.

If cost-savers are profit-makers in disguise, why do we still treat them as expendable?

🔁 Repost this if you agree these “hidden heroes” deserve more recognition.
🔔  Follow Jessica Xin Dong for more ROI-first hiring insights.

74% of employers admit to hiring the wrong person, at least once.

And I’ve seen exactly how it starts:

The new hire’s first day.
The forced smile.
The sinking feeling that something’s… off.

Most bad hires don’t fail in the job.
They fail before they even start.

I call these the 3 silent killers of new hires:


1️⃣ Zero pre-boarding
 The moment they sign is day 1, not their first desk day.
 Without a simple 30-60-90 roadmap, they’re lost before they begin.


2️⃣ Expectation gap
 What’s promised in interviews ≠ Monday morning reality.
 Trust dies in that gap.


3️⃣ Culture collision
 You hired for skills.
 You forgot to test how they work with your team.

One wrong hire doesn’t just cost money.
 
It stalls projects, drains energy, and chips away at leadership credibility.


✅ Action Step
 
Before you sign, write down one clear outcome for the role and map a 30-60-90 plan.
 
Do this, and you’ll spot the gaps before they turn into $200K mistakes.


Universal Lesson
The best time to prevent a bad hire isn’t the first day.
It’s the moment you decide what “success” really looks like.

What’s the most expensive hiring mistake you’ve seen?

------------

♻️ Repost this to help other leaders avoid costly hiring mistakes

🔔 Follow Jessica Xin Dong on hiring right the first time

The best time to prevent a bad hire isn’t the first day.

Before I built a recruitment company…
I was the person who changed careers every few years.
Healthcare → Industrial → Tech.


(And yes, those industrial years gave me some very creative vocabulary 😅)



Everyone warns you about skills gaps.
Nobody warns you about the language gap.


Healthcare drowns you in acronyms.
Industrial speaks in shop floor slang.
Tech? It literally speaks in code.


And here’s the truth:
If you don’t speak the language, you don’t belong.


3 Career-Changing Lessons
1️⃣ Learn the words fast → Trust starts with translation.
2️⃣ Carry your core skills → Empathy, grit, problem-solving work everywhere.
3️⃣ Leap before you’re ready → Waiting for perfect kills momentum.



January 2020: I launched my company.
March 2020: The world shut down.


My first thought? ‘Well… that was genius timing.’
But here’s the twist:
Bad timing can be perfect timing.


Because nothing builds resilience like starting in chaos.


‘Ready’ is a myth.
‘Perfect timing’ is a lie.
Growth only lives in the gap between both.


↓ What leap are you holding back on right now?


🔁 Repost if someone in your network needs this reminder.
➕ Follow Jessica Xin Dong for more lessons on growth, hiring, and ROI.

"Your content is too polished to be real."

That comment stopped me.
Not because it hurt.
Because it reminded me of the $140K mistake I helped a client avoid last month.

See, polish isn't the real issue.
It's proof.

Behind every "perfect" post about a successful hire:
→ Tough client conversations at 7PM
→ Rejecting easy fees for right-fit candidates
→ Years of seeing what "good" really costs

Last month?
A client almost hired the "perfect" candidate.
Great CV. All the keywords. Quick to start.

But something felt off.
→ Called 2 back-channel references
→ Found the red flags others missed

That's not polish.
That's protection.

Because one wrong hire costs more than any recruitment fee.
And that's the value you don't see in the polished posts.

What's one business mistake you helped someone avoid?

-----------------------------
I headhunt ROI hires for NZ businesses, engineers, BAs, PMs, AI & cyber pros.
If you run a $5M+ company and want hires who deliver outcomes, not just CVs → follow me.

“AI will make your job easier,” they said in 2022.
In 2025, 91% of workers say tech is making work harder.

Here’s what I’m hearing in real conversations:

• Senior dev on $160k: “I waste 3 hours daily fighting broken tools.”
• Data lead: “My team’s skills expire every 8 months.”
• Security architect: “AI looks powerful, but I don’t trust it in production.”
• Tech manager: “My remote team outperforms office days by 47%.”

The data tells the same story:

• 39% of core skills will be obsolete by 2030
• 91% face daily friction with workplace tech
• 45% don’t trust AI with critical decisions
• Remote workers show 51% higher productivity

These aren’t just stats.
They’re warning signs.

And they cluster into 4 critical gaps costing companies talent.


1. The Skills Acceleration Gap

63% of leaders can’t find the talent they need.
The skills market moves 3x faster than training.

Solution

• Map skills quarterly, not yearly
• Build learning into daily work
• Reward sharing, not hoarding

2. The Tech Friction Gap

When tools fail, productivity dies.
Worse: trust erodes.

Solution

• Test tools with actual users
• Budget 20% for training
• Measure friction, not features

3. The AI Trust Gap

Leaders push adoption.
Teams push back: “Will it help or replace us?”

Solution

• Start with low-risk tasks
• Share AI wins and failures
• Build trust before scale

4. The Freedom Gap

82% deliver better results remotely.
Yet leaders still count chairs.

Solution

• Make output the metric
• Trust by default
• Link flexibility to retention


The reality
People don’t fear change.
They fear being ignored.


Which gap is hurting your team most: skills, tech, AI, or freedom?

PS: Follow Jessica Xin Dong for more data-driven insights from tech frontlines.

♻️ Share if your team needs to see this.

"This workout burns 203 fewer calories...”

That's what my fitness tracker showed comparing:
Gym: 500 calories
Waterfront walk: 297 calories

But numbers miss the real story.


Here's what the tracker can't measure:
• Salt-kissed air along Auckland's waterfront
• Mental clarity that only comes with open spaces
• Zero pressure to hit "target zones"
• Nature's own HIIT program (those harbour winds! 10 knots😅)
• Started crisp, finished warm - nature's perfect warm-up

Less calories?
Yes.
Better mental reset for the week ahead?
Absolutely.

Sometimes the "less effective" workout is exactly what your body and mind need.

What's your favourite alternative to the gym? 

𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨'𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 - 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘺𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 📸

One wrong hire doesn’t just cost money.
It can collapse a project and your credibility.

I know you’ve felt it.
The late-night stress.
The endless meetings.
And the fear that one hire could unravel everything.

I’ve felt it too.
When her manager resigned nine weeks after I placed her, I thought: this is where it all falls apart.

She could’ve been lost.
Instead, she stepped up.
She led the project.
She delivered.

Two years later, she’s still there.
That’s the difference the right hire makes.
Not just for the business.
For you.

Here’s the truth:
One bad hire = $200K in lost revenue,
six months of delays,
and a leader blamed at the board table.

Compare that to a fee of $20K.
Which would you rather pay?

That’s why I built the Outcome-First Hiring System™.
It doesn’t eliminate risk.
But it lowers it.

We always start with one question:
“What does success look like for you in 90 days?”

That one question is why most of my hires stay 2+ years.
Clarity before the hire creates retention after the hire.

And it’s not just great for businesses.
It’s great for top talent too.

Because nobody wants to land in the wrong role.

The right match means they grow faster, stay longer, and actually enjoy the work they came to do.

👉 What’s the hire you’ll never forget and why?

----------------------------

I’m Jess. I run Nonstop Talent, I headhunt hires who actually deliver.

Don’t confuse silence with strategy.
It’s not strategy.
It’s sabotage.

A client told me this last month.
Their voice was shaking.

"It's been 3 weeks. We've heard nothing.
One CV finally came through and it wasn't even close."

That's not recruitment.
That's roulette.

And the cosst?

Time wasted: 3 months
Trust damaged: Permanent

The process always starts with energy.
Deadlines. Urgency. Hope.

Then silence.
No updates. No context. Just waiting.

Here's the real strategy that works:

→ Day 1: Deep-dive intake that maps success signals, not just skills
→ Day 4: Market mapping report with real candidate insights
→ Weekly: Updates that mean something. Numbers. Challenges. Next steps.

Because silence kills confidence.
Transparency builds partnership.

Have you ever been ghosted by your own recruiter? What happened?

I headhunt ROI hires for businesses, engineers, BAs, PMs, AI & cyber pros.
If you run a $5M+ company and want hires who deliver outcomes, not just CVs → follow me.

#RecruitmentROI #RecruitmentRoulette #HiringMistakes #TrustAndTransparency #BusinessGrowthNZ #SmartHiring #ScalingTeams

Most resumes don’t fail because of spelling mistakes.

They fail because they read like job descriptions instead of proof of value.

And when that happens, everybody loses:
 – Candidates get overlooked.
 – Hiring managers waste time.
 – Recruiters look like CV-forwarders instead of ROI partners.

Here’s the shift I coach every candidate:

❌ Weak: “Responsible for managing social media accounts.”
✅ Strong: “Revitalised strategy, increasing engagement by 78% and generating 45 qualified leads in 3 months.”
✅ Junior Example: “Learned SQL in 3 months and automated weekly reports, saving my manager 5 hours each week.”

See the difference?

One says what you did.
The other proves what you achieved.

Don’t have big $$ or title yet? 
That’s fine.

You can still show growth, learning, and problem-solving. That’s what real career development looks like.


Hiring managers don’t just hire skills. They hire proof.

When candidates write outcome-driven resumes, ROI is visible on page one.

That’s why my clients don’t waste time on noise; they see value instantly.


I’ve dropped my resume template in the comment section.
 👉 Use it.
 👉 Adapt it.
 👉 Post your version in the comments.


🔹 Candidates → share a “before vs. after” bullet.
🔹 Hiring managers → what outcome on a CV always makes you stop scrolling?

Because shifting from tasks to outcomes isn’t just about landing a job.

It’s about proving ROI before the first interview.

"Most days I feel less like a Business Analyst… and more like ChatGPT’s editor."

She’s not alone.
That's what a BA told me last week.

I keep hearing:

PMs tell me the same thing.
BAs and PMs are drowning in AI output
Editing, formatting, rewriting.

The result?
Roles blur.
Frustration spikes.
 
And the job that once felt strategic now feels… automated.

Has AI made your BA/PM role better… or just messier?

♻️ Repost if you agree: AI rewrites tasks, but people rewrite value.
👤 Follow Jessica Xin Dong for practical hiring lessons on building teams that stay relevant.
🔔 Press the bell to stay ahead.

Two types of AI talent are emerging.
One earns 25% more.
The other offers long-term stability.


Most leaders ask:
“Which type should I hire first?”


That’s the wrong question.

→ Traditional AI Engineer
Focus: predictive models + optimisation
Value: efficiency + risk reduction
Path: steady climb, bigger senior rewards


→ Generative AI Engineer
Focus: LLMs + prompt engineering
Value: speed + new products
Path: hot entry pay (20–30% higher)


The truth:
The foundation skills haven’t changed:
 → Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)
 → MLOps
 → Production-ready deployment


But here’s what nobody says:

🔹 Leaders: Your real challenge
 “AI Engineer” isn’t just vague, it’s risky.

 71% can’t find GenAI talent (because 90% are looking in the wrong place).
 The best teams? They build hybrid squads.

🔹 Professionals: Your real opportunity
 ML foundations = must-have.
 Add GenAI = premium now.
 Master both = career security.


My prediction:
By 2026, the split won’t matter.
The winners will be the integrators.
The ones who can bridge both worlds.


Same title.
Different skills.
New future.


Which skills would you bet on for 2026?

 ♻️ Share if you’re building an AI team right now
 🔔 Follow Jessica Xin Dong for more insights on hiring ROI, tech talent, and the future of work.

#AIEngineering #TechHiring #FutureOfWork

"I love coding, but..."

His message landed at 10 PM. 

A senior software engineer with 5 years at a stable company. 
Good salary. 
Decent benefits.

But something was missing.

"I spend my days maintaining legacy code. 
No AI projects. 
No speaking at conferences. 
Just... stuck."

Most late-night messages from engineers aren’t about the code.
They’re about growth.

And after hundreds of these chats, one pattern always stands out:
The ones who grow are the ones who choose change, not comfort.

So I asked him three questions:

→ “If you could rebuild your role from scratch, what would it look like?”
He said:

“Building ML models, not just integrating APIs”
“Leading our generative AI initiatives”
“Speaking at tech conferences about real-world AI applications”

→ “What’s stopping you from doing that now?
The truth spilled out:
“We’re still using 5-year-old tech”
“Innovation isn’t a priority here”
“I’m the go-to person for fixes, not fresh ideas”

→ “What scares you most about leaving?”
Silence. Then:

“What if I just quit?”

Here’s what I told him:

When you dream about building AI systems but spend your days fixing legacy bugs…
When you want to dive into LLMs but can’t get beyond basic API calls…
When you see the AI revolution happening without you…

That’s not quitting.
That’s choosing growth.

Two months later, he messaged again:
“I did it. Leading an AI transformation project.
Building MLOps pipelines.
Actually using the Generative AI course I took last year.”

For him, the move wasn’t just personal.
It unlocked new value for his company too.
Fresh skills → faster delivery → ROI from innovation.

Sometimes the scariest career moves are the most necessary ones.

3 signs it might be time to grow:
 1️⃣ You’re the “fixer,” not the innovator.
 2️⃣ Your learning curve feels flat.
 3️⃣ You dream about projects your company won’t touch.

What’s one sign that told you it was time to grow?

🔔 Follow Jessica Xin Dong for real stories about tech careers and growth.

P.S. If you’ve been thinking about making a move… what’s the one thing holding you back right now?

3 Signs It's Time to Leave

“Jess, our senior engineer just resigned.”


That’s the call I got from a client.
Critical project on the line.
Customer delivery dates at risk.

Here’s the hidden cost of a resignation:
 → Delivery promises at risk.
 → Knowledge walking out the door.
 → Teams under pressure to pick up slack.

I asked, “How much time do we have for a replacement?”
They said, “Now. And Jess, this isn’t going to be an easy find.”

No sugarcoating.
No laugh.
Just trust.

Most recruiters would dive into a job title search.
I didn’t.

I said, “Let’s jump on a Teams call. Walk me through what good looks like… and leave that with me.”

Why? Because when you already know a client’s culture, their standards, and their world, 
you can go deeper, faster.

And instead of scrambling for a warm body,
you protect delivery,
you secure handover,
and you keep promises to customers.

That’s the system I’ve built:
Not resumes.
Not speed for the sake of speed.
But a repeatable way to turn panic into progress.

So here’s the question:
When a key player resigns, do you want a recruiter who just knows the job title,
or one who already knows your business?

When a Key Person Resigns…

Would you fire an engineer for using ChatGPT too much?

Even if they’re your best performer?
Even if they’re delivering results?


Your top engineer uses AI for 60% of their work.
 What’s your call?

A. Fire them - wrong skills
B. Promote - smart & efficient
C. Retrain - adapt to reality
D. Ignore - results > methods


Reality Check:

66% of devs waste time fixing AI code
46% don’t trust AI accuracy
Yet 84% use AI tools daily


Let’s be real.
Your “best engineer” is likely:
 
→ Using AI for boilerplate
→ Shipping faster
→ Making sharper decisions
→ Leading technical talks

But they’re also risking:
→ Hidden bugs
→ Debugging headaches
→ Security gaps
→ Team knowledge loss

The Truth:
 
Great engineers don’t just code.
They solve problems.
They balance speed with stability.
They know when to use AI – and when not to.

The Real Question:
Not “How much AI?”

But “Are they…
✅ Delivering reliable solutions?
✅ Making the team stronger?
✅ Creating lasting business value?”


Vote + drop your reasoning below 👇

♻️ Share this to spark debate with your network
🔔 Follow Jessica Xin Dong for more on #TechHiring & ROI-first recruitment

#Engineering #FutureOfWork

If your best engineer used ChatGPT for 60% of their work, what’s your move?

The best Service Delivery Manager I ever placed?

No degree.
No industry background.
No matching title.

He was the “wrong” choice.
And that’s exactly why he delivered.

Most recruiters wouldn’t have called him.
They would have swiped right past his CV.

But he had something better:
 → Grit from surviving high-pressure service environments
 → Leadership from running diverse hospitality teams
 → An obsession with process + customer experience

Five years later?
He’s a Regional Manager.
That’s ROI.

Now, let’s compare…
The “perfect CV” hire another division made:
 ✔ Degree
 ✔ Industry experience
 ✔ Flawless on paper

18 months later? Gone.
The cost? $330k (salary, onboarding, lost delivery).

That’s the lesson.
Degrees don’t guarantee delivery.
Resumes don’t guarantee ROI.

What works is a process that measures grit + impact before the hire.
That’s what we do.

What’s one trait you’ve seen in a hire that mattered more than the CV?

One candidate I placed had the kind of resume every hiring manager dreams of.

Big brands. Top degree. Flawless references.

On paper, they looked like a guaranteed success.
But in the first four weeks, the truth came out.

They didn’t take initiative.
They waited for instructions.
They blended in instead of landing quick wins.

That “perfect hire” cost the company over $200K and 6 months of stalled delivery.

That’s when I realised: resumes don’t predict performance.
Signals do.

👉 Initiative.
👉 Accountability.
👉 Quick wins.

If you don’t see them by week four, you didn’t hire ROI.
You hired churn.

That’s why I built the Early Signal Checklist, a framework that shows you in 30 days if your new hire will deliver outcomes, not just add payroll.

We placed a Business Analyst who showed all 3 signals in week one, and he was promoted to lead within 90 days. That’s the difference.

Curious what’s on the checklist?
Comment “Checklist” and I’ll send it to you.

I’m Jess. I headhunt ROI hires for NZ businesses, engineers, BAs, PMs, AI & cyber pros.
If you run a $5M+ company and want hires who deliver outcomes, not just CVs → follow me.

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