Instinct to Intelligence: the future of end-to-end hiring. 30 September 2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM BST Gartner predict that by 2027, 75% of the hiring process will include certifications and tests for workplace AI proficiency (link). Is this built into processes yet? Are we on track? Annapurna is delighted to partner with Maki, an AI-driven recruitment and candidate assessment platform, for what promises to be a fascinating conversation around the redefining era for talent acquisition that is upon us. Forward-thinking organisations are building connected, AI-driven hiring systems, end-to-end. Which parts of the process are most ripe for change? Where can AI actually earn its keep in the funnel? Where would it just create noise? The conversation will be hosted by James Ballard (Founder at Annapurna) but will be attendee-led by the executive People leaders in attendance. This will likely follow the below agenda: * Building the connected hiring system: If you were to rebuild your hiring function from scratch to fully leverage automation, which parts of the process would you change? * Intelligence vs. instinct: Where does technology actually improve hiring decisions, and where does human judgement remain critical? * Enterprise adoption: Which leading organisations are embedding AI across the hiring funnel? How can we manage candidate trust vs. authenticity? The organisations pulling ahead and leading are rethinking hiring as a single connected system (sourcing, screening, interviewing, decision-making), powered by AI. How do we trust the technology? How do we manage the culture? What are the downsides?

Recruitics brings AI interviewing to the pre-apply experience through integration with Maki People. New partnership embeds AI-powered interviews into the pre-apply experience, helping employers improve candidate quality and hiring outcomes. Recruitics today announced a new partnership with Maki People, bringing AI-powered interviewing capabilities into AdaptiveApply(TM), Recruitics' candidate experience technology and integrated hiring solutions marketplace that connects screening, assessment, verification, and hiring technologies directly into the pre-apply workflow. The partnership with Maki People enables employers to embed AI voice interviews directly within the application flow and conduct initial screening before an application ever hits the ATS, delivering pre-qualified and enriched candidate signals to recruiters while creating a more seamless path for candidates. This shifts candidate assessment from the post-apply process to an earlier stage of the hiring journey, enabling employers to gain deeper candidate insights while maintaining a seamless application workflow. "Recruiters today are drowning in the noise of applications that look the same on paper. The integration with Maki People gives employers a way to hear from candidates directly and assess their skills, communication, and fit right inside the apply flow. That's the kind of signal that leads to better and faster hires," says Adam Stafford, CEO, Recruitics. The new capability addresses the growing challenges facing talent acquisition teams. As generative AI has made resumes easier to create and optimize, recruiters are finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish candidate quality based on resumes alone. At the same time, many qualified candidates, particularly passive talent and frontline workers, may not have an up-to-date resume or one readily available. By embedding AI interviewing into the pre-apply experience through AdaptiveApply, candidates can complete an AI-powered interview without leaving the application flow, while employers gain deeper candidate insights earlier in the hiring process and evaluate talent based on skills, experience, and responses rather than simply a resume. The result is a hiring experience that no longer makes a fully up-to-date resume a barrier to entry for qualified candidates and enables employers to engage passive talent, expand access to qualified candidates, and connect with talent that might otherwise never enter the hiring funnel. Key benefits include: - Stronger candidate signal: Live candidate interactions provide additional context beyond traditional resume-based screening. - Reduced application friction: Candidates can engage directly through the application experience, creating a more streamlined path to consideration. - Expanded access to talent: Qualified candidates can showcase their experience and fit, even when they do not have a current resume. - Increased recruiter efficiency: Interview results and candidate insights are delivered directly into existing ATS environments, enabling employers to optimize toward hiring outcomes. For organizations that hire at scale, whether high-volume frontline roles (retail floors, warehouses, contact centers, delivery fleets, frontline healthcare) or large enterprises running hundreds of roles across the business, the challenge lies in screening thousands of applicants, fast and fairly, without burying recruiters in calls and resumes. That is what this partnership solves. Maki's Voice Screening (Mochi) screens applicants at scale: a real, adaptive voice conversation, available 24/7 in dozens of languages, that evaluates every candidate against validated, science-backed criteria and hands recruiters a ranked, defensible shortlist in hours rather than weeks, with a human always making the final call. "Recruitics is exceptional at getting the right people to apply. We are exceptional at screening them fairly, at scale, by voice. Together, we give high-volume talent teams one funnel that is efficient at the top and rigorous at the bottom. It is what we both mean by hiring better, not just faster," says Maxime Legardez-Coquin, CEO, Maki People. Maki is trusted by global leaders including Capgemini, Deloitte, Nespresso, Grant Thornton, Wagamama, and Volkswagen, alongside one of the world's largest airlines, one of the world's largest fashion retailers, and a leading global beauty retailer, among others. As part of the growing AdaptiveApply marketplace, Maki People joins Recruitics' ecosystem of hiring technology partners enabling employers to build a more intelligent, outcome-driven hiring process. Together, Recruitics and Maki People are helping organizations move beyond traditional screening methods and toward a hiring experience designed to cut through the noise and focus on authentic candidate signals. About Recruitics Recruitics is the talent acquisition platform for organizations where hiring never stops. The platform unifies predictive labor market intelligence, programmatic reach across every channel candidates trust, and AI-ready job application workflows to optimize every stage of the pre-apply journey, from market signal to qualified hire. More than 400 enterprise organizations across healthcare, logistics, retail, and beyond trust Recruitics to reach and convert talent across 100+ countries. For more information, visit recruitics.com. About Maki People Maki is Hiring Intelligence, end to end: one system, five capabilities (Intake, Screening, Deep Assessment, Interview Co-pilot and Hire Recommendation) that sits on top of the ATS recruiters already use and helps enterprises hire better, not just faster. Every candidate is evaluated against validated assessment science, so each hiring decision is defensible when a board, a works council or a candidate asks how it was reached. Enterprise-ready by design (ISO 27001, GDPR, EU AI Act ready), Maki runs in 60+ countries and 45+ languages, cutting early-tenure turnover by up to 25%, accelerating time to hire 3x and automating 90% of screening and assessment work, with a 98% candidate NPS. Learn more at makipeople.com.