Thoughts
Insights on Recruitment, AI, and the Future of Talent
Recruiters are right to feel uneasy – AI and market shifts are changing the ground under our feet. The question isn’t if things change, but how we adapt.
This blog is my take on recruitment and executive search, grounded in 20 years of leading firms in Japan and Asia. Sometimes sharp, sometimes experimental, always focused on the future of hiring.
I write around three themes:
Recruitment – the craft itself, with emphasis on search and RPO.
Artificial Intelligence – separating signal from noise.
Our Platform – how we’re building tools to stay ahead.
If you’re a recruiter, HR leader, or business owner curious about what’s next in Japan’s talent market, you’re in the right place.
— Murray Clarke, Co-Founder & Chief Recruiter at TalentHub
Why Recruitment Needs an AI Reset
Recruitment is full of tasks that matter but rarely get done – updating databases, capturing emails, tracking market news. The result? You hit a brick wall with weak data and lost opportunities. AI changes this by doing the work in real time, keeping everything accurate and visible. At TalentHub, we’ve built a platform that turns AI into infrastructure, so recruiters can run their business end-to-end without drowning in admin.
Using Public Data Responsibly
Recruitment relies on public data, but using it responsibly is critical. LinkedIn remains the backbone of candidate sourcing, while tools like ZoomInfo, Apollo, and RocketReach provide contact details. Compliance must come first: cases like LinkedIn vs HiQ Labs show the risks of scraping. At TalentHub, we only use trusted providers via licensed APIs and GDPR-aligned datasets. With consent secured before client sharing, recruiters can use data effectively while maintaining trust and protecting privacy.
Compliant Use Of ChatGPT
ChatGPT isn’t just a productivity tool — it’s a compliance risk hiding in plain sight. “Export Data” means anyone on your team can pull entire datasets with a single click. For recruiters, that could mean CVs, salaries, and client details out the door. Encryption won’t save you — only trust policies, smart access controls, and API-driven setups will. AI adoption is inevitable, but without compliance, it’s a liability.
Who Am I and Why Listen?
About the Author
I’m Murray Clarke, Co-Founder and Chief Recruiter at TalentHub Partners. Over the past 20 years I’ve led at three search firms in Japan – each achieving a successful exit, including one I built from scratch and sold to ManpowerGroup.
I do not profess to know everything and I don’t always get it right, but as an early-stage leader at a firm that scaled to 200 consultants across APAC, and later during a major ownership transition, twice receiving Best Leader awards, I have seen how some of the best in our business do things. My time at VMware gave me direct experience of how global vendors scale in Japan, insight I later applied to help foreign firms navigate the country’s toughest hiring challenges.
I’m passionate about emerging technologies that do social good by improving business outcomes. At TalentHub, our mission is to use technology and AI to raise the standard of recruitment – improving candidate experience, enabling recruiters to succeed, and helping companies hire better people faster. For too long, the industry has depended on time-strapped recruiters working with cumbersome tools. The future looks brighter, though uncertain, and I’m committed to building solutions that make a lasting difference.
I split my time between Auckland and Tokyo, so feel free to hit me up for a coffee and in-person chat sometime.