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
Improving Executive Search
Executive search in Japan requires more than CVs — clients expect insight into how leaders are perceived. TalentHub’s AI platform captures and analyses public data, from LinkedIn profiles to media exposure and industry activity, then generates candidate profiles with scoring and summaries. Reports are shared securely for real-time feedback. For boutiques and independents, this creates a differentiated search experience, blending consulting with technology. Built for global tech firms entering Japan, TalentHub delivers transparent, data-driven search.
Referral Mapping to Scalable Hiring
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is more than filling roles — it’s about building sustainable hiring capability. TalentHub evolved from a referral mapping tool that automated what headhunters once tracked in spreadsheets: mapping networks and validating talent through trusted referrals. For RPO providers, the platform structures market knowledge, accelerates referrals with one-click feedback, and adds dashboards and reporting. In fast-moving sectors like AI, TalentHub equips RPO partners to identify adjacent skills and deliver smarter, strategic hiring.
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.