What AI Means for Tech Hiring (From a Recruiter’s Perspective)

In 2026, AI is no longer just a buzzword. According to the Australian Government’s National AI Plan, we’re already attracting over $700 million a year in investments from AI firms. And although it’s the prime time to capitalise on its opportunities, many organisations are still figuring out the AI hiring process. 

Sure, the tech and IT world is where artificial intelligence was born. But in our industry, AI in recruitment remains largely uncharted territory. In fact, many of our clients still get stuck on the AI job title, rather than considering the emergence of new tools, changing business priorities, and capability gaps.

In this article, Emanate’s Victorian Director, Jon-Paul Hoey, discusses why businesses need to remain flexible to keep up with the changing requirements of AI recruitment. Gain recruiter insights into common mistakes and how to hire AI engineers so that you can build a solid hiring process.

Common mistakes Tech employers Make With AI in recruitment

Wherever you stand in the great AI debate, there’s no denying that it’s a big request in IT hiring trends lately. And with 84% of Australian employees using AI in some form at work, the demand is only expected to grow. But before you consider an AI-proficient hire, avoid these mistakes that some employers make:

• They are waiting for the perfect person

Just because someone doesn’t have the most impressive AI skills assessment today, it doesn’t mean they won’t be valuable in the future. “It’s often the person who's been quietly learning, observing and adapting without being told to,” says Jon-Paul. “The organisations building the strongest teams are hiring for learning velocity, curiosity and problem-solving ability, not just current tool knowledge.” 

• They leave it too late to engage a recruitment specialist

“The early conversation about what the market looks like, what's realistic, and what the role actually is changes everything about how the search runs and the quality you end up hiring,” Jon-Paul says. Reach out to Emanate before you have a job description or title, and we can ensure you waste no time in the hiring process.

• They try to copy competitors

Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you need to. “A common mistake is hiring for AI because competitors are doing it, rather than because they’ve clearly defined the business problem they’re trying to solve,” Jon-Paul says. We notice that the strongest AI hires happen when organisations start with the problem, rather than the title.

With our early market insights and understanding of how AI is changing recruitment, Emanate can ensure a smoother, more successful hiring process for our clients. But before you jump into writing a job description, there’s more to learn.

Must-knows for Your AI Hiring Process

As AI becomes firmly embedded in most aspects of our everyday lives, your organisation will eventually need to hire for AI roles. However, before you start posting job ads, make sure you understand the market you’re operating in—and the skills you need.

Understand the role you’re hiring for

Without a solid grasp of the AI skills and capabilities your organisation needs, you’ll never find the right fit. “So many clients don’t understand the distinction between an ML Engineer and an MLOps Engineer, or a Data Scientist and an AI Engineer,” Jon-Paul says. “If the brief isn’t right, we're set up to fail before the search even begins.” 

Emanate partners with clients at the early stages to ensure they’re hiring only for what their organisation needs—now and in the future. If you’re unsure about what each AI role entails, we’re there to explain it.

Speed up the AI recruitment Journey

No, we don’t mean rushing the decision to hire an AI practitioner. Rather, speeding up the hiring process once you’ve found ‘the one’. Taking too long to get back to people, holding lengthy interview rounds, and wasting time with slow approvals should all be things of the past. Efficiency is everything in this current market, and moving too slowly will only damage your organisation.

Make sure expectations and budgets align

Every organisation has a different budget for AI recruitment. But if you expect proven AI production and you’re offering a mid-market salary, expectations won’t align. “If you’re prepared to pay at the top end of the market, you can prioritise proven production experience and a demonstrated track record of delivery,” Jon-Paul says. “If not, focus instead on fundamentals and potential.” 

Whether it's ML, MLOps, data platforms or GenAI initiatives, people who have successfully built, deployed, and scaled solutions in production environments are in high demand and short supply. If your budget is smaller, an employee with strong data literacy who can grow alongside the technology is ideal. 

Choose people who genuinely understand AI

It can be tricky to know whether someone can walk the walk with AI, rather than just talk the talk. But typically, someone who genuinely understands AI can go beyond high-level information. When you ask them to explain something they’ve built in the past 6- 12 months, they should offer plenty of detail. 

“A strong AI practitioner should be able to tell you what they built, why they chose that approach, the alternatives they considered, and the lessons they learned when things didn’t go to plan,” Jon-Paul says. “Look out for first-person ownership of decisions and evidence of trade-off thinking. A rehearsed answer falls apart quickly when you keep pushing on specifics.”

Ease The Recruitment Process With Emanate

Still uncertain about hiring for AI in tech? Emanate can change that. Our deep market knowledge and talented candidates mean we can guide your organisation towards the right hire. Get in touch with our team today and take the next step.