Everyone's Wrong About AI in Hiring. Here's the Truth
Rhiannon Hayes, Head of Marketing at Copenhagen AI recruiting startup Kiku, on why applications disappear and how AI can help.
Rhiannon Hayes · Head of Marketing at Kiku · Copenhagen · 35 min · 2026-06-20
About this episode
Is the job hunt broken, or are we doing it wrong? Ale and Simo sit down with Rhiannon Hayes, Head of Marketing at Kiku, an AI recruiting startup in Copenhagen.
Her career path went English Literature, Nokia, Google, EV startups, and now HR tech — a useful counterweight to the idea that careers should be linear.
What we cover
- Why candidates feel like they are sending CVs into a void
- Why companies are drowning in AI-written applications
- Her contrarian take: AI can bring more humanity back into hiring
- Concrete advice for students applying to startups in Europe
Key takeaway
Volume applications stopped working. Specificity — to the company, the role and the problem — is what gets a reply.