Rohan Dwyer, CEO & Director, Edge Marketing
We are living through an era of extraordinary levelling, and for business owners and leaders trying to hire well in 2026, this creates a very real challenge.
For the first time in my career, the traditional hiring signals we have relied on, resumes, cover letters and interview responses are no longer reliable indicators of the qualities that actually matter: curiosity, intent, effort, judgement, conviction and motivation.
In marketing and media, this shift is especially clear. Ours is an industry built on storytelling, persuasion, clarity of thought and the ability to articulate ideas with confidence. Ironically, those attributes are now the easiest to replicate.
This is not because candidates lack ability, but because the tools available to them are extraordinarily capable and accessible.
Artificial intelligence is not the problem – it goes without saying that it’s essential. Modern marketing businesses rely on automation, modelling, optimisation and data processing at a scale that would be impossible without it. Few argue that AI is not lifting productivity and output quality across
our industry, and that’s a positive shift.
Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool. But sharp tools amplify sharp thinkers; they do not create them. If our own thinking dulls through over-reliance, we weaken the very capability that makes those tools valuable.
The challenge is that the same tools elevating business performance are flattening hiring signals.
A resume now tells me less about how someone thinks and more about how well they can construct a prompt.
A cover letter shows structure and tone, but not necessarily effort or depth.
Even interviews conducted behind a screen can be supported in real time, with polished answers delivered instantly while the interviewer believes they are seeing the real person.
This is not sneaky; it is a modern-day adaptation, but it comes with risk.
When everyone has access to the same intelligence and the same frameworks, differentiation narrows. Everyone sounds capable and appears prepared. And when that happens, hiring becomes more dangerous.
In a marketing business where client relationships are everything, hiring the wrong person is not theoretical; it is commercial, affecting culture, trust, retention, and revenue.
The cost of misjudging character or interpersonal skill is far greater than misjudging technical knowledge.
Technical capability can be trained. Emotional intelligence, self-awareness and natural connection are far harder to instil. Face to face conversation introduces useful friction. It removes the safety net and slows things down
just enough for real signals to surface.
For example, you notice how someone enters a room, how they treat reception, and whether they listen fully before responding or rush to fill the silence; whether they are comfortable pausing to think; and, most importantly, whether they can hold eye contact when making a point that matters.
You see the shift when they speak about something meaningful. A campaign that failed but shaped them. A client they fought for. A team they are proud of. The performance drops away, and the person appears. That cannot be manufactured in the moment. And in marketing, this matters.
Clients do not just buy a strategy. They buy confidence and belief, plus the sense that the person across the table understands their pressure and will represent their brand well. Teams do not rally around slide decks; they rally around people they trust.
This is not an argument against hiring technology. AI can improve screening efficiency, reduce bias, and raise the quality of applications. It can also help candidates present clearly and help employers assess technical skills faster.
But if we allow perfectly constructed answers to replace genuine interaction, we increase the chance of mistaking polish for depth.
Face-to-face interaction is not about tradition. It is about risk mitigation. It improves signals in an environment where noise has increased.
For candidates in marketing and media, my advice is create situations where your ability to form connections naturally and sincerely can be seen. Ask to meet in person, lean into conversation, and let your presence do the differentiating.
For employers, the responsibility is equally clear. If culture, judgement and client-facing trust matter in your business, meet people in person at some stage of the process. Not because it is comfortable, but because it reveals what a screen cannot.
In a world where written answers are abundant and technically impressive, presence is becoming scarce. I am interviewing right now and seeing this shift play out in real time.
If you are a candidate looking for a hint, here it is: Your resume will not be the difference. Your cover letter will not be the difference. The question you MUST ask yourself is simple: How will I stand out when the screen disappears?