Attention Is the New Currency: Why Your Hiring Strategy Is Failing

Jay Berard explains why great hiring is no longer about resumes, credentials, or polished applications. In a world flooded with AI generated noise, the people who stand out are the ones who know how to build real relationships, communicate clearly, and create trust. He shares why emotional intelligence is becoming more valuable than technical intelligence, and why the best candidates know how to adapt, learn fast, and move through uncertainty.

As the founder and CEO of Jagger, Jay has helped high growth companies hire top talent in one of the most competitive recruiting markets in years. He breaks down why so many companies fail at hiring, why founders often misunderstand the roles they actually need, and how great recruiters identify signals most people completely miss.

In this episode, Jay shares why surviving is different from thriving, how AI is rewriting the recruiting playbook, and why attention has become the most valuable currency in business. He also explains why the best hires are often unconventional, why human connection matters more than ever, and how founders can build stronger teams by first understanding themselves better.

Key Topics:

-AI is completely rewriting the hiring and recruiting playbook

-Emotional intelligence is becoming more valuable than IQ

-Most companies fail at hiring because they do not know what they actually need

-The best hires are identified through conversations, not resumes

-Human connection is becoming more important in an AI driven world

Timestamps:

01:24 How Jay Berard Turned Recruiting Into a High Trust Business

02:10 The Best Entrepreneurs Obsess Over Daily Improvement

03:37 Your Company Will Only Grow as Fast as You Do

05:58 The Shift From Surviving to Truly Thriving

07:12 Why Smart Founders Are Betting Big on AI Right Now

07:56 In Person Relationships Are Becoming More Valuable Again

08:45 The Biggest Hiring Mistake Most Startups Make

10:23 Emotional Intelligence Is Becoming More Valuable Than IQ

12:18 The Best Candidates Tell Stories Differently

13:35 Why First VP of Sales Hires Often Fail

15:15 Companies Fail at Hiring When They Do Not Know Themselves

17:32 Hiring a Great Employee Will Not Fix a Broken Company

21:25 AI Is Flooding the Hiring Process With Noise

23:32 The Best Way to Get Hired Today Is Still Human Connection

25:35 Young People Are Entering the Hardest Job Market in Years

27:05 Attention Is the Most Valuable Currency in Hiring Today

29:32 The Best Recruiters Know How to Cut Through the Noise

31:25 Recruiters Should Be Judged by Pipeline Quality, Not Hires

34:00 The Difference Between Bad, Good, and Elite Recruiters

36:02 Elite Recruiters Start Narrow and Win Faster

37:45 Sometimes There Is Only One Right Candidate in the Market

Connect with - Jay Berard:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/jayberard

Website: http://hellojagger.com

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast⁠

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24⁠Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.hirechore.com/resources/podcast