Hiring in the genAI era

Even in a self-proclaimed 'AI business', understanding how to leverage genAI is not always widely distributed across the organisation.

Here's a LinkedIn job ad for a Group Product Manager at DeepL, a company I use regularly, value highly and respect greatly.

They have a great mission, "to break down language barriers for businesses and individuals around the world", and position themselves as "the world’s most advanced Language AI".

Yet when it comes to recruiting for a relatively key role in their product team, there is no mention of genAI in the job description, neither under Responsibilities nor Experience.

In 2024 this already surprises me, by 2025 I suspect this will have become a real rarity.

There are so many ways that genAI can be used to accelerate and enhance Product Management, here are a few I've used personally:
🌍 1. Competitor and Marketplace Research
🎯 2. Target Audience and ICP Definition
👥 3. Persona Development
💡 4. Interview Analysis and Identification of Insights
📝 5. User Requirements Specification
📋 6. User Stories and Acceptance Criteria
✨ 7. MVP Definition
🛠️ 8. Go-to-Market Planning
🛤️ 9. Roadmap Prioritization
🚀 10. New Product Development

Even today, I would not hire someone who didn't already have great craft, strong cultural fit - and the ability to showcase their genAI-powered workflows - with a visual demonstration of the deliverables they achieved.

The companies that survive the coming shift, and thrive in the AI era, will be those that have teams with the right skills and mindsets. (And no, genAI doesn't replace the need to know what you're doing, it just accelerates progress and lets you explore the new possibilities opened up by genAI.)

But what this does mean, is that if you want to recruit a genAI-ready team, the hiring manager and your recruitment department had better know how to advertise, assess and select for the right skills and capabilities.

As of right now, I don't think most companies are anywhere close to being ready.