IA-Ready Hiring Playbook: 11 Practices for Hiring in 2025

2024 was the year ChatGPT changed everything. 2025 is the year companies that don’t adapt will disappear.

It’s no longer enough to hire for technical skills. In a world where AI can learn any skill in seconds, what differentiates exceptional employees is something deeper: their ability to adapt, learn, and thrive alongside AI.

This playbook contains the 11 practices we’ve validated with more than 500 companies and 50,000 assessments. It’s not theory—it’s what works.

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The New Hiring Reality

What Changed

Before (2020-2023)	Now (2025+)
Technical skills = Differentiator	Technical skills = Commodity
Experience = Success predictor	Experience = Useful context
”Culture fit” = Nice to have	Culture fit = Survival
Adaptability = Bonus	Adaptability = Requirement #1

The New Success Predictor

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The 11 Playbook Practices

Practice #1: Audit Your Current IA-Readiness

How to do it:

1. Invite your current team to complete an IA-Readiness assessment
2. Analyze results by department, level, and tenure
3. Identify which teams are IA-Native (score 85+) and which are IA-Resistant (score <60)

Common error: Assuming “because we’re tech, we’re IA-ready.” We’ve seen engineering teams with lower scores than marketing teams.

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Practice #2: Define IA-Ready Profiles by Role

Framework for Software Engineer Profiles:

Red Flags:

• Openness <60 (resistance to new tools)
• Adaptability <65 (doesn’t scale with changes)

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Practice #3: Cultural Screening BEFORE Technical

New recommended funnel:

1. Application (CV + cover letter)
2. Culture Fit Assessment (35-45 min) ← NEW
3. Technical Screen (only continue if fit >70%)
4. Behavioral Interview
5. Offer

Benefits:

• Reduce technical interviews by 40%
• Improve candidate experience
• Get objective data BEFORE interview biases

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Practice #4: Use IA-Readiness as Tiebreaker

The scenario: You have 2 finalists with similar skills. Who do you hire?

The answer in the AI era: The one with higher IA-Readiness.

Golden rule: If skills difference < 10 points → IA-Readiness is the tiebreaker

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Practice #5: Differentiated Onboarding by Profile

Why it matters: The same onboarding doesn’t work for everyone.

Onboarding for High Openness + High Adaptability:

• “Here are 5 AI tools we use, experiment”
• Exploratory projects
• IA-Native mentor

Onboarding for High Conscientiousness + Low Openness:

• Complete step-by-step AI tools manual
• Well-defined tasks with clear criteria
• Mentor who balances structure and change

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Practice #6: Balanced Team Composition

Ideal composition (team of 8):

• 2-3 IA-Native people (85+): Explorers, champions
• 4-5 IA-Ready people (70-84): Team core
• 1-2 IA-Capable people (60-69): Stability anchor

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Practice #7: Post-Hiring Metrics

Track:

• AI tool adoption at 3, 6, 12 months
• Performance ratings vs IA-Readiness score
• Turnover by IA-Readiness level

Iterate: Use this data to refine your ideal profiles.

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Practice #8: Adaptability Development

Don’t just hire adaptable—develop it:

• “AI literacy” programs for employees
• Incentives for early tool adoption
• Projects that require experimentation

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Practice #9: Red Flags in Interviews

Questions that reveal low adaptability:

• “How do you handle when priorities change?”
• “Tell me about a time you had to learn something completely new”
• “What do you think about AI tools like ChatGPT?”

Red flags in answers:

• Extreme rigidity (“we’ve always done it this way”)
• Fear of change (“I prefer what I know”)
• Disinterest in new technologies

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Practice #10: Transparency with Candidates

Be clear:

• “We evaluate adaptability because we work with AI constantly”
• Share assessment results (optional but recommended)
• Explain how you use the data

Benefit: Candidates value transparency. NPS goes up when you’re transparent.

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Practice #11: Continuous Iteration

Review quarterly:

• Are the ideal profiles still correct?
• Is there correlation between IA-Readiness and outcomes?
• What adjustments do you need to make?

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Checklist: Are You IA-Ready?

• Did an IA-Readiness audit of your current team
• Defined ideal profiles by role with IA-Readiness
• Culture Fit Assessment is step 2 in your funnel
• Use IA-Readiness Score as tiebreaker
• Personalized onboarding by cultural profile
• Measure team composition balance
• Track post-hiring metrics
• Have an Adaptability development program
• Specific AI questions in interviews
• Transparent with candidates
• Review strategy quarterly

SCORE: 0-4 → IA-Unaware | 5-7 → IA-Aware | 8-10 → IA-Ready | 11/11 → IA-Native

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Conclusion

Hiring in 2025 isn’t about finding the person with the most experience or best credentials. It’s about finding those who can adapt, learn, and thrive in a world that changes faster than ever.

The time to act is now.

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Resources to Implement

• Take the IA-Readiness Quiz
• Try Talen.to Free