How to Be Irreplaceable: What Talent Leaders Can Learn from Rocki Howard’s RecFest Talk

In the HR world, if you think AI can take your job, it will.

December 16, 2025

At RecFest Nashville, our Chief People & Equity Officer Rocki Howard spoke about becoming irreplaceable in a world where technology seems to be changing everything.

Above, Rocki gives her RecFest presentation on how to use AI in HR.

The message from Rocki was simple: if you’re worried AI might take your job, it will. Because the best recruiters, she argued, don’t just fill seats. They build strategy, trust, and business value. And AI, no matter how advanced, can’t replicate the work done by people with the right skills, experience and relationships.

The age of the Rolodex

The way things used to be done.

Rocki’s first recruiting job was in 1991. Then, the tech stack was:

a phone, that had a cord that went into the wall, and buttons you (gasp) had to push
a fax machine
a Rolodex.

Yet every wave of new technology that followed, from job boards to LinkedIn, was met not with fear, but excitement. Why? Because great recruiters knew that good tech didn’t replace them. It made them better.

Though it’s hard to imagine feeling nostalgic about chatbots in 20 or 30 years, today’s technology wave is AI.

Rocki challenged the audience: If AI can replace you, it will.

Rocki with talent acquisition leader Nicky Russell.

Start with strategy, not intake

The first place to show your value? What we often call the “intake meeting.” Rocki pushed for a reframe: call it what it really is: a strategy session. Because if you’re just gathering a job description from a hiring manager, you’re not operating at a strategic level.

Here’s the truth she shared: most hiring managers aren’t experts in hiring. They’re overextended and under-supported. And often, what they think they need for a role doesn’t match reality. Rocki reminded the crowd: it’s the recruiter’s job to guide the process, not just take notes and post a req.

This is where AI can help you be better, rather than do your job for you. With the right tools, AI can surface real-time comp data, talent supply by location and competitor benchmarks. That way, you’re walking into the meeting with insights. But only you can build the relationship and shape the search.

Rock with Eric Knauf, the author and culture architect.

If your job post is terrible, your pipeline will be, too

“Your job posts suck,” Rocki said during her presentation. Some in the audience laughed, others nodded their heads.

But a non-sucky job post isn’t just about fixing typos or tone. It’s about writing to attract the right people, using the language they actually search for. Recruiters need to ask: are we describing real skills? Or just copying and pasting “5+ years of experience” with no clear reason why?

Candidates will take the time to dig through your Careers site to understand your values and culture. That’s a lie. They won’t. They’re seeing your job post first. That is your brand. If you’re not saying why someone should care, right there in the post, you will lose them.

AI can help here, by identifying biased or ineffective language, and benchmarking against what works. But again, it’s up to you to tell the story: what makes this role matter? Why your organization? Why now?

rocki and jo weech

Rocki hanging out at RecFest Nashville with speaker, author and talent management specialist Jo Weech.

Humans + AI = Hiring That Works

At Textio, we believe what Rocki knows: great recruiters are irreplaceable because they bring context, relationships, and critical thinking. AI doesn’t replace that, it enables it.

Whether you’re prepping for a hiring manager meeting or writing a job post, the best recruiters are using AI to augment their value, not diminish it. The tech is here to help you work faster and smarter. But it’s still up to you to lead. It always will be.

That was Rocki’s final message: if we want to stay relevant, we have to keep growing. We have to stay curious. We have to own our value.

So the next time someone asks why they should hire you, don’t just talk about your resume. Tell them why you’re irreplaceable. Because if you don’t believe it, how can they?

How to Be Irreplaceable: What Talent Leaders Can Learn from Rocki Howard’s RecFest Talk

The age of the Rolodex

Start with strategy, not intake

If your job post is terrible, your pipeline will be, too

Humans + AI = Hiring That Works

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