Redefining Talent Acquisition: Mike Fitzsimmons on the Launch of Brilliant (LIVE @ RecFest US 2026)
Live from Recfest 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, host Adam Posner speaks with Mike Fitzsimmons, CEO of Brilliant. Mike reflects on his career evolution from Crosschqs to launching Brilliant, sharing how personal hiring mistakes drove him to create a data-backed solution for measuring quality of hire. The discussion covers the transformation of reference checking from an antiquated formality into a data-driven tool for confirmatory diligence and fraud detection. The conversation also addresses modern challenges in talent acquisition, including how to combat "little fraud" (candidate exaggeration) and "big fraud" (coordinated security threats) using Workday integration and AI suspicion ratings. Mike highlights Brilliant’s core thesis of "compounding intelligence"—using candidate data across assessments, AI interviews, and live interactions to create seamless, customized 90-day onboarding and development plans. Finally, Mike offers frank advice to prospective HR Tech entrepreneurs on the financial and structural realities of building and exiting venture-backed platforms in the talent space. Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-fitzsimmons-a3698/ Learn more about Brillant: https://brillianthire.ai/
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Our friends at Dalia brought you these episodes from RecFest US 2026! Dalia helps employers convert more career-site traffic into qualified applicants by giving job seekers a universal candidate profile that eliminates repetitive applications and streamlines the application process. Learn more (link below)
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Key Takeaways
- Shift to Positive Impact Metrics: Instead of focusing only on the financial cost of a bad hire, talent acquisition teams should prioritize measuring the positive business outcomes driven by quality hires.
- Compounding Hiring Intelligence: Recruitment tools shouldn't act as isolated gates. Aggregating insights from candidate resumes, behavioral assessments, AI screening, and live interviews provides a holistic view of a candidate.
- Modernized Reference Checking: Standardized reference checks combined with candidate self-assessments serve as key confirmatory tools while uncovering red flags and fake credentials.
- Two Tiers of Application Fraud: "Little fraud" involves candidates using AI tools to pad resumes, whereas "big fraud" involves deliberate identity deception or cybersecurity risks. Automated metrics like "suspicion ratings" help flag non-human behavior early in the ATS funnel.
- Intelligence-Driven Onboarding: Data collected during the evaluation process should directly inform post-hire activities, such as generating personalized 90-day learning and development plans.
- Realistic Outlook for HR Tech Founders: Building venture-backed HR software is extremely tough due to high market fragmentation and a restricted buyer ecosystem; long-term sustainability requires strong cash management.
Chapters
- 00:00 - Introduction & Welcome Live from Recfest 2026
- 00:44 - The Origin of Crosschq & The Need for Quality-of-Hire Data
- 02:44 - Shifting the Focus: From Bad Hire Cost to Quality Outcomes
- 04:12 - Evolving Reference Checks into Confirmatory Diligence
- 06:35 - Building Compounding Intelligence Across Selection Gates
- 08:14 - Eliminating Bias with Rigorous IO Psychology Science
- 09:03 - Tackling Talent Fraud: Little Fraud vs. Big Fraud
- 10:33 - ATS Integrations & Candidate Suspicion Ratings
- 11:53 - Autonomous AI Interviewers vs. Live Interview Intelligence
- 13:00 - Boundaries for AI Usage by Candidates
- 14:55 - The 90-Day Regret Question for Senior Candidates
- 16:43 - Bridging the Gap: Connecting Candidate Intelligence to Onboarding & L&D
- 19:20 - The Brilliant Vision & The Future System of Action
- 22:56 - Reality Check & Advice for HR Tech Founders
- 25:21 - Where to Connect & Wrap-Up