Thoughts
Insights on Recruitment, AI, and the Future of Talent
Recruiters are right to feel uneasy – AI and market shifts are changing the ground under our feet. The question isn’t if things change, but how we adapt.
This blog is my take on recruitment and executive search, grounded in 20 years of leading firms in Japan and Asia. Sometimes sharp, sometimes experimental, always focused on the future of hiring.
I write around three themes:
Recruitment – the craft itself, with emphasis on search and RPO.
Artificial Intelligence – separating signal from noise.
Our Platform – how we’re building tools to stay ahead.
If you’re a recruiter, HR leader, or business owner curious about what’s next in Japan’s talent market, you’re in the right place.
— Murray Clarke, Co-Founder & Chief Recruiter at TalentHub
Improving Executive Search
Executive search in Japan requires more than CVs — clients expect insight into how leaders are perceived. TalentHub’s AI platform captures and analyses public data, from LinkedIn profiles to media exposure and industry activity, then generates candidate profiles with scoring and summaries. Reports are shared securely for real-time feedback. For boutiques and independents, this creates a differentiated search experience, blending consulting with technology. Built for global tech firms entering Japan, TalentHub delivers transparent, data-driven search.
Who Am I and Why Listen?
About the Author
I’m Murray Clarke, Co-Founder and Chief Recruiter at TalentHub Partners. Over the past 20 years I’ve led at three search firms in Japan – each achieving a successful exit, including one I built from scratch and sold to ManpowerGroup. As an early-stage leader at a firm that scaled to 200 consultants across APAC, and later during a major ownership transition, twice receiving Best Leader awards. My time at VMware gave me direct experience of how global vendors scale in Japan, insight I later applied to help foreign firms navigate the country’s toughest hiring challenges.
I hold degrees in marketing and psychology from the University of Otago, and studied Japanese history, culture, arts, and political economy at the University of Tokyo. This blend of commercial and cultural understanding underpins TalentHub Partners’ mission: to help global firms – and the recruiters who support them – compete and succeed in Japan’s talent market.
I’m also passionate about emerging technologies that do social good by improving business outcomes. At TalentHub, our mission is to use technology and AI to raise the standard of recruitment – improving candidate experience, enabling recruiters to succeed, and helping companies hire better people faster. For too long, the industry has depended on time-strapped recruiters working without the right tools. The future looks brighter, though uncertain, and I’m committed to building solutions that make a lasting difference.