What talent leaders need to know from SIOP 2025: Skills, science, and the future of work

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) 2025 Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, brought together psychologists, researchers, and HR professionals to explore the latest advancements shaping the workforce. While sessions covered everything from AI ethics to employee engagement strategies, one theme stood out loud and clear: skills-based hiring that IOs have touted forever is being embraced more than ever before by talent teams.

Validating skills: The future, finally catching up

For decades, industrial-organizational psychologists have championed that validated skills—not resumes or gut feel, should guide hiring decisions. Now, the rest of the industry is catching on. At SIOP 2025, there was a palpable sense of momentum around skills validation as the north star for hiring. IOs were energized to see their evidence-based principles gaining widespread traction in corporate strategy and product development. In other words, what used to be a “nice-to-have” in the academic corner has become the blueprint for future-ready talent practices.

HireVue didn’t just show up at SIOP 2025—it helped shape the conversation. From topics like criterion validation in a digital world to fairness in AI-powered hiring, the company reaffirmed its position as a trusted partner for talent teams seeking scalable, science-based solutions. The message is clear for organizations looking to stay ahead in an increasingly complex hiring landscape: the future belongs to those who combine people science with innovative technology.

AI is here. The question is: Are you using it responsibly?

With so much buzz around artificial intelligence in hiring, SIOP 2025 was grounded by a thoughtful, evidence-based approach. Hirevue’s sessions addressed both the power of AI and the responsibility that comes with it. In “Safeguarding Assessment Integrity in the Age of Generative AI,” our own Cory Moore was joined by other experts to discuss strategies for designing fair, bias-resistant hiring systems. This isn’t just about compliance—it’s about building trust with candidates and transparency in the process. Talent leaders were encouraged to adopt AI with frameworks for validation, explainability, and privacy in mind.

ROI isn’t just a finance term—It’s a talent imperative

Proving the effectiveness of hiring tools is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a must. At SIOP 2025, Hirevue presented research on impact evaluation, showcasing how organizations can measure and communicate the ROI of their hiring programs. The science team demonstrated that talent acquisition should be held to the same data standards as other business functions, from multi-objective optimization to predictive analytics. Linking talent outcomes to business metrics has become a competitive necessity for HR leaders looking to protect budgets and prove value.

The quantifiable nature of assessments

A great example of clear ROI comes from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). They implemented Hirevue Assessments and completely eliminated those long, manual phone screens that used to eat up their team’s time.

The results were remarkable:

• 1,695 hours saved per year through automation
• $667,000 saved year-to-date in efficiency
• 6,743 hours freed up annually by replacing phone screens with on-demand interviews

The psychology of hiring is becoming more agile

Beyond tech talk, there was a strong focus on agility and resilience in today’s workforce. Sessions emphasized preparing for constant change—whether through upskilling, scenario planning, or more responsive org design. Industrial-organizational psychology is no longer just about assessments and job analysis. It’s about guiding the human side of digital transformation. And that means HR leaders need to be fluent in the psychology of behavior, change, and motivation.

What this means for HR leaders

Whether you’re leading a Fortune 500 talent team or refining a startup’s hiring process, here’s how to put SIOP’s insights into action: Embrace skills-first design. Build your hiring framework around what candidates can do, not just what’s on their LinkedIn profile. Use AI—but with intention. Choose tools that are validated, explainable, and aligned with ethical guidelines. Get fluent in your hiring data. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Start tracking the ROI of your people decisions. Stay curious. SIOP reminded us that great HR isn’t static. It’s a moving target—shaped by research, innovation, and real-world results.

If you’re ready to see how skills-based hiring could reshape your talent strategy, let’s talk.